A longtime sitting service in Tarboro allows dog and cat owners to leave town knowing that their pets are being cared for at home and avoiding the stress of a kennel stay.

Pet Tenders’ owners Peggy Harrell and her daughter, Kelly Cannon, make several trips to a pet owner’s home each day to care for, feed and walk the animal while the owner is away.

The Tarboro natives do little advertising for their insured business, which has been around since the 1986.

“We’ll make an initial visit, and we interact with the pets and the people so everyone is comfortable,” Harrell said. “The owners show us the pet’s routine. They let us know whether the dog is walked once a day, twice a day, or is taken out in the backyard and has a ball thrown to them. Whatever they normally do, we try to stay on their schedule as much as possible.”

Q: What products or services do you provide?

A: We walk dogs, we medicate, exercise. We clean their boxes. It’s like baby-sitting, but for pets. They are not exposed to parasites (of other animals). They are at home, where everything is familiar. They have their own bed and sights and sounds they are normally exposed to every day. We visit three or four times a day. We do insulin shots for diabetic animals. We do special feedings or whatever is necessary. We also offer running with dogs. My daughter is a runner and takes the dogs with her.

We do a lot of extra stuff and make it look like the owner is at home. We’ll collect newspaper, mail. We adjust the blinds and lights and water plants and just keep the home looking like it’s (occupied).

When the owners come home, pets are relaxed, happy, excited to see them, but not stressed out. A lot of times, if people board a dog for the weekend, they can’t come back to pick up the animal until Monday. With our service, the owners come home and everything was like it was when they left. They don’t have to go off and get the dog. We charge by number of times we go to the home per day.

Q: Who are your key leaders?

A: Owners Peggy Harrell and Kelly Cannon.

Q: How many people do you employ?

A: Just us.

Q: When were you established?

A: I have been doing it for 25 years.

Q: What’s your business philosophy?

A: Just to make the clients and their pets as comfortable as possible and at ease, so owners can go away and enjoy their vacation and not worry. It makes us feel good to know we can offer a service that we can be assured that everyone is enjoying their vacation.

Q: What makes your business unique?

A: There are not that many pet sitters. Actually, we are the only one in Tarboro I’m aware of.

Q: What changes do you expect for your company in coming years?

A: I hope it will continue to grow. It has grown.

Q: Why did you pick Tarboro as a place to do business?

A: That’s where I live. I’m a native, and I normally work within a five-mile radius. My daughter doesn’t mind traveling. She has clients in Bethel and one in Co-netoe.

Q: How has your company grown in the last several years?

A: I would say 10 percent. You lose some (customers) and gain and some. Sometimes, a pet will die.