Shelley Benda has been running Walk A By Buddy, a local dog-walking and pet-sitting business, for three years. It has proven to be the perfect setup for Benda, her customers and the dogs. Benda was living in San Diego when she got her dog, Buddy, and she says her whole life changed. When she moved to Woodbury, she thought, “I have to do something with animals so Buddy can be with me.” She adds, “I have a background in business, so I just built the website, started out with a lot of friends and family, and from there it just took off.”
Benda is thrilled that Buddy can be by her side during the day, and her customers are just as pleased. Client Brad Ray says, “I’m a pretty passionate dog owner, and she’s probably equally as passionate as me about caring for them and their well-being. She takes care of them like they were her own.”
Mae Kirby and her dogs have taken a real liking to Benda as well. “I liked her from the beginning,” Kirby says. “She came over and the dogs were all over her. How dogs react to people is always a good indicator.” Another client, Karen Alfano, loves how personal Benda is. “She’ll send me videos or pictures of my dog when I’m out of town. Knowing your dog is happy and well taken care of is very comforting.”
