How much is that dog food in the window?

By Shelly Yeager
Sun contributor
A familiar sight as she walks briskly along the roadside with one of her canine clients, Dawn Fitch braves the elements while caring for area pets. Through rain, snow or blistering heat, one can expect to see her out and about as she makes her thrice daily rounds. Recently, Dawn of Dawn’s Tender Care Pet Sitting, decided to expand her business and now operates her own pet supply store conveniently located in the heart of Maple City. Situated between Pegtown Station Pizza and the gas station, Dawn’s Tender Care Pet Supplies & Sporting Goods opened for business on March 1 of this year. To envision the new store, picture a cross between Petsmart and McGough’s with a selection of live bait and tackle added for good measure.

Originally, Dawn’s love of animals led her to dream of becoming a veterinarian. The expensive reality of attending veterinary school caused her to redefine her goals and she chose to open a kennel. She soon realized, however, that pets experience unnecessary stress in a kennel environment and resolved to adapt her business so that the animals could be kept in familiar surroundings. For 11 years now, Dawn has traveled to client’s homes to care for their pets while they are away. She also walks dogs whose owners work all day or are otherwise unable to exercise them enough. In addition to dogs, Dawn cares for a wide variety of animals including cats, birds, horses, lambs and pigs. Some more unusual critters she has cared for over the years include donkeys, snakes and even tarantulas. Her human customers value her reliable services, knowing that their animal family is well cared for in their absence. Her animal friends enjoy the lavish attention and, of course, the treats she brings,
On a typical day, Dawn starts her morning rounds as early as 4 a.m. and finally finishes at 10 p.m. after completing her evening rounds. She visits some pets in the middle of the day as well, for a total of three stops, if necessary. She drives her red ’99 Toyota pickup 350 miles (over 700 miles on holidays) as she travels her route. The truck’s odometer just turned over 200,000 miles. Her service area includes Glen Arbor, Empire, Cedar and Maple City with a few far-flung clients in Leland and Lake Ann.
Dawn recognized the need for a pet supply store in the area when customers would leave notes for her saying something such as, “I couldn’t get to Traverse City, could you pick up some of Spot’s special dog food for me?” Instead of acting as a delivery service for stores in town, Dawn began to consider opening a local store of her own. After three years of searching and waiting for affordable, well-located space to become available, the opportunity in Maple City presented itself. Although Dawn is a savvy business woman and had educated herself on the requirements to be successful, the decision to go ahead was not an easy one. However, today Dawn says, “I realized here was my chance, so I took the big jump. It’s going really well.” In order to operate the new store in addition to her pet sitting responsibilities, her mother Joyce Chipman helps in the afternoons during the week. Her friend Helen Newman, tends to the store on Saturdays.
Experience gained by caring for pets in their own homes, seeing what they need and what their owners want for them, has helped Dawn in stocking her store. Her motto, “one call – we feed them all”, puts it in a nutshell. Her extensive inventory includes horse, chicken, rabbit, fish, pig, wild bird and tame bird food and supplies, in addition to dog and cat needs. She also carries farm fresh eggs, animal-oriented stationary, cards and even bird-safe candles. If a customer should need something, maybe a particular brand that Dawn doesn’t have, they can tell her and she will almost always be able to get it. Dawn takes pride in keeping her prices in line with those in Traverse City.
Dawn enjoys having pets visit her store with their owners. While shopping, they may meet one of her animals and receive some petting and a treat. Typically Dawn’s beautiful green parrot, Isaac, is in residence along with one of her five dogs. The newest addition to her pet family is Jasmine, a black lab puppy. Jasmine joins another black lab, a German shepherd, a French pointer and a little Jack Russell terrier.
Due to her affinity for the four-legged set, Dawn has achieved her goal of working with animals. Her new endeavor is off to a good start, satisfying the need for locally available pet supplies, while her pet sitting service continues to thrive.