Meet Paul | Founder, The Collar Club

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paul and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paul, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I didn’t set out to build a luxury lifestyle company for pets and their people.

I set out to solve a problem.

That problem had a name: Cavalino.

He wasn’t just my dog. He was my companion through military service, personal hardship, recovery, and some of the most defining chapters of my life. As he grew older and his needs became more complex, I spent years searching for transparent, safety-focused, trauma-informed care that I felt comfortable trusting with a member of my family.

As a combat-disabled U.S. Navy veteran, former foster youth, and first-generation American, I quickly realized how difficult that could be. I often found an industry built around volume, convenience, and limited visibility. Pet owners were frequently separated from their animals, expected to trust a process they couldn’t see, and given little education about the services being provided.

The more I learned, the more I realized the problem wasn’t a lack of people who cared. It was a lack of systems designed around transparency, education, trust, and individualized care.

I believed there was a better way.

My goal was never to serve the most pets. It was to serve fewer pets exceptionally well. That meant individualized care, cage-free environments, elevated sanitation standards, expert handling, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to quality and safety.

What began as a mission to improve standards within the pet industry eventually evolved into something much larger.

Today, The Collar Club is built upon a philosophy of empowerment through education, transparency, quality, and safety. We believe informed pet owners become empowered advocates for the animals they love.

Over time, I realized the opportunity extended beyond pet care. Pets are among the most important relationships in our lives, yet nearly every aspect of society—from hospitality and travel to wellness, community, and luxury experiences—has historically been designed around people alone.

That realization inspired a broader vision: creating a lifestyle ecosystem designed equally for pets and their people.

We weren’t simply building a pet care company. We were helping define a new category: pet-inclusive hospitality and lifestyle.

What started as a single concept has grown into an expanding collection of hospitality, wellness, education, social, retail, concierge, and community experiences united by one simple belief: pets deserve the same level of care, respect, hospitality, and consideration that we expect for ourselves.

That vision has attracted national and international attention, resulting in features by The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, RTL Deutschland, NBC, CBS, ABC, Rolls-Royce Whispers, and the South China Morning Post. The company has also been recognized by organizations including the American Kennel Club, the California Chamber of Commerce, City of Los Angeles, and has collaborated on major film projects involving Disney and The Jim Henson Company. We have another big production release coming soon!

Today, The Collar Club is often compared to a blend of Soho House, Aman, and Four Seasons for pet-owning households. Yet despite the growth, recognition, and expansion, the mission remains unchanged from the day I started.

We are building a world where pets are no longer treated as an afterthought, but as an integral part of how we live, travel, socialize, and experience life.

Because for millions of people, pets aren’t simply companions.

They’re family.

The question that continues to guide everything we build is simple:

What would the world look like if it were designed equally for pets and their people?

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?
The Collar Club and associated brands has been described as ‘the future of pet car’, ‘the pinnacle of the pet industry’, and as ‘the SoHo House for pets and their people’ — we have genuinely shifted the paradigm for those who see pets as family and for the talent we have curated to bring bring my dream to life. What sets The Collar Club apart is that we never viewed ourselves as simply a pet care company we are a community— a family company.

Ironically, I didn’t even start where we have landed.

The journey began with a self-service dog wash that offered free beer, good music, and a place for dog owners to gather. What started as a simple service quickly became something much more valuable: a community. That community ultimately evolved into The Collar Club, while our professional grooming division became Collar & Comb.

As we evolved, we realized that many businesses in our industry were designed around transactions. We wanted to build relationships.

From day one, our mission has been to create the highest standards of care, transparency, safety, empowerment through education, and trust for pets and the people who love them. That led us to develop one-on-one care, cage-free environments, soundproof spa suites, elevated sanitation protocols, pressure-controlled drying systems, and trauma-informed accommodations for pets and owners alike. We specialize in supporting pets with anxiety, PTSD, medical conditions, mobility challenges, and geriatric needs—while also recognizing that sometimes the humans need just as much reassurance as their pets.

But over time, I realized something even bigger.

Pets influence where we live, where we travel, how we socialize, and how we spend our time. Yet most of the world is still designed around people, with pets treated as an afterthought— pets are seen as a commodity item, the industry professionals are not even professionals at all many times they have no experience little to no professional development for geriatrics pets with PTSD and anxiety or those suffering from physical helmets… Many have no training and no certifications— there role is to ‘get dogs done’. Our staff have a minimum of 20 years experience with an average of 10,000 hours of professional development training certifying them as master stylists (aka: the worlds best groomers), trauma informed experts and genuine leaders in their field.

After countless bad experiences and that initial realization that many people who work in the commodity pet industry transformed what I was building.

Today, we’re helping to sharpen and are defining what we believe is a new category: pet-inclusive hospitality and lifestyle.

Through grooming, wellness, education, social experiences, food and beverage (cocktails and third-wave coffee), community events, retail, travel concepts, and future hospitality initiatives, we’re creating spaces designed equally for pets and their people.

Getting here certainly wasn’t easy. We’re not just ‘getting it done’, we’re changing the future of an entire industry where we serve, fewer clients expertly than many clients generally.. our team teams provide personalized curated expert level service in a multitude of industries to allow our pets to live longer, happier, healthier lives.

