Q&A with Home Alone Pet and Home Services

Q: Where are you from and what did you do before opening your business?
A: I’m originally from Southern Ohio, which makes me a Midwest farm girl. I owned and operated a large show horse farm, which had a lot of dogs, cats and other animals.  

Q: Why did you open your business in Ahwatukee Foothills?
A: I found Ahwatukee to be clean and friendly. Although it’s a large community it felt like home.  

Q: How did you get the idea to open your business?
A: I realized I could not have enough animals to love and care for!  

Q: What type of merchandise/services do you sell?
A: I offer in home care for pets, potty breaks, walks, vacation visits, day care and kennel-free boarding in my home.  

Q: What does your business offer that no one else does?
A: I offer personalized care for your pet, whether I’m taking care of the animal at a client’s home or in my own home.  

Q: How have residents of the community responded to your business?
A: I was shocked at the response. What started out as a labor of love turned into a successful and fun business.  

Q: What does your business have in store for the future?
A: I welcome the opportunity to grow my business but will never forsake the individual attention I offer.  

Q: Anything else you want the community to know about you or your business?
A: I feel that I offer a unique boarding service. It is not a kennel but, instead, a home where pets live with me in my home as they would in their own homes.

Home Alone Pet and Home Services
Owner: Barbara Drummond
Address: 16601 S. 36th St.
Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday
Information: (480) 326-6918; thehomealonepet.com

Barbara Drummond has traded in her show horse farm for the slightly more tranquil business of pet sitting - although having more than a dozen dogs in her home on a recent weekend might offer a counter argument. Drummond, from Ohio, operates Home Alone Pet and Home Services in the Lakewood area.

Brian Johnson - AFN