Fetch! Pet Care featured in 1851 Online

Fetch! Pet Care's founder, Paul Mann, was recently featured on 1851 Online in an article titled, "How to Work with Gen Y."  Paul Mann expands on the topic of Gen Y within a franchising industry.  Particularly how the majority of Fetch! Pet Care's Franchisees have been under the age of 30.  Read on below to discover why Gen Y flourished with Fetch! Pet Care or click here for the entire article.

How to Work with Gen Y
By: Brian Diggleman

2012 is a tough time to be entering the work force. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment still hovers at 8.3 percent and although jobs are slowly coming back to the market, the competition is steep.

Young professionals aren’t just competing against each other. Former executives and managers with decades of experience are vying for some of the same jobs as recent college graduates.

The reality of the job market has many young people searching for an alternative means of building a future. More and more, they’re turning to franchising.
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Fetch! featured on Fox Small Business Center

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured on Fox Small Business’ website in an article titled, "How Walking the Dog became a Franchise."  The article details the inception of Fetch! Pet Care and Paul’s original idea behind the business. Cindy goes on to write about the development markets Fetch! is looking to expand into, and discusses the fees associated with starting a Fetch! franchise. Jamie and Sandy are quoted on their experience of running a Fetch! franchise, with Sandy noting the support and training Fetch! provides its franchisees. Harry Loyle, chairman of Fetch!, is also quoted about the Fetch! growth potential.  Click here to read the entire article or begin below.

How Walking the Dog became a Franchise
By: Cindy Vanegas

With approximately 78.2 million owned dogs in America, the pet care industry is flourishing with puppy-loving entrepreneurs looking to service dog owners, who now account for 39% of U.S. households, according to the American Pet Products Association 2011- 2012 National Pet Owners Survey. In this week’s American Franchise Spotlight, we find out how one business owner scaled his pet sitting and walking service into a national franchise.

According to Paul Mann, the company’s founder and CEO, Fetch! Pet Care grew out of a simple need. “I was looking for pet care and couldn’t find someone who I felt comfortable giving the keys to my house to and entrusting with my pet,” said Mann.

Mann said his background in business process re-engineering inspired him to create a highly automated business for pets everywhere. He spent two years developing the concept and launched the first service out of San Diego in 2004.

Since then Fetch! has grown to 124 franchises in markets made up of baby boomers, young working professionals and dual-income family households. The company is looking to expand in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Illinois, Texas, Ohio and from Florida up to the northeast.

Fetch!’s initial franchise fee is $15,000 for a territory of 50,000 households. Franchisees pay a 5% royalty and a 1.5% brand development fund, both paid monthly.

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Fetch! Pet Care was featured on Franchise Chatter

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured on Franchise Chatter in an article titled, "How Franchises are Turning to Facebook to Engage with Loyal Customers and Gain New Fans." The article discussed how Fetch! Pet Care was able to increase their Facebook Fan page from about 3,000 to 13,000 fans over the span of a little more than 2 months without advertising by engaging fans to share why their dog had the greatest rescue story. With a goal of 30,000 fans by the end of the year, the article shows how Fetch! Pet Care is utilizing social media marketing as a key business growth strategy and to show support for the animal adoption community. Click here to view the entire article.

How Franchises are Turning to Facebook to Engage with Loyal Customers and Gain New Fans
By:  AMBROSIO

A number of franchises are exploring creative ways to grow their Facebook following and engage with

loyal fans. The method of choice (at least for now) seems to be the use of contests where other Facebook fans vote for the winner.  This strategy has proven effective in boosting fan numbers for as long as the prizes at stake are significant enough to generate buzz and participation.  While giving away free stuff can easily increase fan numbers several fold, the real measure of success is the cumulative impact of the number of new cyber fans who become paying customers, the increase in spending among loyal customers, and the number of new franchises sold.  Watching your followers multiply as a result of the contest is the easy part.  The real challenge lies in converting these fans into actual dollars and cents.
 

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Fetch! Pet Care featured on WGN Midday News

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured on WGN Midday News in Chicago. Fetch! Pet Care franchisees Carolyn and Greg Alonso brought four dogs along with them to demonstrate four different exercises that people can do with their pets as part of the show's Midday Fix segment. The couple spoke with news anchor Dina Bair at length about the benefits of exercising with your pet and just how easy it is to do. Click here to watch the entire segment.

