WRITTEN BY: Anna Holton-Dean
Once upon a time, in a now-distant land called Corporate America,
two friends—Nancy Gallimore, CPDT-KA, and Lawanna Smith, CPDTKA—daydreamed about opening a unique dog-focused business … someday. The topic came up several times through the years. A business plan was written just in case. A marketing plan followed.
Suddenly, “someday” presented itself, and Pooches was born.
“I was finishing a 15-year career with CITGO Petroleum in marketing and advertising. They were moving to Houston,” Nancy says. “Lawanna and I had talked for years about ‘someday’ starting a dog daycare. With a big life change looming, someday appeared, and we took the opportunity. Lawanna had
a lifetime career in insurance and financial planning that she left to start Pooches. It was a big leap of faith.”
Thankfully, it paid off. This past October, Pooches celebrated its 15th anniversary of serving Tulsa’s pets, offering dog daycare, overnight boarding, all-breed grooming and training services.
The co-owners’ mutual love for dogs, particularly Dalmatians, is what bonded them years ago. Nancy and Lawanna have been involved in dog rescue and training together since 1990, and they helped found the Dalmatian Assistance League of Tulsa.
Now the whole Pooches staff shares their same passion for the animals in their care.
“Lawanna and I, along with our amazing manager Lindsay Henry and all of our dedicated employees, truly love dogs,” Nancy says. “I can’t tell you how many times I find an employee sitting in a boarding kennel with a dog on their break or asking if they can take a dog into the break room for some one-on-one time. Our dedication to the dogs goes well beyond our hours of operation. It’s our passion. Our Pooches dogs become part of our family. Lindsay has been invaluable to our team. We also have several long-term employees who are so valuable to us and share our commitment.”
As much as they love the dogs, Nancy says running Pooches is more than simply fun and games.
“Some think our business is just about playing with dogs all day, but it’s really about taking care of them and providing them a safe place to hang out. It involves a lot of work— cleaning, supervision, hands on deck. But we love it.
“We also love all of the dog owners we have had
the pleasure to get
to know and are grateful to have made numerous amazing friendships.
Additionally, we are grateful we can put our knowledge of
dogs and extensive dog care experience to work in
monitoring our dog guests. We have caught health issues for clients that have been very meaningful and life-saving in a couple of cases.”
Pooches welcomes all breeds of dogs. While temperament tests are performed, Nancy says even dogs that don’t play well with others can still be accommodated for boarding and daycare.
In addition to services, Pooches offers numerous retail options, like supplies, treats, toys and food—some even make perfect gift ideas for your beloved canine.
“We are so grateful for the support our customers have given us over the years and especially this year. We would not have survived 2020 without their dedication and belief in us,” Nancy says.
“We started our business because we wanted to create a great place where dogs can come and just have a great time—whether they are there to play, learn a thing or two, or get a new hairdo. We try very hard to create positive experiences for all of our dogs in every phase of our business. Many of our dogs have been with us their entire lives. The puppies we knew back in the early days have silver muzzles now. We celebrate new puppies and adoptions with clients; we grieve over the loss of our old four-legged friends.
“It’s more than a business—it’s our way of life. We are the actual crazy dog ladies and are very happy we’ve been able to turn our obsession into a long-term career. The old adage about the dangers of going into business with a best friend? We are pleased to disagree. It’s been a great ride.”
