Pet Paradise Resort LLC

Pet Paradise creates a fun, safe, engaging, and exceptionally well-maintained boarding and daycare facility that includes an indoor dog park and indoor walking track to keep dogs and their owners active, socializing and bonding in all climates. 

 

            My name is Melinda Arensdorf. I am a 42-year-old female entrepreneur that has lived in Janesville, WI for the past 15 years. For the past 14 years, I’ve worked in the Janesville School District as a special education paraprofessional in a high needs' classroom of 16-20 kids K-5. I’m a mom of 2 girls, my oldest is a Freshman in College at Wisconsin Lutheran and my youngest is a freshman in high school. I’ve been married for 18 years to my incredibly supportive, loving husband, Jarod. Jarod is a Transportation Specialist at the Wisconsin DOT.  Together we have owned 6 different dogs, three of them are now passed and we currently have 3 beautiful pups. 

I attended UW Platteville and Graduated with a bachelor's degree in business in 2004. I may not be in the field yet with all the background of running a facility of this nature, but what I do have is my experience through the years with my job as a special education para, my own pets and my family and friends’ pets. I have an employee who has 3 years background in daycare and boarding. She will be helping with logistics and her ideas and suggestions will be priceless with her past experience working at the largest dog boarding/daycare facility in Rock County.  Let me explain what that means. 

Are you familiar with Temple Grandin? Probably not, because unless you work in a field that has involved autism or understanding dog behaviors you probably wouldn’t. If you don’t, you won’t regret reading any of her 60 scientific published papers on animal behavior, or listening to her speak about how people have animal brains and how closely autism can be understood more easily by others when comparing them.  She is a public speaker who has autism and has scientific facts that dogs and other animals have similar behaviors to people with autism. I have researched Temple Grandin over the last 6 years and have completed over 100 Professional development hours about autism and dog behavior connections and have read all her books on animal behaviors.  My knowledge of children on the Autism spectrum is very in depth and my training has always been continuous. I’m not saying kids with Autism are like dogs, but they process like dogs, they are sensory seeking. The way they see, hear, taste, smell things is so closely related to the senses of a dog, or cat, cattle etc. 

Another great thing I have been taking advantage of is consulting with professionals in the industry and taking classes on how to successfully run a boarding/daycare facility. That training includes documents with verbiage for clients to understand our rules and requirements. It includes prewritten verbiage for training new employees and how to successfully run the behavior assessments prior to being a member. It includes an employee handbook. Best in Show is the consultant and previously owner of the most successful dog boarding/daycare facility in Dane County, WI. 

Autistic children see the world differently, but they have emotions like ours, new can be scary or interesting, sounds can change the way they feel or react in a situation. Dogs have hyper senses, just the way people with autism can have. Dogs have to be put into social groups that they will play and socialize well with, they have body language that shows fear, comfort, happiness, anxiety etc. We have kids who we know fight over food, so we keep them in different areas at lunch the same we do with dogs who have food aggression or territorial issues while eating. We know kids on the spectrum who can’t handle loud screams or noises shouldn’t be in the same group as another child who screams a lot or in a more chaotic room. You may not want to put two autistic kids together if they fight over every toy, or choice they make for playing just as you wouldn’t put two dogs together that fight over toys because it's a risk of a fight breaking out. I don’t have years of background in dog daycare and boarding but I do have a 14-year background of autism and that will contribute to running a successful business. I understand dogs as well as I understand children and that’s because they both have been my focus since forever. Let me tell you more about what the facility will consist of.

The Pet Paradise Resort is a planned recreational facility for members only with cat/dog suite boarding, dog daycare, indoor dog park and private padded walking track, training opportunities, bathing and more. The facility is planned to be at 4701 Milton Ave, Janesville WI pending acceptance and approval. The Resort is aiming to open at the beginning of 2024, pending a successful funding campaign. It will be around 9,000 sq ft featuring an indoor dog park estimated to be 1,300 sq ft surrounded by the walking track but with privacy walls between track and indoor park to lessen dogs’ anxiety. The facility will be state of the art and nothing quite like this exists even in the United States! Overnight stays of cozy but spacious boarding suites, furniture available by request and in house dog training, bathing, play time, professionally trained staff in CPR, First Aid, behaviors and more. We are excited to say we will not have smelly trench drains, but we will use aqua air wet/dry, it eliminates the need for trench drains and uses 75% less water and is a huge cost savings for Pet Paradise Resort while also sanitizing. 

            Pet Paradise will have the 1st indoor dog park in Wisconsin with a padded walking track for leashed pets. The business will allow pet owners to walk or play with their pets in any weather conditions inside a clean, safe, fun and comfortable environment. Boarding facilities that will house up to 48 dogs and 6 cats. Daycare will house a maximum of 40 pets a day. The need for more openings in daycare and kennels was unanimous on surveys posted on social media groups of Rock County.  There are only 12 dog daycare and kennels in Rock County to serve approximately 62,000 households with pets. The target market will be Generation Z, Millennials, Gen Xers and baby boomers; despite these target markets, the business will aim to serve all ages with the walking track for those with disabilities and seniors who need the surfaces to be dry and flat to safely walk their dogs. 

Pet services is expected to have the highest growth of any segment of the pet industry, with spending now predicted to rise 143% by 2030 to $118 billion.  Pet Paradise aims to help dog owners connect, socialize their dogs plus supply an open area inside to play, exercise, and bond with your dog. The demand for these services continues to increase the profitability of daycare and boarding facilities. The US Pet Industry spending will increase from $50 billion since 2011 to $200 billion by 2030. An average household spends $1200 annually on their dogs. In the town of Janesville, WI, there are over 5,000 registered dogs in the city. The pet daycare and lodging market is estimated to grow at a rate of 6.34% from 2022-2026.  Kennels and daycares are always full and there are wait lists at every facility. The largest kennel in our area that provided daycare and boarding is closing and the demand will be immediate. 