WGN Midday Fix Segment

Fetch! Pet Care featured on Denver's CBS4 Morning News

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in a segment on Denver's CBS4 Morning News! The segment featured Felicia Quintana, Fetch! Pet Care owner in Denver, who discussed tips that pet owners need to know when the temperature drops. Felicia demonstrated a few tips by bringing her dog in-studio to show how to fit them for jackets to conserve body heat and talked about the importance of using pet-safe alternatives to snow-melting chemicals. This segment is a great way for viewers to ensure that their pets are happy and healthy during the winter months. Click here to view the video or watch it below.
 

Fetch! Pet Care featured on MO.com

Fetch! Pet Care's franchisee Sandy Lowell and her Boulder, Colorado location was featured on MO.com. In the article, Sandy discusses why she decided to become involved with Fetch! Pet Care and what was appealing to her about the pet industry. She discusses why she chose Boulder and how business is going very well with Fetch! so far. Click here to read the entire article.

"As a pet owner myself, I realized the great need to have someone reliable to care for our pets when we were away.”

By: MO

Fetch! Pet Care is the nation’s largest and most trusted provider of professional pet sitting and dog walking services, serving thousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. We take the stress out of finding a sitter and add convenience to your life by doing all of the legwork for you. We match you and your pets with the most qualified, experienced pet professional possible. Our reliable, courteous pet sitters ensure your scheduling needs and any special requirements are met with consistent, responsive care.

Sandy Lowell recognized the fantastic opportunity to grow the existing Fetch! in the Boulder Valley and is enthusiastically working toward expanding the business through additional advertising, promotions and community events.

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Fetch! Pet Care featured in The San Francisco Examiner

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in The San Francisco Examiner in an article titled, "CEO of Fetch! Pet Care is looking for the best pet-rescue story." Fetch! Pet Care CEO Paul Mann discusses the mission of the best pet-rescue story search, which is to bring awareness to the pets that need homes. Paul also talks about the ways in which 10,000 meals can significantly help an animal shelter. Paul's personal experience as an animal rescuer displays his passion for homeless animals and also reinforces the point that pets can rescue their owners as well. Click here to read the full article.


CEO of Fetch! Pet Care is looking for the best pet-rescue story
By: Alexis Terrazas

Paul Mann the CEO of Fetch! Pet Care, the nation’s largest dog walking and pet-sitting franchise, is looking for the best pet-rescue story. The winner will get to donate 10,000 free meals to the shelter of their choice. The deadline is Sunday. 


What is your mission? My big mission is really to promote awareness for pets who need homes.

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Fetch! Pet Care featured in The New York Enterprise Report

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in The New York Enterprise Report in an articled titled, "Imperfect Process of Picking Partners". Paul Mann discusses the process and criteria he used to find an ideal investor for his business endeavors. Click here to read the full article.

Imperfect Process of Picking Partners
By: Paul Mann

You’ve put in sweat and tears to grow and expand your business. It started as a small idea and now it has turned into a profit-generating operation that has withstood the test of time. Should you let investors become involved with something you’ve built from the ground up? When is the right time to take investment funds? How do you find the “perfect” partner? I’ve sought investors for two of my companies—one with reluctance and the other with ambition.


In my first company, an internet software business I founded during the dot-com boom, I took on investors too late. I had taken on investors who were active in both investing money and providing insights into my business. But I soon found that they lacked domain expertise in my industry, as well as physical availability to meet and discuss the growing daily needs of my business.

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Fetch! Pet Care Named in Entrepreneur's Top 100 Low Cost Franchises

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in Entrepreneur's Top 100 Low Cost Franchises.

Adding to Fetch! Pet Care's growing list of accolades, Fetch! was named #35 this month in Entrepreneur's top 100 low cost franchises. Entrepreneur bases it's rankings off how many franchise units there are, startup costs, ongoing fees and financing.

In 2011, Entrepreneur has also ranked Fetch! Pet Care in its Top 500 Franchises (#166), Top New Ranking (#24), Top Home-based Franchises (#46) and Fast-Growing Franchises (#51).

Click here to view the Enterpreneur's full Top 100 list.

