Meet Heather Hanson | Small Business Owner

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

Hi Heather, how do you define success?
I believe success is defined by the individual. To me personally success isn’t about money. It’s about freedom, it’s about happiness, and it’s about time. I get to be home a lot, and I get to travel and spend time with my kids and family. And that’s all I really need to be successful.

What should our readers know about your business?
We are a Dog Walking and Pet Sitting service, we are fully bonded and insured and you will not find a better team to love your fuzzy family. I swear! What sets us apart I would say is our flexibility and I make sure that we are always in contact with pet parents with cute pictures or text so it eases their minds. Right now I am most excited about growing and expanding soon. We just signed on with some big apartment complexes in Bishop Arts District so we are super excited about that! Hopefully we can keep up! I got where I am because animals always have been and forever will be my biggest passion. I worked in the corporate world for a long time but I never was really happy. I was raised on a huge ranch outside of Cancun, Mexico so I already had experience with all kinds of animals. I always had a ton of dogs and cats growing up, so it was no surprise when I decided I wanted to open a dog walking business. And was it easy? HA!! Not a single step of the way. It has been a bumpy road. Especially this year. Owning a small business is not easy in general. And I was a single mom of teens and trying to run a business and make sure I made all of my boys sports games and school events and all the other million things they have (all you moms know.) it takes a ton of hard work and dedication, and prayer, especially with competition being as fierce as it is in Dallas. As for the challenges. We still haven’t overcome the challenges honestly (laughing), but you just keep positive and keep loving what you do and you will succeed at anything in life. I promise. That is the biggest lesson I have learned. As far as what I want the world to know, I just want the world to know that I will love your pet as much as you do or more and I will never give anything less. Just follow us on social media and you will see.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh this is fun! I consider myself a foodie! (laughs) If my Mama comes to visit , since I live in Bishop Arts I would definitely start here, there are so many good spots but some of my favorites are Paradiso and Krio for dinner and then maybe swing by Revelers Hall for a night cap and some jazz music. There are some awesome shops around so pop into a few and look at all the goods they have to offer. If you love coffee as much as I do then you won’t be disappointed. You will have a few spots to choose from. I am old school so I am still a huge fan of Espumoso. For breakfast my Dad’s favorites were El Jordan and Tacodeli! YUM! For either lunch or dinner head to Trinity Groves for so many options to whatever you are in the mood for. You will love all the restaurants and all the patio seating! Head to Saint Roccos rooftop for an amazing view of the skyline. If you want to talk tacos then let me tell you!! Tacos Del Sur will knock your socks off. They have the best dippy tacos (tacos de birria) as my boyfriend and I like to call them. And the adorable little bar is just a bonus to it all! I would definitely take her to Fort Worth to get drunk on margaritas at Joe T. Garcias and then go to a little rodeo at the stockyards or if that isn’t your scene head to the Kimball Art Museum. I love it there, they always have amazing exhibits. And last but not least I have to take her to eat pizza at Cane Rosso in Deep Ellum. Its my favorite I’ve had in the city. And there is always something going on from concerts to art festivals (if you are there at that time of year check out Kessler Craftsman Studio) he does beautiful blown glass art. There are some amazing speak easie’s I would take her to and maybe to get a indulgent donut later that night. There is just so much to do in Dallas it really is an amazing city.

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?
My shoutout is definitely to my father who no matter how many times I called to ask questions and get advise from he never once told me to give up. He said hard work pays off and he was right. I would also like to shoutout to my two best friends and my boyfriend who throughout the years have gone above and beyond to help me with anything and everything that I needed. They are really the best.

Website: www.fuzzymuzzlesdallas.com
Instagram: @fuzzymuzzles
Facebook: Fuzzy Muzzles Dog Walking and Pet Sitting
Yelp: Fuzzy Muzzles Dog Walking and Pet Sitting

Image Credits
Jonathan Smith