Nikki Nordick is owner and certified professional dog trainer at Airdrie Puppy Pals.
Nikki Nordick
Tell me about your business and what you offer?
Nordick: My husband Ray and I own a dog care facility in Airdrie, just north of Calgary, called Airdrie Puppy Pals. With a team of amazing dog care specialists, we offer dog daycare and a different type of boarding or kennelling experience we candidly refer to as puppy pal sleepovers.
We also offer a variety of training services from puppy classes, dog obedience, private training and pet first aid.
How did this business come about?
Nordick: Ray and I had recently moved to Airdrie, so we didn’t know many people. Whenever we would take our two dogs Rosa and Ryder to an off-leash dog park, it seemed like there was never anyone there. (And at the time, there were over 10,000 registered dogs in Airdrie!)
So as a way to connect with other pet parents and schedule dog park play dates, we first created Airdrie Puppy Pals as an online community.
During these play dates, we quite often heard feedback and concerns about pet businesses. From those conversations and with a determination to offer something we as pet parents would want ourselves, Airdrie Puppy Pals has evolved and grown into the dog care company we are today.
What were your biggest challenges in starting the business?
Nordick: Our biggest challenge in starting our business was in opening our first location. As a young business, barely a year into operation, it was very challenging to find a way to finance our dream.
We knew we needed a facility to grow our business, but we were also learning we needed to grow our business before we could qualify for financing. It seemed like a frustrating never-ending circle.
In the end, after putting forward every penny we had, we found a bank that believed in what we were hoping to accomplish and allowed us the opportunity to get started.
What were your biggest challenges in starting the business?
Nordick: We’re in the process of opening a second facility later this fall, right here in Airdrie. This much larger second location gives us the opportunity to introduce new services like dog grooming, a small dog daycare and offer more training classes like agility and overcoming reactivity.
We are also very excited to be able to host more community events and fundraisers like our upcoming Christmas Paw-ty in December.
Why is there a growing market out there for pet-related businesses?
Nordick: As a society, we’re shifting our views on companion animals. Dogs, cats and pets in general have become a very important part of our families. We celebrate birthdays, mourn losses and have a vested interest in our pet’s health, happiness and well-being.
The more we continue to learn and experience the value of the human-to-animal bond, the need for reliable pet-related businesses will also continue to grow alongside.
– Mario Toneguzzi
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