By Amanda Kuhnert

In July of 2022, Paula Townsend, a receptionist at Kedron Valley Veterinary Clinic, was presented with an exciting opportunity when the clinic’s owners offered her a managerial role at their kennel facility. The boarding and daycare center, an extension of the veterinary practice, came with the unique option for Townsend to purchase the business in the future. When she took the job, however, she didn’t realize that her future business partner was already working there. 

Catrina Spendlove had recently come on board as kennel assistant, after working at boarding facilities and rescues around the country. Townsend quickly realized that Spendlove’s skills and knowledge were underutilized, and the two paired up to review what was working, what wasn’t, and how to improve services. 

Their first objective was to create a team environment where everyone felt valued and supported. Then, drawing on Spendlove’s experience at other boarding facilities, the pair began looking at ways to better utilize the space, use their time more efficiently, and expand their offerings without sacrificing the quality of their services.

“As I like to say, ‘we worked it like we owned it,” Townsend said. “We worked hard, and figured out how to make this place click.”

From employees to business owners

After a year of managing the facility and refining a sustainable business model, Townsend and Spendlove felt ready to take the next step and purchase the business. To navigate the complexities of the buying process, they reached out to Scott Holson, an advisor with the Vermont Small Business Development Center.

“Working with Scott was an integral part of our purchase process,” Townsend said. “He was able to take three years of statistics and our proposed business models and create spreadsheets showing past financial flow and projections to ensure this business could be sustainable.” 

After the acquisition was finalized in December 2023, Townsend and Spendlove renamed the facility Rose Hill Pet Services. 

One-Year Anniversary

In December of 2024, the partners will celebrate one year in business. Townsend said she’s proud of what they’ve been able to accomplish in that time. 

“We set ourselves some lofty goals as far as things we wanted to accomplish this year,” she said. “Having already restructured programming in 2023, our first year in business has focused on improving our facilities with renovations to both buildings that will continue into 2025.” 

She said they look forward to continuing to work with Holson to review their first year in business and set future goals. “It’s important to us to be here for the long haul. So we are really trying to do things as we can afford to do them, systematically and strategically.” 

For more information: rosehillpetservices.com.

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