I’ve experienced homelessness, foster care, military service, entrepreneurship, economic downturns, a global pandemic, regulatory hurdles, staffing challenges, construction delays, financing obstacles, and just about every other lesson business ownership can provide. Looking back, I’m not sure I would have chosen the easy path even if it had been available.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that success rarely comes from having the perfect plan. It comes from being willing to adapt while remaining committed to your mission— being a localized source of grit, self-determination, perseverance, resilience, not accepting ‘no’ for an answer. It’s almost always a starting point for negotiation.

I’m incredibly proud that what started as an idea inspired by one dog has grown into a company that has been cover featured by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, NBC, CBS, ABC, RTL Deutschland, Rolls-Royce Whispers, Sprudge and the South China Morning Post to name a few. But the recognition isn’t what matters most.

What matters most is trust.

Every day, families trust us with living beings they consider members of their family. That’s a responsibility we never take lightly.

If there’s one thing I want people to know about The Collar Club, it’s this:

We aren’t trying to become the biggest pet company in the world.

We’re helping create a world where pets are no longer treated as an afterthought, but as an integral part of how we live, travel, socialize, and experience life.

Everything we build starts there.

And it all started with one dog.

RIP Cavalino.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This answer may disappoint some people, however if my best friend came to visit Southern California for a week, I’d probably spend as little time in Los Angeles as possible.

Don’t get me wrong—I appreciate what Los Angeles has given me. It’s where I built my business, grew as a person, and found opportunities I never could have imagined growing up in Montana.

But when I’m not working, I’m usually looking for the opposite of Los Angeles.

My ideal week starts with a lakeside cabin in Big Bear. We’d spend our days hiking, exploring the trails, taking a pontoon boat out on the lake, and enjoying the kind of conversations that only happen when nobody is checking their phone. At night, we’d sit around a campfire with a glass of whiskey or wine, listen to music, watch the stars, and solve all of the world’s problems that we’ll promptly forget by morning.

If we wanted a little more adventure, we’d find a local concert, throw a few axes, maybe smoke a joint, and enjoy being somewhere that feels a little slower and a little more connected to nature.

The other destination would be San Diego. I’m a dog person, so any trip automatically includes a dog beach. I’d spend time exploring the waterfront, visiting museums and historic sites, walking the coastline, and enjoying a city that somehow manages to feel both relaxed and alive at the same time.

If we stayed in Los Angeles, you’d probably find me doing something surprisingly simple. I’d take Lincoln to the beach, let him chase squirrels along the cliffs, go for a long hike, watch the sunset over the Pacific, and enjoy the parts of California that remind me why I moved here in the first place.

Maybe that says something about me.

I spent much of my life chasing opportunities. These days, I’m increasingly drawn to places that help me slow down long enough to appreciate them.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Who deserves credit for my story?

Honestly, a lot of people—some for reasons they probably wouldn’t expect.

As a former foster youth, I owe a strange debt of gratitude to 7 foster homes, 4 orphanages, 3 youth guidance facilities, Montana Job Corps, countless teachers, military leaders, mentors, employers, and yes, even my biological parents for being awful enough that the State of Montana ultimately decided it was better to remove us from their care.

Not all of those experiences were positive. Many were far from it.

But every one of them taught me something.

Some people taught me compassion.

Some taught me resilience.

Some taught me what leadership looks like.

Others taught me exactly what it doesn’t look like.

The good, the bad, and the absurd all served a purpose.

If I had to recognize anyone specifically, it would be my first and third foster grandparents, Richard and Caroline Caves—Grandpa and Grandma to me. They taught me hard work, grit, accountability, resilience, and how to treat people with dignity and respect regardless of where they came from. Most importantly, they taught me that “no” is not an answer. It’s simply the starting point for a negotiation. They refused to let circumstance become an excuse, and those lessons continue to shape how I think, lead, mentor, and build businesses today.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the animals that inspired this entire journey—especially Cavalino and his son Lincoln. They have been more than dogs. They have been family, trusted companions through some of the most difficult chapters of my life, and ultimately the reason The Collar Club exists. Caring for Cavalino taught me lessons about patience, trust, advocacy, and unconditional love that no business school, Ivy League education, or executive training program ever could.

I also want to recognize the incredible team members, loyal customers, and supporters who have trusted us with their pets over the years. Every business owner starts with an idea, but turning an idea into reality takes grit, self-determination, purpose, stamina, sacrifice, focus, and a borderline unhealthy tolerance for paperwork, permits, regulations, and hearing the word “no.”

And finally, I’d like to give a little credit to myself.

Not because I did it alone—I didn’t. But because there were countless moments when quitting would have been easier.

Success is rarely given.

It’s earned through persistence, perseverance, critical thinking, creating opportunities where none seem to exist, and finding solutions to problems that others either can’t see or don’t want to solve.

Along the way there were mentors, critics, supporters, doubters, roadblocks, setbacks, and more bumps and potholes in the road than the City of Los Angeles has managed to repair.

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned, it’s that every person who enters your life leaves something behind. Some leave guidance. Some leave opportunity. Some leave scars. All of them leave lessons.

Whether they meant to or not, they all helped write the story.

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