Pet Paradise expects to have full boarding within one month because of the increasingly high need which would create a revenue of $55,000 a month and with the daycare at 50% operational, the revenue itself would be $40,000 a month. We project that the indoor dog park and walking track will be 25% of the combined revenue of daycare and boarding which would be ~$24,000. So monthly revenue would be $119,000 with monthly operating expenses at these volumes would be ~$48,000. That’s a profit of 71,000 a month and that’s not even at full capacity for the daycare and doesn’t include memberships, training, grooming, etc. 

My pets are very much members of the family. They are my calm, my safe, my reliable companions. They love playing, walking and just hanging out with us but when our Wisconsin weather doesn’t cooperate, we can sometimes go weeks without a walk, socialize or larger play area to play fetch or run. Then, when it starts to get nice out our city turns our trails into no dogs on trails during spring and summer months. Could you picture your child in a wheelchair you're pushing while trying to walk a dog at the same time outside if it's bumpy, icy, rainy, cold, too hot? Well unfortunately I’ve seen this. Sometimes for families it's unavoidable and we want to fix that problem because weather shouldn’t be a barrier for you and your pet to safely enjoy some fun time. Janesville and surrounding areas have a high number of disabled pet owners, service animals or elderly pet owners who would take advantage of a safe place to walk, train and socialize their pups inside.The facility will be handicap accessible anywhere the public can access.  

Our community needs this, our pets need this. Help make this dream a reality, please! You won’t regret it! I’m the type of person who won't stop until I find an answer, who keeps researching every day on how to run a business, the employee side, the pet owner side, the pets’ need, what systems to use like Doggie Dashboard, simplifying drop off and pick-ups to avoid potential issues in the lobby. The idea is huge and 100% of people I’ve shared this with can’t wait to see it come to life. 

As of May 20, 2023, here are the steps I have accomplished so far. 

I have acquired an EIN number, obtained an article of organization, opened 2 business checking accounts, completed my business plan, hired an architect, realtor and a contractor. I’ve also been working with UW Whitewater small business development center for guidance and expert services. June 1st I will be employed in an animal services facility to gain experience in the field. We will be applying for a conditional use permit by the end of May with the architect and City of Janesville, started online puppy training certification classes in order to start training before the facility is complete to establish clients, acquired a domain name, phone number and the website is being worked on. Completed articles of organization, quoted out insurance costs, lawyer costs, tax consultant and bookkeeper fees. 

 

Why Do I need funding?

 

            Pet Paradise is set out to assist in the high demand of dog kennels and daycare facilities that are lacking in Rock County, given the trends shaping the pet industry: humanization, health and wellness, sustainability and digitalization, all causing a drive for the demand of pet services. The projects total funding costs will be $950,000 to provide the community with much needed pet services. Land, building, renovations (real estate) will be the largest part of the funding. The remaining funds would be start-up costs and operating expenses, demolition and remodeling. 

 

The Goal-$95,000

            

What will that buy, and how much more is needed? This is the required 10% down payment on an SBA loan through WBD. To further complete the renovations to make the Resort a more enjoyable place for dogs and their humans alike with the help of raising additional funds for demolition and renovations, sustainable items for the park. This will result in a need to raise more money to afford those quality items, so the Resort is enjoyed for years to come.

 

            I’m also looking for any infrastructure items that can be donated or provided as an in-kind service so that the money raised can be spent on other items. Fundraising efforts will continue after the resort is established for continuous improvement of offerings. My goal is to create a facility that is safe, fun and that is a true asset to our community so that residents can leave their fur babies with us knowing they will be loved on and taken care of like our own pets. I want to give the community pet owners a chance to play, walk, train or socialize with their pets in an environment monitored by trained staff in a clean environment with plenty of ventilation and indoor & outdoor play areas with agility equipment and playground equipment. Often in free play areas you have irresponsible owners not watching their dogs or not picking up after them, letting their dogs with bad behavior go uncorrected and that interferes with the enjoyment and safety of others. The goal is to have responsible pet owners in the facility so pet owners can focus on what’s important, their pups. 

 

            I can’t do this alone and will appreciate every bit of help and support I can get for Pet Paradise Resort. If there is anything on this list you would like to donate you can contact me (Melinda Arensdorf) at [email protected]. 

 

Examples of items needed and can be donated to Pet Paradise Resort LLC

 

Pet Paradise Resort LLC

 

Thank you so much for your time, support and help with this fundraising/funding for opening up a state of the art, Pet Paradise Resort you won’t find anywhere else.  Let us spoil your fur babies in our relaxing and fun paradise themed resort while the owners are away or come play in a climate-controlled environment to play catch, take a walk, work on training and socializing. 

 

Agility/play equipment is being built with composite boards by an at home workshop in Green Bay, WI. The total for the equipment is $5,000. 

 

Cat Condos-2 needed.

 

Exercise pens-6 needed.

 

Refrigerator and Freezer

 

Washer and Dryer 

 

Water dispenser-2 needed

 

Agility Equipment and playground needs 

 

Thank you for your time and please share this with anyone and everyone! This is going to be epic! Do you want to be part of something amazing, special? Please contact me!

 

Melinda Arensdorf 

Owner 

Pet Paradise Resort LLC 

262-949-7706