As a corporate professional in the travel industry, I felt tremendously guilty whenever I had to leave my pets. As a pet parent, I have always regarded my fur babies as family and I knew the importance of having them in a safe and loving environment. I quickly realized that I was not alone in that desire and with my passion for animals and I began caring for pets. As the requests for my services as a Pet Care Professional grew significantly, so did my confidence in creating a company centered on compassion for both pets and their humans.
In 2003, Dogs On the Run® (DOTR™) was officially born! I continued caring for pets as I had been, but now was a bonded & insured professional. Caring for pets was a service in high demand, and before I knew it I needed to have a back-up plan for my families and their pets. I decided to contract my first Independent Contractor, a valued client and trusted friend to help with the business. Surprisingly without much effort, Dogs On the Run® continued to grow organically through referrals.
My aspiration for my clients has always been for them to feel like their needs of their pets, no matter how challenging or creative, are taken care of 100 percent of the time. So, when we originally began, we offered a variety of services that were tailored to each family’s routine. However, we didn't stop there. We realized that Dogs On the Run® needed to be even more flexible and so we started bringing pets into our professionals' homes and continue to progress and add services according to the needs of our clients.
Dogs On the Run® continues to grow and operate with a deep love and concern for animals. Dogs On the Run® understands what our clients’ questions and concerns are before they even ask. Years of experience, attention to detail, and dedication to our clients has put Dogs On the Run® at the top of quality care!
DOTR™ PACK LEADER - April M. Henley
April was born and raised on a ranch in Northern California where she was responsible for caring for a variety of animals that included cattle, horses, dogs, cats, geese, rabbits, birds, goats and more. Her passion for animals, however, didn't stop there and she also participated in 4H in school and rescue organizations.
As a young adult, April moved to San Diego and attended San Diego State University where she received her Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in Anthropology. While in college, April pursued her other passion, traveling, by working in the travel industry. Citing her own challenges with finding someone to care for her animals when she traveled, April quickly realized there was a significant lack of professional pet care options in the area. An idea was then born into a business model where April would empower others to get involved in the professional pet care community which quickly evolved into a robust network of professionals with the same core values, a family she calls Dogs On The Run. She became committed to changing that and poured her heart, soul and time into creating a premium pet care business for professionals. At the forefront of her company was always: safety for pets, pet care professionals and pet parents, integrity of the community, and kindness. April built a Certified Woman-Owned small business that would be highly regarded as a premier pet care service provider and would continue to grow.
Since the conception of Dogs On The Run, April has continued to grow the company with educated, professional and highly-trained pet care professionals who provide expert care to pet parents in over 12 locations (and growing!). Dogs On The Run services include dog walking, dog running, doggie day care, vacation and travel care, pet taxi, doggie field trips, VIP boarding, dog training, pet grooming, holistic pet care and event pet handler. It was important to value each pet parent’s wants and needs and provide services that would be tailored to each person to make them feel comfortable when away from their pets. April is zealous about helping people and animals in any way she can. Currently, April lives in Carlsbad with her husband, six human children and six furry/fin (3 dogs, 1 cat, 1 happy betta fish, & 1 bunny) family members.