Fetch! Pet Care feature in the Oak Forest Patch

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in the Oak Forest Patch in an article entitled, "Local Woman's Career Goes to the Dogs." Oak Forest Patch reporter Lauren Traut compiled an article about Fetch! Pet Care business owner Linda Stevens’ career, from working in the housing industry and getting out right before the recession to owning seven Fetch! Pet Care locations. Stevens wanted to continue working, but wanted a career that she was passionate about that would allow her to spend time with her young son. As an animal lover, Stevens found the best of both worlds with Fetch! Pet Care and now owns territories all over Chicagoland. As for her choice to make the switch, Stevens says in the article, “It’s the best decision I ever made.” Click here to view the entire article.

Local Woman's Career Goes to the Dogs

By: Lauren Traut

Linda Stevens left her career in the construction business just in time—before the housing market crashed.

After 20 years in the business, the wife and mother found herself on new, shaky ground after quitting her job in 2005. Stevens was looking to live her dream of having a career, without sacrificing time with her family. She had always loved animals, and when an opportunity arose to start her own franchise of a national pet sitting and and dog walking business, she was intrigued.

"My son was younger, I wanted to spend time with my family," Stevens said. "I had to change my lifestyle."

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Fetch! Pet Care feature in EntrepreneurStartups Magazine

Recently EntrepreneurStartups Magazine featured Fetch! Pet Care franchisee Peggy Kennedy in an article called “How Social Media and a Sprinkle of Stardust Led to One Franchisee’s Success,” which published this month.  Peggy had made an amazing transition from the corporate finance world on the East Coast to Fetch! franchisee on the West Coast.  Since moving and starting her business, she has adapted to a great lifestyle where she does what she is passionate about and leads the lifestyle she wants. Click here to read the entire article.

How Social Media and a Sprinkle of Stardust Led to One Franchisee's Success
By: David Port

When Peggy Kennedy says she's working near capacity, she's no longer talking in terms of late nights at the office, polishing PowerPoint presentations. For Kennedy, who formerly worked in financial services on the East Coast and found refuge as a West Coast pet-care industry franchise owner, nowadays it's about the time she and her staff spend caring for clients of the four-legged variety.

"I'm working all the time--weekends, vacations, I'm always checking in. And I'm adding administrative staff just to keep up," says Kennedy, referring to the Fetch! Pet Care franchise she's been running in the Los Angeles area since 2006. Buoyed by a largely word-of-mouth clientele sprinkled with Hollywood celebs and their pets, her pet-sitting and dog-walking operation hit all-time highs this summer for monthly revenue, grossing more than $30,000, up from $1,500 in its early days.

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Strikingly Similar: Pets and Owners Compete in Facebook Look-Alike Contest

Together with Trupanion®, Fetch! Pet Care Uses Facebook to Strengthen Interactions with Fans

WALNUT CREEK, CA —Even Grandma and Grandpa are on Facebook nowadays, so it’s no surprise that pets increasingly have their own Facebook profile as well.  In fact, the line between pets and owners is increasingly close, and many studies support the old adage that people resemble their pets. As such, Fetch! Pet Care invites contestants to vie for winner of their first “Pet Look-Alike” contest. Fetch! Pet Care is the largest pet sitting and dog walking franchise in the United States. The contest is being sponsored together with Trupanion®, a leading pet insurance company.

In order to compete, fans should “like” the Fetch! Pet Care page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fetchcorporate. Through the “Pet Look-Alike Contest” link, from Sept. 19 to Oct. 16, pet owners can upload their photo, photo title and photo description, which will then be put up for voting from October 17 until October 31. The winning submission will receive an Apple iPad.

“The beauty of Facebook is that anyone can easily compete,” said Elyse Marks, Director of Marketing for Fetch! Pet Care. “The results should be hilarious – same pouf or curly hair to the same ears or jowls – we want to see it all!”

Photos are not limited to similar body appearance. Whether it’s an uncanny resemblance, matching outfits, or a fun pose, Fetch! Pet Care hopes to capture more pets and their owners having a good time together. 

“As a brand, it was important for us to find more ways to interact with our current and future customers,” said Paul Mann, founder and CEO of Fetch! Pet Care. “Through the power of social media, we can learn more about our customers while interacting with them in their personal space. The value of this process to both our brand and pet owners everywhere is priceless. We want to know our customers, fans and pets by name.” 

The foundation of the contest was built from founder Mann’s passion for pets. An avid animal lover himself, Mann started the business when he needed a pet sitter while he was traveling. After tirelessly interviewing local pet sitters in his search for someone to entrust his furry babies and his house to, he had an "Aha!" moment. It wasn't a simple problem at all — it was really hard to find someone reliable and loving to care for his pets the way he did, and was a common problem experienced by most pet parents.

