The first month
OMG…It’s happening. I committed in 2025 to make Pawstive Paws Resort a reality and it’s here! We closed on the new location October 28th.
Week 1
My dad came up to check out the house and sign the paperwork with us. The house had a lot of work that needed to be done and my dad extended his stay another week to help get us up and running by Dec 1! The first father daughter bonding we did was cut down trees! I’ve never used a chainsaw but with my dad’s help we went to HD and rented us one and a pole saw. The day after we closed we cut down 2 trees!
Dad cut the branches and I moved them to a different location for wood chipping later. Then we went a head and cut that trunk. Of course we goofed and got the saw stuck in the tree but that didn’t stop us. My dad got the garden hose that was left behind and we were able to throw it around the tree and yank it down. Once we got it down I started tackling cutting the trunk. My dad taught me how to do it and before you knew it, that tree trunk was cut up in nice pieces.
Now that I had some confidence with the pole and chainsaw I went to work on my own tree!
I used the pole saw to get most the branches off and then my dad started getting the trunk. Together that tree came down really quick! We had both trees down and cut up in about 4 hours. Not bad for my first time. The tree even had a cool looking trunk that I wish I could’ve preserved, but I was in no place to take on another DIY project at this time!
After we took down the 2 trees we felt comfortable with, we had a professional come and take down the 3rd that was beyond our capabilities next to the house. They grinned down the stump and took all the branches and trunks from our 2 trees. This immediately opens up the yard and it also allowed more sun to come through and hit the west side of the house which will now minimize all the algae that was growing.
Now that we built up our confidence in our DIY abilities we moved onto the next project, painting! I hate painting alone, but with my dad’s help we tackled the entire first floor in a day. We both did the cutting in, I tackled the top and he did the bottom. We started off priming and then followed with the paint. I decided to paint the trim the same colors as the walls which made painting a lot faster. I have baseboard heaters and I didn’t want to highlight them with a different trim color and wanted the to blend in. I bought baseboard covers and painted them the same color as the wall (they were gross, had paint on them from previous owner and rust spots.) I highly recommend these baseboard covers! They are super easy to work with and make the room look so much better!
When I was at my full time job my dad kept on working on the new location. He power washed the front and side decks, trimmed up some baby trees growing up under the porch. Continued painting. Every day I went to the new location my car was loaded with swag for crowdfunding that would start soon. It also included supplies that I had been purchasing all year. Dog beds, gates, security camera’s, dog bowls, obstacle course etc. The basement quickly was filled with supplies ready to be built and unloaded when the time is right.
When my dad left I was on my own. Determined to keep going. I woke up at 4:30 am everyday and I would go to the gym, and depending on when my shift started I would stop off at the new location and complete a project beforehand or I would stop off after work and start a project. I did things like replace all the outlets and light switches, build furniture, apply second coat of paint because we would find where we missed spots. I had an electrician come and install recessed lights in all the rooms so now I don’t have to have a lamp in every corner for lighting. The house was power washed and all the algae is gone and it looks like a new house. The bathroom is currently getting an update and I’m calling in the pro’s to help with that because plumbing is not my speciality. The fence for the yard should be here shortly and a new roof will also be getting installed next month.
Many other things are going on at the same time. Starting your own business is hard work! I’ve been learning as I go, changing as I go, pivoting because certain things aren’t going as planned. But guess what? It’s all worth it because today I had my first client come to Pawsitive Paws Resort and book with me—while the location is still under construction. That moment reminded me why I’m doing all of this. I know I’m creating a safe, fun-loving space where dogs can thrive and where owners will feel confident and excited to leave their pets. And this is only the beginning.
