Today we’d like to introduce you to Becca Riker.
Hi Becca, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up a lover of animals and had multiple dogs throughout my childhood. I was always creative in the arts and my career path as a young adult was in the art and service industries on a corporate level.
In my late 20’s, I realized I was fed up with corporate shenanigans and my path took a turn and I became an entrepreneur, starting a residential and commercial dog waste clean-up service. I also started a local dog walking service and had dreams of opening a facility for dogs to socialize with one another.
As a homeowner in Tremont, it was important to me to be involved in the community and my local block club. As a dog walker and in-my-home pet sitter, I met many people and dogs in my neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods. At the time, there were no off-leash locations for dogs to play and dog owners to meet so I made it my mission to form a community group advocating for Cleveland’s first dog park. I helped educate residents and city officials about the benefits of dog parks, and Tremont was the location of the first dog park in the city of Cleveland.
Meanwhile, my vision never waivered. I stayed on course – actively searching for the most suitable and easily accessible location – and I found my spot: 2603 Scranton Road.
At the time there were only two or three “dog daycare” facilities open in the Greater Cleveland area. None of them were in my neighborhood and there were none that offered cage-free, overnight boarding. Having two dogs of my own and a love for traveling, I knew what dog owners would want: A fun, safe and structured place for their dogs to enjoy the company of other dogs (and people) 24-hours a day.
I secured a lease with the dog-loving building owner, who believed in my mission. He supported my business and my efforts to obtain the required zoning variances required to open The Mutt Hutt on October 5, 2005.
From the start, the philosophy has remained the same: Placing the safety and needs of the dogs first, before anything else, even profit. They are the priority while in our care. This means having an adequate number of well-trained employees who are dog lovers and who understand how dogs play and socialize. Having had prior experience in the service industry and knowing how important it is to listen to customers, combined withintuit
From 2005 to March 2020, the facility was open 24 hours a day, with staff in the building to supervise whenever dogs were present. and dogs supervised whether their owners dropped them off for the day or for a longer stay while they traveled.
The pandemic shifted my 24-hour, full-service operationsbusiness model. Services like a full grooming salon and overnight stays have been retired. The business now is similar to when I started: Smaller client base and small but mighty staff.
But one thing hasn’t changed. Our focus remains on the dogs; our branded hashtag on social media is #muttsfirst and we mean it. My other priority is my staff. I’ve always paid my staff members more than minimum wage and now more than ever it is important to me to pay themliving wages and provide time off so they can enjoy a better work/life balance. Many people tell us how lucky we are to work with dogs, and we can attest this statement is true.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road of being an entrepreneur is never smooth but neither is life, so challenges are expected along the way. Working with live animals on a daily basis we know the challenges: the endless energy some dogs need to exhaust, puppies who are always learning and misbehaving, some dogs that may have behavior concerns that need to be discussed with clients. However, none of the above prepared me or were nearly as challenging as navigating through the pandemic and impact it’s had on the business, my employees, my clients and mental health.
Like many businesses, we were forced to pivot because of COVID. When people stopped traveling for work or pleasure – especially at the start of the pandemic – I ended overnight services. In fact, despite The Mutt Hutt being deemed an essential business that could remain open, I made the difficult decision to shut down for the safety and well-being of my employees and clients. We remained closed throughout most of the summer, using the time we were closed to customers to update the space and take care of some facility repairs and maintenance. We reopened in August 2020.
The time away gave me the opportunity to reflect on my business model and even about the “look” and “feel” of the experience we were offering the dogs. Inspired by “Randy Land,” located in the northside of my hometown Pittsburgh, I wanted to provide a unique experience for the dogs when they returned. During the summer of 2020,the backyard of the facility was transformed and re-branded as Muttville. Calling on my background as a graphic designer, and with the help of employees who are artists, we created a fun and engaging play yard for the dogs. It is adorned with colorfully painted used tires (keeping them out of the landfill), repurposed wood spools reimagined into dog houses and play structures for the dogs to enjoy, plus original art showcasing dogs’ names, mirrors (because dogs love to look at themselves in mirrors!) and giant, vibrant pinwheels which spin in the wind along the fenceline.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Mutt Hutt?
The mission of the The Mutt Hutt and my personal mission is to provide a safe, fun, structured and stimulating social environment for dogs of all sizes. We provide a positive experience. We provide a unique cage-free experience in an open environment that is safe for all dogs. We provide dogs with a structured, socially focused indoor and outdoor environment.
We understand dogs. We understand their need to exercise and socialize. We take the time to give each dog theattention he or she needs while in our care. We are committed to dogs.
As most people know, having a well-adjusted dog isn’t just about the dog. We provide ongoing education and communication with our clients. Combined, my staff has more than four decades of experience handling dogs and understanding behavior. Our staff is dedicated and will always put the dogs’ needs first. We are all about dogs.
Our customers and other organizations recognize our dedication. Over the years, The Mutt Hutt has earned many awards and honors, including “Best Pet Sitter” from Cleveland Magazine’s Best of Cleveland, Angie’s List Super Service Award, recognition as a COSE Ten Under Ten award winner, a Cleveland Hot List winner, the Small Business Owner of the Year from the Small Business Council of America, a Grassroots Business Award winner from Ohio Citizen Action and most recently, recognition from Scene Magazine’s as one of the “2021 Best of Cleveland” businesses and services.
Being an artist with a degree in graphic design and photography I am really proud of the logo, the creation of Muttville and the creation and ongoing maintenance and updates to our website. I thoroughly enjoy marketing and taking pictures of the dogs.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
By providing a service, I have an entire network of people with various occupations and backgrounds walking through my doors. Not only do I enjoy knowing their dogs, it’s important for me to get to know the owners and those relationships have contributed to the success of many of my business and volunteer projects.
Professionally, I was fortunate to have a client introduce me to a dog trainer soon after I opened and that trainer mentored me as I learned more about training and dog behavior.
Pricing:
- $30 Full Day (6+ hours)
- $20 Half Day (less than 6 hours)
Contact Info:
- Email: tmh@themutthutt.com
- Website: http://www.TheMuttHutt.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/themutthutt/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themutthuttCLE
Image Credits
Becca Riker
