Meet Kylie Holliman-Rivera | Founder of Fire Hydrant Pet Sitting Co

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kylie Holliman-Rivera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kylie, how do you think about risk?
Risk is always scary, but can also be very rewarding when things pan out.

My background is in Human Resources, but I have been in the pet industry since 2013/2014 and just did pet care on the side. At the time, I had no idea that you can be a full-time pet care professional! In late 2017, I learned that you could and it changed my life!

After learning this information, I took six months and researched a ton; I was a sponge! In early 2018, I went to an event and asked the panelist how to make the jump from leaving my secure and consistent day job, and risk it all to jump into the unknown of being self-employed. The panelist said that you can’t have one foot in and one foot out, you need to be all in.

Within a month of that event, I took the risk and I quit my job.

After six months of being self-employed, I had to hire help! Even with hiring staff there is lots of risk. With our industry, people are trusting us to come into their homes and care for their fur babies. It takes a lot of trust from our clients and a lot of trust from me to our team to make sure they deliver the best and reliable care. I had to learn to let go and take the risk on an individual, trusting them that the job will be completed to the pet owners expectations.

So here we are, three years later, post-pandemic. Fire Hydrant Pet Sitting Co., LLC now has a FANTASTIC team of eight and growing. All this started with taking a big risk and leaping into the unknown.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Fire Hydrant Pet Sitting Co., LLC specializes in dog walking, cat care, and in-home pet sitting services. We are licensed, bonded, and insured to protect our team and our furry friends.

The thing that sets Fire Hydrant Pet Sitting Co. LLC apart is (1) our attention to detail, (2) our dedication to having open communication, being transparent, and being reliable to guarantee our clients peace of mind while they are away at work or vacation. Lastly, (3) Fire Hydrant Pet Sitting Co. LLC partners with dog trainers. Since dog training sessions are for a limited time, we partner with them and learn their techniques and methods. Then after the dogs courses with the trainer, the Fire Hydrant Team comes along to help maintain and continue to implement what they learned from the dog trainer, long-term.

Fire Hydrant Pet Sitting Co., LLC is very excited about our growth and being able to meet so many different pets and their owners! We want to continue to encourage community and being kind to one another. After the year we just had, Fire Hydrant is focused on giving back to the community. Each month we will be representing and raising supplies and/or funds for a non-profit. We are so excited to start this project in June 2021.

Getting to where we are now definitely has not been easy! Especially since a pandemic hit on our second year of business. There has been so many hurdles that we’ve just had to figure out and learn how to jump over. The biggest thing that we learn from these hurdles, is that you have to keep going! I know that may be such a cliche piece of advice, but it’s true. Somehow it works itself out as long as you keep going. Make sure to give back along the way, and connect with those in your community. There is so much you and your business can reap from simply giving and just being kind to (LITERALLY!!) everyone.

The thing I want the world to know about Fire Hydrant Pet Sitting Co., LLC is that there are reliable and loving pet care services out there that genuinely care for the pet owners and their fur babies, as well as being active and present in the community. We absolutely LOVE what we do and are on a mission to provide the upmost and loving care towards pets in our community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my friend was coming to town, I would show them my two favorite coffee shops (1) Iron x Kin in the Claremont Packing District for a delicious hot latte with simple syrup, oat milk, honey, and a dash of cinnamon. And then later on take them to my other favorite coffee spot in La Verne (2) Cactus Coffee for a refreshing iced latte with simple syrup and oat milk.

During the day, I would take them to Claremont’s Farmers Market to pick up some tasty bread, fresh honey, and some vegetables. As well as walk around the Claremont Packing District since there are cute small vendors inside, as well as an amazing non-profit bookshop, Claremont Forum.

I would also probably show them my dogs favorite beach, Rosie’s Dog Beach in Belmont Shore of Long Beach. I’ll even make reservations to go and visit the stunning Broad Museum in DTLA.

For a sweet treat I would DEFINITELY take them to Donut Friend in Highland Park, Sidecar Donuts in Santa Monica, and Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood!

As an evening out, I would take them down to Anaheim. We would first get amazing and filling food in Anaheim Packing District. There are SO many options and plenty for everyone to order what they want. Afterwards, we would go next door to Pali Co Winery for some delicious flights of red and white wines.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people I could thank for the success of Fire Hydrant Pet Sitting Co!

First and foremost, our wonderful clients – especially for helping the Fire Hydrant Team get through the pandemic. Big thank you to the amazing team of Fire Hydrant for being so kind, loving, and truly amazing. Thank you to Fire Hydrant’s amazing and supportive partners, associates, and mentors! You all have provided the Fire Hydrant Team with so much help and information, we wouldn’t be where we are without you.

The biggest shout out of them all goes to my husband, my mom, and my brother. Under times of stress, joy, anxiety, happiness — they have heard it all, and I don’t know what I would do without their love & support for letting me do this crazy idea of opening up a pet care business!

Website: www.firehydrantpetsitting.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firehydrantpetsittingco/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FireHydrantPetSitting/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fire-hydrant-pet-sitting-pomona-5