Today, Fetch! Pet Care is the nation's largest and most trusted provider of professional pet sitting and dog walking services, serving thousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. Fetch! Pet Care pet sitters are highly experienced professionals who are pet parents themselves, intuitively and professionally understanding what pets and pet owners need. The sitters care for all types of pets, no matter the size or species — they’re dog, cat, bird and even snake and spider people.

ABOUT FETCH! PET CARE

Fetch! Pet Care is the nation's largest and most trusted franchisor for professional pet sitting and dog walking services, serving thousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. They take the stress out of finding a sitter and add convenience to your life by doing all of the legwork for you. With over 3000 Fetch! Pet Care professionals in 1500 communities, they match you and your pets with the most qualified, experienced pet professional possible. Whether you need a daily dog walker or last-minute pet sitter, Fetch! Pet Care has got your tail covered! In 2011, Fetch! Pet Care ranked top of its category, making Entrepreneur Magazine’s Best of Best List.  It also ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Low-Cost Franchises, Top New Ranking, Top Home-based Franchises and Fast-Growing Franchises in addition to the top-ranked pet-care franchise on AllBusiness.com’s AllStar Franchise List for the current year. For more information, visit www.fetchpetcare.com.  

Fetch! Pet Care featured on Kiplinger

Fetch! Pet Care was featured on Kiplinger in an article entitled, "8 Low-Cost Franchises for Hard Times." The article highlights the number of franchises, growth in franchises, net worth in franchises, net worth requirements, royalty and franchise fee that people looking into small business ownership would be researching in their process. Additionally, the article highlights the growth of the pet care industry as American's love their pets and will pay for the pet sitting and dog walking services that Fetch! Pet Care provides. The ability for Fetch! franchisees to operate as a home-based business also allows new owners to get started quickly and reduces initial start-up costs usually associated with retail or food franchise costs. Click here to view the full article.

8 Low-Cost Franchises for Hard Times

Recession or no recession, people love their pets, and will pay good money for their care, including shelling our for walking and sitting services when they're away. Fetch! Pet Care franchisees take care of all kinds of pets - dogs, cats, birds and even spiders. They aim to have background checked walkers and sitters available whenever pet owners need them. The Walnut Creek, Calif.-based firm also provides services such as puppy training and yard cleanup.

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Fetch! Pet Care featured on FranchiseChatter.com

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured on FranchiseChatter.com in an article called “Exclusive Q&A with Paul Mann, CEO of Fetch! Pet Care, America’s Largest Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Franchise.” Paul Mann discusses the entrepreneurial story behind Fetch!, and the attributes that make Fetch! a great franchise opportunity, and how someone can become a part of the system. Click here to view the entire article.

Exclusive Q&A with Paul Mann, CEO of Fetch! Pet Care, America’s Largest Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Franchise

By: Ambrosio

Fetch! Pet Care is America’s largest pet sitting and dog walking franchise — with over 150 franchises servicing more than 1,800 cities and towns nationwide, and over 10,000 clients in the past year alone.

Paul Mann founded Fetch! Pet Care in 2002 as a San Francisco Bay Area local pet sitting and dog walking service.  The company began franchising in 2004, after experiencing rapid growth and profitability.

Prior to Fetch! Pet Care, Paul co-founded Informative Inc., an internet software technology company and a pioneer in online survey technology. He subsequently served as its CEO and a board member.  Paul grew the business to over 70 employees with over 300 Fortune 500 customers generating $5 million annually before selling the company in February 2001 to an international software development firm.

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Fetch! Pet Care Named to Entrepreneur’s Best of the Best List

Fetch! Pet Care was recently named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2011 Best of the Best list. The national pet sitting and dog walking franchise was selected as the best pet services franchise, exemplifying the brand’s commitment to providing the highest standard of professional pet care services.

Founded in 2002 after struggling to find consistent, reliable care for his pets while traveling, Paul Mann has grown Fetch! Pet Care into a nationwide business that now includes more than 3,000 experienced pet sitters operating in 1,500 U.S. communities. Specializing in providing in-home pet care services, Mann created Fetch! Pet Care with the goal of building a dependable business that could be duplicated through franchising.

