Yvette worked in animal care for virtually her entire life. Growing up she often volunteered at shelters and her family always took in strays to find new homes for them. Taking care of animals was just something she did out of pure passion and love for them. It wasn’t ever a business really, and then she became a mom. Though mom life can be extremely busy on its own, Yvette still helped with rescues, fostered pets, and even worked at different shelters. She hoped to make shelter and stray dogs more obtainable so they could be saved. The only problem was and as Yvette said herself, “The hardest part about shelter dogs is they haven’t been shown any reason to really trust anyone”.

“When you adopt a dog, you’re not adopting a breed. You’re adopting an experience.”

Working in animal care wasn’t always easy for Yvette. She genuinely cared about the animals, and with most places only caring about the money and not the dogs, she knew she had to make a change. After working at different places that didn’t put the dogs first, she finally decided to leave. Days after leaving her previous job, customers found Yvette on Facebook and asked her where she had gone. The reality was they knew Yvette cared for their animals and they wanted her back.

Starting a business on accident

At first, it was only a couple of dogs that would make it to Yvette’s home for daycare. She would take them on trail walks and work with them in her backyard. Eventually people started to spread the word and there were only so many dogs that could fit in her living room. All of a sudden Yvette found herself with a waiting list, and she knew it was time to find a location. “My kids are raised. My kids are done. I don’t have anything else that I need to do for them and it was time to indulge”. This was the very beginning of A Time Four Paws.

A new location & an unexpected pandemic

Covid-19 hit right as Yvette was ready to start her business at a new location. She knew it was a major risk, but one she was willing to take for the dogs. What started as only 12 dogs back in May has now resulted in over 193 current customers since then. At first Yvette wasn’t doing anything to get her name out there, and then things changed when she found out about FreshLime – “people started finding us more and more on Google, and then more and more on Facebook”. A Time Four Paws picked up at an incredibly fast pace, and Yvette found her business booming.

“We have a bus, we literally have a school bus that runs around and picks up the dogs to bring them to daycare”

What once started with Yvette picking up dogs in her Volkswagen Passat has now become an actual yellow school bus that goes around picking up dogs for daycare. Though the school bus is definitely unique, the truth is everything about A Time Four Paws is unique. They genuinely care about the animals and it shows with how they are treated. At A Time Four Paws dogs are taught to work with each other, their owners, and even learn about boundaries. “From the minute they walk in through those doors they are being taught and worked with on how to deal with each other, change, and everything else”.

“Things aren’t always perfect, and that’s where my business comes in. We actually deal with the dog’s needs.”

We don’t know of many businesses that were as successful as Yvette’s during a difficult year. What we do know is that hard work and dedication can lead to great accomplishments. Yvette had no intentions of starting a business during a global pandemic, but it was her passion and motivation that lead her to become a fortunate business owner. There are definitely plans for A Time Four Paws to continue to grow, and we’re all so excited to see where things go from here.

A Time Four Paws is located in Clifton Park, NY. You can reach them at (518) 280-0013.