Arat Montoya probably has the best job and business in the world because he is surrounded by dogs for most of the day. And despite the pressure of following his family’s profession, he knew what he was called to do.
Born and raised in Mexico in a family of bakers, his father wanted him to follow in their footsteps. They relocated to Canby, Oregon, when he was only 15. He worked at a dog daycare facility in West Linn, and that’s how he felt his true calling.
He gathered the courage to tell his father that his love for dogs was stronger than wanting to be a baker. So strong that even after the facility closed, he continued working with a few of their clients. He took in their dogs as dog-sitter or even boarding in his home.
The Doggie School Bus
Boarding and dog-sitting were fantastic, but it wasn’t making enough money for Arat. He knew he had to find a better business model to answer the needs of his expanding family. That’s when he founded Doggie School Bus Inc. in 2016.
He runs a dog daycare facility where he also picks up and drops off the dogs from the fur parents. Arat bought a yellow car so that his service vehicle would look like a legit school bus. Since then, Doggie School Bus Inc. has been his happy place, his piece of heaven on Earth.
The Business Model
So how does Arat run his daycare services?
He would arrive at his client’s homes in the morning and pick up their dogs. He would go to all houses that booked him for the day. Then, he takes all the dogs to a 5-acre property he rented from a friend.
Arat spends his day there, playing with the dogs and interacting with them in the best possible way. He feeds them and looks after them until it’s time to drive them back around 2 o’clock. An entire day of puppy play costs $30 per dog per day.
He does not accept dogs right there and then. Each dog had to pass a temperament test before joining the rest of the pack. This is to ensure that they would blend well with each other.
The Loyal Clientele
People soon heard of Arat’s business, and more people availed of his services. He shared that he got 16 clients in his first two weeks. He averages 20 puppies daily and plans to expand to 30 once he is confident they will go along well.
His business now also expanded to pet boarding and grooming.
The dogs got so used to Arat picking them up that some would excitedly go out of the house when they heard him pull up. You’ll never see someone so excited about “school” as these dogs!
The Ups, Downs, and In-Betweens
Running a doggie daycare with different dogs would make you wonder: was there a time that Arat had to “break a fight” between dogs?
“I’ve never had an issue with a Pitbull. I’ve never had an issue with a German shepherd or a Rottweiler,” he said. “But, let me tell you, I’ve had an issue with a Chihuahua,” he told The Oregonian.
Arat has a heart for dogs to the point that he familiarizes their names and barks. He said that he is the happiest man in the world because of what he is doing.
Follow Arat’s Doggie School Bus Inc. on Facebook to see how happy his job is. Maybe share this to someone who needs a dopamine boost!