“To be recognized by Entrepreneur as the best brand in the pet services category speaks to the consistently high level of care our franchise owners and their staff provide to pets and their parents everyday,” Mann said. “When I founded the company, I had heard so many stories about pet sitters not showing up, or pets getting lost or injured under the care of the kid next door. I knew Fetch! had to eliminate those concerns and add a greater level of reliability to our services in order for us to be successful.”

Focusing on unsurpassed customer service, Fetch! Pet Care franchisees aim to deliver peace of mind to pet parents by bringing the service to their doorstep. Instead of keeping their furry friend in a kennel or boarding facility all day with little time for play, Fetch! Pet Care customers know their pet is safe and comfortable in its familiar surroundings while it is being looked after.

Mann implemented a system that requires pet sitters to leave “report cards” that show parents how their pets are doing and the activities they engaged in during the day. Integrating technology into the business, many of the brand’s pet sitters also text message pet parents to provide them with instant updates on their pet.

“It’s the combined effect of everything we do that leaves the customer knowing their pet is getting the most attention possible,” Mann said. “With a 92 percent referral rate to friends and family, we know we’re doing something right. Our goal is to continue to refine our systems, processes and procedures, so we can provide an even better experience for our customers as we go forward.”

ABOUT FETCH! PET CARE
Fetch! Pet Care is the nation's largest and most trusted franchisor for professional pet sitting and dog walking services, serving thousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. They take the stress out of finding a sitter and add convenience to your life by doing all of the legwork for you. With over 3000 Fetch! Pet Care professionals in 1500 communities, they match you and your pets with the most qualified, experienced pet professional possible. Whether you need a daily dog walker or last-minute pet sitter, Fetch! Pet Care has got your tail covered! In 2011, Fetch! Pet Care ranked top of its category, making Entrepreneur Magazine’s Best of Best List. It also ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Low-Cost Franchises, Top New Ranking, Top Home-based Franchises and Fast-Growing Franchises in addition to the top-ranked pet-care franchise on AllBusiness.com’s AllStar Franchise List for the current year. For more information, visit www.fetchpetcare.com.

Fetch! Pet Care Aligns with PetCareRx

If you take a look at Fetch! Pet Care’s partnerships, they are in line with the best pet product and service brand names in the industry, from Trupanion Pet Insurance to Halo, a natural pet care product provider. The booming national pet sitting and dog walking services franchise has made another strategic decision to align itself with the nation’s leading online pet pharmacy, PetCareRx, to spread the message of pet health and wellness.

PetCareRx offers the highest quality pet medications and pet supplies of most major brands at discounted prices. In conjunction of the newly-formed alliance, Fetch! Pet Care has invited its loyalty club members to take advantage of an ongoing 15 percent off their purchase as well as free shipping on orders of $35 or more on PetCareRx.com.

“We hold the health and wellbeing of pets near and dear to our hearts,” said Paul Mann, founder and chief executive of Fetch! Pet Care. “PetCareRx provides superior pet medications and supplies in addition to being a reliable and professional company dedicated to pet health.”

Since 2002 when Mann founded Fetch! Pet Care, he and his company have made it their mission to provide quality pet care to customers. Their goal is to raise the bar of professionalism in the pet services industry by providing consistent, reliable and engaging care for family pets. In every partnership that Fetch! Pet Care forms, that mission is taken into consideration for the pets and their parents.

“With the recent partnership with PetCareRx, we continue to increase the unique value we provide to pet parents as customers of our service,” Mann said. “We will continue to add additional products and services to our customer loyalty club that improve the health and happiness of pets everywhere.”

Fetch! Pet Care featured in The Hartford Business Journal

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in The Hartford Business Journal, in an article titled “Bloc of franchises eagerly target Hartford.” The article highlights Fetch! Pet Care’s desire to expand, and features the brand’s role in participating in franchising roundtables to spur franchise growth throughout the country. The roundtables also help Fetch! Pet Care provide educational opportunities to potential franchisees to learn about various businesses and see what is involved in starting a business. Click here to view the full article!

Bloc of franchises eagerly target Hartford
By Brad Kane

Twelve franchises which share the burden of not being familiar names have banded together to push into the Greater Hartford market.

Either the franchises already have a presence in Connecticut, have excellent sales from limited locations and want to expand; or the franchises exist in far off places and are lured by the promise of higher incomes and positioning between Boston and New York.

