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Inspired by a love for animals: Behind the Business with Furry Fellas Pet Service in Coventry, RI
Melodi Landi founded Furry Fellas Pet Service in Coventry, RI. The small business provides professional pet sitting, dog walking, and other services to Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts pet parents.
Landi started her business as a side hustle. “I was working at an animal hospital. At the time, I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. So while I was working, I started going to school, and I started picking up clients on the side,” she said.
At the vet’s office, Landi noticed that there were many pet owners who hadn’t gone away in years because they had pets with special needs. “The pets required insulin because they had diabetes, or they needed subcutaneous fluids because of renal issues, or they just required some type of medication, and the pet owners were nervous leaving. Because I was a vet tech, a lot of the vets referred me for in-home pet sitting, which was a service that the hospital didn't offer. So, I started picking up clients that way, and then it grew by word of mouth,” Landi said.
The business owner has a degree in business administration with a concentration in animal veterinary science from the University of Rhode Island. By merging her business acumen and love of animals, Landi built a successful company. In 2000 she began Melodi’s Pet Sitting. By 2006 she needed to hire staff for her growing client list and rebranded as Furry Fellas Pet Service.
“We offer pet sitting services, dog walking and exercise services, and overnight sitting in people's homes. We also offer a pet wedding attendant service, which is basically for clients who are getting married. They want their pet to take part in the ceremony, or they just want to have them come for pictures. We currently have a small online cruelty-free pet product store,” Landi elaborated. The small business owner also said that Furry Fellas has grown to approximately 25 pet sitters.
Like many businesses during the pandemic, Furry Fellas had to be flexible and launched new services that continue today. Staff can pick up pet medications, food, and supplies for pet owners who are unable to go out and get them. “We also do transport services—we can transport dogs or cats to the vet or to the groomer,” the business owner said.
Dogs and cats are not the only animals Furry Fellas cares for. “We take care of some other small animals, such as ginny pigs, rabbits, ferrets, turtles, birds, mice, rats, and chickens. We've had some goats as well,” Landi shared.
When a new client initially contacts Furry Fellas, a staff member will “look for a sitter who is located within the client’s service area, who meets the client’s requirements, such as if their animal takes medication or if they need an overnight sitter. Then, the client will meet with their personal sitter to make sure it's a good fit, and they go through the pet’s routine. We also have an online portal where clients can input all of their care instructions. So, all our staff is on the same page across the board,” Landi said about her client onboarding process.
The entrepreneur shared a bit about herself and what she loves about her job. “I like working with animals and helping them—that's one of my passions. And my whole life is pretty much centered around helping animals. I'm also a vegan, so I leave animals out in that aspect as well—anything that I can do to make an animal's life better makes me happy.”
Many of Furry Fellas’ new clients come from referrals from animal hospitals, groomers, and other pet care businesses. “We have a large network of different animal provider services,” Landi shared, and people find her business through word of mouth. Furry Fella’s website is another source for generating leads. “We do get a lot of people from our website as well as through SEO,” Landi said.
Furry Fellas pays close attention to customer feedback and informs clients about their pets. “We do surveys, and clients are happy to have someone they can trust and rely on coming into their home. Our staff sends updates, including pet pictures, to keep clients in the loop,“ Landi said.
In addition to providing pet care, the business owner is deeply involved in her community, raising money for pet rescues and non-profits that help animals. “We have a small group of volunteers, who are outside of the business, who help organize and run community, social and fundraising events to benefit the local animal community, including various animal rescues, non-profits, animal rights groups, and animal sanctuaries,” Landi said.
When asked about her pet, Landi said, “I have one dog, and he’s spoiled and gets lots of attention. He doesn't want to have any other housemates because that would take away from his attention!”
For more information about Furry Fellas Pet Service, LLC., check out their BBB Business Profile. To learn more about BBB and read more stories like this, visit Behind the Business Stories from BBB of Eastern MA, ME, RI & VT.
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