About Me

Working with animals has always been a dream of mine.  Being a child of a Naval Officer our family lived in several states.  Born in Hawaii during the Vietnam Era, my parents introduced me to my first four legged friend, Toni, a shepherd mix.   My memory of having my first dog still seems like just a short time ago.  I remember having Toni follow me around through the years and the strong bond we had as I grew up.  As years passed, I grew up with cats, birds and a dog or two.

 As a young child, my family settled into Washington.  Upon graduating from High School I decided to attend Washington State University for a year.  I took basic course studies and after a year decided to come back home and attend community college where I could be closer to my family and to my beloved Tikki a teacup poodle.  I initially was working towards a degree in Hotel Restaurant Management but after working one summer interning, I decided that was not the direction I wanted to go.  Instead, I jumped into the 9-5 work force and found myself in Administrative positions with a strong emphasis in finance.

Now, on my own and my childhood pets gone I set my roots firmly in the area.  I married and had a daughter, Danielle who is now 12.  I continued my love of animals and again always had pets around me.  By now, I had Kona, a Corgi Cocker mix and Kody, a Terrier Airdale mix.  I also had my birds.  Life’s journey took me into several positions in the work force and I found that I had become quite skilled at corporate collections.  I worked for large firms collecting debts from their clients and was very successful at it but deep down I knew that I wanted something more in my life.

I have been handed a few challenges in the last 10 years.  I would re-evaluate the direction my life was taking me both professionally and personally.  My daughter was diagnosed at the age of 3 and again at 8 with an operable brain tumor.   As newly single parent, these were life’s struggles that would really challenge my professional life in corporate America.  I knew during these difficult times I wanted to be home more to care for my daughter and somehow work for myself.  I would research business ideas in the pet industry and save these ideas in 3-ring notebooks or on my computer.  I knew I wanted to work for myself and around animals but I wasn’t sure what that calling was yet.  So, I continued to juggle work with long commuting hours, medical appointments for my daughter and our personal lives.

In 1999, I met a wonderful man by the name of Jason.  He is active duty in the Air Force and stationed at McChord AFB here in Washington.  We began dating and after only 5 short months he received orders to Germany.  When he left for Germany we decided to continue our relationship long distant.  Because we had such a strong bond we made it work with phone calls and I even was able to make a trip oversees to see him.  A year into our long distant relationship we married in Las Vegas and began the process of getting Jason stationed back at McChord.  Because of Danielle’s medical issues Jason was able to be transferred here on a Humanitarian.

We settled in as a family in Puyallup six years ago.  I am fortunate that both Jason and my daughter, Danielle have the same passion for animals that I do.  They joke with me that all strays find their way to me or our home.  This is a true statement.  I am kindly referred to as the “dog lady”.  I seem to have a beacon that stray cats or dogs sense.  They find their way to my doorstep and I take care of them until I am able to find their owners.  Luckily, I have had 100% success finding these pets their homes when they have crossed my path.  My family also understands my need to stop our moving vehicle when I see an animal walking along the side of the road with no owner.  Jason and Danielle enjoy our trips to unique pet stores or the occasional stop off at the Humane Society to visit with the animals.  My family also loves to go with me on pet walks or sitting whenever they can.  They find it therapeutic as well.

Our family is full of four legged and feathered friends.  We have a lab mix, Sam and several Havanese or Havanese mix dogs.  Their names are: Scamper, Emma, Nikki, Molly, Patch, Oscar and Angel.  We also have two cats, Wiley and Bella.  Our feathered friend is Toby an Amazon Parrot.    As you can see, we love animals and especially the Havanese breed.  Because of our passion for animals and the love of the Havanese we decided to breed the Havanese mixes a few years ago.  We have enjoyed every minute of it.  We have met so many nice families and enjoyed the time we have had with our puppies.  It was with the breeding that having my own business became not just a dream.  Many of the families that would get our puppies would ask if we could pet sit them while they were away.  We of course offered that as a service too so we could see our puppies as they grew. 

In October of 2007, I was laid off from work and a week later my husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  I knew now more than ever that I wanted to start my own dog walking, pet sitting & taxi business and have the opportunity to be home more as Jason began his treatment to fight his cancer.  I chose to find this time as an opportunity to make my dream a reality.  As I jumped off that cliff and my parachute opened Tails R A Waggon was born.  

With the help, love and support of family and friends my business has been the best life decision I have made.  I enjoy waking up and starting my day in this venture.  I come home at the end of the day with a smile on my face.  It is extremely important to me to provide the best quality service to my families and their pets.  Coming from experience of working a job outside the home I know how difficult it is to juggle ones personal life.  I know that when you are working it is difficult to leave an animal in your home for long periods of time, or how difficult it can be to find the time to take your pet to the vet or groomers while you are working.  I also know that when you do have a day off, the last thing you want to do is spend your Saturday or Sunday at the vets or groomers.  It is my vision to be able to assist families and their pets with those struggles.

It is my mission, to provide excellent care and an array of services for families and their pets while they are away.  I am American Red Cross certified in Pet CPR and First Aid and am currently taking courses in Animal Behavior and Clicker training.  I am constantly striving to educate myself in the pet industry so that I can provide the best service to you and your pets. I am also a member of Pet Sitters International-PSI www.petsit.com, which is the most respected national pet sitting association. www.petsitters.org .

In closing, I want to thank everyone who has helped me make this dream a reality. And thank you to my clients.  I have enjoyed every minute of caring for your pets and making your lives easier.   My gratitude is endless!!!

Warm regards,

Carey S.

Contact us at (253) 227-2775

Email: Carey@tailsrawaggon.com