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Fetch! Pet Care featured in Dayton Business Journal

Recently the Dayton Business Journal published an article about the newly-formed operating partnership between Fetch! Pet Care and Cybeck Capital Partners led by Harry Loyle, managing director of Cybeck and treasurer of the International Franchise Association. The article details that Cybeck will be responsible assisting Fetch! in its long-term growth goals. A portion of the article is included below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Dayton investors buy stake in Fetch!

A Dayton investor group, Cybeck Capital Partners LLC, recently acquired a 50 percent equity stake in the Fetch! Pet Care franchise.

With the acqusition, Cybeck Capital Partners, which manages MotoPhoto and The Connor Group, among others, will guide Walnut Creek, Cali.-based Fetch’s strategic direction, according to a news release.

At its peak, Fetch, which was founded in 2002 by Paul Mann, had 200 franchises. The company — a franchisor for professional pet sitting and dog walking services — now has 150 franchises nationwide.

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Fetch! Pet Care featured in Austin Business Journal

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in an online article in the Austin Business Journal called, “Got the best pet ever? Compete for the title.” The article features Ken Diebold, Fetch! Pet Care owner of Austin, Texas. The article discusses Fetch! Pet Care’s social media contest hoping to find the Best Pet Ever this summer. Also included in the article is a synopsis of Ken’s business in Austin and highlights the franchise opportunity that Fetch! Pet Care provides. The article also discusses how Facebook users can enter their pet in the contest. A portion of the article is included below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.


Got the best pet ever? Compete for the title

Pet care chain Fetch! is running a social media campaign in search of the best furry, feathery or scaly friend in the nation.

The animal sitting and walking business is giving enthusiastic pet owners the chance to compete for the "Best Pet Ever" title and a year of free services. The contest, which partners with treat maker Milk-Bone, requires a photo and application explaining why he or she is the best animal friend in the U.S. Facebook fans will then vote on a winner.

Applicants have until Aug. 5 to apply by clicking here and navigating to the "Best Pet Ever" tab.

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PET TITLE BOUT: Animal Lovers Vie for ‘Best Pet Ever’ Through Social Media Application

In the world of social media, two topics rule the universe: Children and pets. With plenty of parents vying for the title of “Best Child Ever” with their frequent photo and status posts, Fetch! Pet Care, the largest pet sitting and dog walking franchise in the United States, figured the 72.9 million U.S. households with a pet would do the same via Facebook — especially since there are 500 million users on the social site.

Together with Milk-Bone®, a leading dog biscuit company, Fetch! built a Facebook application where pet owners (dogs, cats, birds, fish, etc.) can pronounce why they have the “Best Pet Ever.” Through the application, pet owners will first submit a photo and description about why they have the best pet, which will then be put up for voting. The winning submission will receive a year of Fetch! Pet Care services, plus a prize package from Milk-Bone®.

“As a brand, it was important for us to find more ways to interact with our current and future customers,” said Paul Mann, founder and CEO of Fetch! Pet Care. “Through the power of social media, we can learn more about our customers while interacting with them in their personal space. The value of this process to both the brand and our franchisees is priceless. We want to know our customers, fans and pets by name.”

From June 13 through Aug. 5, pet lovers around the nation can enter their pet via Fetch!’s Facebook Fan Page’s “Best Pet Ever” application (www.facebook.com/FetchCorporate). With Facebook users spending more than 700 billion minutes a year within the social network — plus more than 50 percent of users logging in daily — Fetch! is preparing to let the rumble begin.

“The beauty of Facebook is anything can go viral,” said Elyse Marks, director of marketing for Fetch! Pet Care. “Just imagine the entries that may come through.”

The foundation of the contest was built from founder Mann’s passion for pets. An avid dog lover himself, Mann started the business when he needed a pet sitter while he was traveling. After tirelessly interviewing local pet sitters in his search for someone to entrust his furry babies and his house to, he had an "Aha!" moment. It wasn't a simple problem at all — it was really hard to find someone reliable and loving to care for his pets the way he did, and was a common problem experienced by most pet parents.

Today, Fetch! Pet Care is the nation's largest and most trusted provider of professional pet sitting and dog walking services, serving thousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. Fetch! Pet Care pet sitters are experienced, highly trained professionals who are pet parents themselves, intuitively and professionally understanding what pets and pet owners need. The sitters care for all types of pets, no matter the size or species — they’re dog, cat, bird and even snake and spider people.