This former employee of a pet daycare in the New York metro area now owns the business

Curtis Giddings is the owner of Paws and Tales Puppy Playgroup, a Black-owned pet daycare business that provides daycare for the furry members of families in the New York metro area, according to Shoppe Black.

Giddings is a former employee of the pet daycare business but took control of the business in 2017. He made it his mission to bring it back to life and provide a safe and healthy space daycare and for pups to learn to socialize with other dogs as well as humans.

“The business was in a rut, and I made it my mission to bring it back. I was perfectly qualified to run the dog training aspect of it, but not so much the business side. That’s when I discovered Rising Tide Capital where Cynthia Pullen, an RTC mentor, guided me through the process of registering the business and expanding its reach,” Giddings told Shoppe Black.

According to him, the business has been around since 2009 and he has been expanding it over the years. He now has two locations in Jersey City, and both are spacious for neighborhood pups to run around and socialize safely.

“They are located in McGinley Square for small dogs up to 30 lbs and Downtown Jersey City for pups 30 lbs and over, serving Jersey City and the surrounding areas,” he said.

Giddings said he was inspired into the pet daycare business because of his love for dogs which grew into a passion for learning about how to assist a happy pup and other attributes of an effective dog trainer.

Like other businesses which were affected by the pandemic, Giddings’ was not spared either. Because of the pandemic, many people were unable to socialize their dogs or develop a healthy regimen for when they returned to work, he said.

Despite the negative effect of the pandemic on businesses include his, Giddings said it also made people recognize the importance and worth of his work.

“While the world was in limbo, dog owners stayed home with their dogs and many families adopted new dogs,” he said.

Giddings is strategizing his business operation amid COVID-19. He is in the process of rolling out new services such as pick-ups and drop-offs, which follow coronavirus guidelines. Although many businesses provide similar services, Giddings said they are not as comprehensive as what his daycare offers.