Image courtesy of Passionately Pets
Jenna Gotch
** Passionately Pets will be at the Four Mile Run Farmers' Market this Sunday, June 20. The market is at 4109 Mt. Vernon Ave. north of Del Ray and is open 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. **
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Passionately Pets has been offering quality dog walking and petsitting services since Jenna Gotch founded the business 14 years ago. But it wasn't until recently that Gotch added a line of branded pet products and tasty treats for cats and dogs.
Like many people, Gotch found herself in need of some additional income after she graduated college, and a job for dog lovers caught her eye. She began dog walking and petsitting around her full-time job in marketing in the District.
The side job provided an additional bonus besides extra spending money. It allowed her to enjoy pets which she wasn’t allowed to have in her rental at the time. After a couple years, her full time job got more demanding and she had to quit the pet care job — but she found herself missing it.
“I loved having the pets to visit every day and to be an important part of their lives and provide care for them. It kind of left just this hole in my life, so I decided to start my own business,” Gotch said.
She started out as a one-woman show but was able to grow, and today she manages a staff of more than 20 employees. While her business growth was impressive, Gotch found herself wanting to expand the business in another area.
“It had been a dream of mine to design some apparel based off of brewery swag. I really like going to different breweries and trying different beers with friends and I just always thought it was cool that you can recognize the logo of a brand… Everyone who enjoys beer knows what that shirt means. I thought, 'Alright, well, why can’t dog walkers have that?'” said Gotch. She wanted funny, pet related shirts that dog walkers and other pet lovers could enjoy.
The plan was to start selling apparel in 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic led to a drop in demand for pet care services as people worked from home and stopped traveling. That caused Gotch to launch the retail side faster quicker and on a much larger scale. In addition to shirts, she also created glassware, leashes, collars, stickers and magnets.
Their top seller are their heartbeat shirts that feature either a cat or dog outlined in a read heart wave on a black background. The “easily distracted by dogs” shirt is a close second. They created their own Passionately Pets logo that features the word love (think the famous statue in Philadelphia) in pink, purple, green and blue where the “O” is a paw print. The logo branded leashes and collars have been particularly popular.
In addition to website sales on the company's website, Passionately Pets has sold items and talked to pet owners at a variety of events and pop-ups. Many of their items can be also be found on MadeinALX.com.
Passionately Pets recently launched their own dog treats that are made with natural and human grade ingredients.
“When we were selling in-person, the things that everyone wanted was either a toy for their pet or a treat, for them to either enjoy right then or that they could take back home to them. We saw the opportunity there to create our own [treats] instead of selling others,” Gotch explained.
Image courtesy of Passionately Pets
The treats come in four different flavors: oatmeal peanut butter, peanut butter and banana, cinnamon cheesy apple as well as a tuna and cheese flavor that is appropriate for both cats and dogs. The treats are also all available in both a large cookie and a small training treat to cater to various sized dogs.
The retail allowed Passionately Pets to raise money for local pet rescue organizations. A dollar for every item sold is currently donated to Lost Dog and Cat Rescue. They also sometimes host rescue events with the organization. From October to March, proceeds will be donated to Project Second Chance.
No conversation about pets would be complete without the details on Gotch’s own rescue dog, Penguina, who goes by Penny for short. Gotch fell in love with her when she saw her face on petfinder.com.
Image courtesy of Passionately Pets
Penny
“We met her and my husband is allergic to dogs and was totally allergic to her and I tried for like three weeks to get over her. I was like, ‘OK, you’re allergic, we can’t get her.’ And then I went back on petfinder to find a new dog and she was still on there,” Gotch explained. She begged her husband, Mike, to reconsider, not knowing that he had secret plans to adopt Penny by himself and surprise her.
Gotch says that Penny quickly became the “missing piece” in their little family. Penny is a three-year-old pit mix who loves to play and say greet human visitors who come by the house. Gotch said she’s a little less confident with people and dogs outside the house which is why they don’t bring her to events.
Gotch and her family live in Del Ray and enjoy the community, walkability and events that it provides. “My husband and I just really wanted a community where we felt like we were actually involved,” said Gotch.
Gotch says business is picking up again now that COVID-19 regulations are lifting as more people are vaccinated. This means that she is always looking to hire pet sitters and dog walkers. She is also looking to hire a General Manager.
Stay updated on Passionately Pets by following them on Facebook or Instagram @passionatelypets.
They also operate a private Facebook group called “Northern Virginia is for Pet Lovers” where you can get tips and find rescue pets in need of a home.
