Aarf Pack Leader
I’m a lifelong Salt Laker, and I’ve loved animals and being outdoors all my life. I was not allowed to have a dog as a child (which is probably one reason I’m so crazy about them now), but I have had my own dogs since 1979. Most of my dogs have been rescues. Over the years, when I needed to travel without them, I was frustrated by the lack of quality at-home dog care services and the antiquated model of dog boarding (I call them doggy prisons) available in Salt Lake City. So, in 2008, I started Aarf, knowing I could provide great care for pets and exceptional service for their humans. Over the years, Aarf has grown into a thriving business with so many happy animal and human clients, and it’s been a life-changing experience for me, for which I’m so grateful. It’s the most rewarding and fulfilling work I’ve ever done.
Aarf’s mission will always be to provide the finest possible care for pets and service for their humans, and to do so with integrity, compassion, hard work, commitment, and love. I choose Aarf Team members very carefully, based on these shared values. The result is an incredible, professional group of loving, committed, happy, and dependable animal caregivers who always strive to provide the best pet care and service possible. I know that we can meet and exceed the highest client expectations, and we do it with joy every day!
From Summer 2008 until April 2016, my own home was a busy boarding house for innumerable clients’ dogs. On many nights we had 12 dogs staying with us! My dogs and I loved it, but it was a real challenge doing it alone, and it was not something I could do forever. In 2014 I was fortunate to be accepted into the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. I graduated from that program with a ‘mini MBA’ and a fully developed business plan in place to find and purchase a small home where I could replicate what I was doing at my own home for all those years. I searched for two years before I finally found the perfect spot - the Aarf House! It’s a small home with a large, fully fenced private yard and play area. It’s the first and only “doggy B & B” in Salt Lake! It’s an alternative to “industrial-style” dog boarding, and is homestyle dog lodging at its finest. The number of overnight boarding doggy guests is limited to 12, and Aarf regularly fosters one homeless dog at a time. Each of our doggy guests is free to roam around the house and the yard as he or she chooses, go in and out the dog door whenever they like. They’re able to decide for themselves whether to take a dip in one of the doggy pools, play fetch with friends, relax on the grass in the shade, or sleep on one of the comfy couches or dog beds inside. It’s perfect for young dogs, because the 24/7 staffing allows Aarf Team members to work with them on proper socialization and reinforce housetraining, etc. It’s wonderful for elderly or convalescing dogs who need special care and attention, and of course it’s hugely popular with all ages and breeds of dogs who just love to be with other good dogs and have fun! There is a cozy bedroom for an Aarf Team member to sleep with them overnight, and most nights the bed is overflowing with happy, sleepy pups with our team member snuggled up in the middle!
