A conversation with the owner Paula Elandt Wilson:
At Paula’s Pet Sitting, we proudly serve the Midland community by providing professional, in-home pet care tailored to meet the unique needs of pets and their families. Since 2015, our compassionate and highly trained team has been dedicated to ensuring pets’ happiness, health, and comfort in their own homes. Our services, including personalized home visits, overnight house sitting, pet taxi, and backyard clean-up, are designed to provide peace of mind to busy professionals, families on vacation, and individuals with pets that require specialized care.
As a veteran-owned business, we are committed to supporting our community, offering a 10% discount to active-duty military, veterans, and first responders. We believe that every pet deserves exceptional care, and we strive to be a trusted partner to pet owners throughout Midland.
How Long Have You Been Involved? What Brought You Into This Line of Work?
“I started Paula’s Pet Sitting in May 2015 as a homeschooling project with my two middle school children, who were studying entrepreneurship. Together, we created a business plan for ‘Dog Walking,’ teaching them valuable lessons in accounting, marketing, customer service, and the pet care industry. When they moved on from the project, I took over the few customers they had, and the business has flourished ever since. Now, after 10 years, Paula’s Pet Sitting has grown to serve over 350 clients and more than 670 registered pets, including dogs, cats, pocket pets, exotic birds, rodents, and amphibians.”
Philosophy Behind the Business:
Our philosophy at Paula’s Pet Sitting is simple: treat every pet as if they were our own. We believe pets are beloved members of the family and deserve the same love, respect, and attention in our care. We’re dedicated to building trust with both pets and their owners by providing personalized, compassionate, and professional services. Whether it’s a Mid-Day Dog Walk, a litter box clean-up, a Pet Taxi ride, or Overnight Care, we aim to ensure pets feel comfortable, happy, and loved while their humans are away.
We also understand the importance of peace of mind for pet owners, which is why we prioritize transparency, communication, and reliability in every aspect of our service. By fostering a deep connection with pets and people alike, we hope to make a positive impact on the lives of those we serve.
Biggest Inspiration & What You Enjoy Most:
My biggest inspiration has always been my children. Family comes first for me, and I’ve always chosen work that allows me to be present in my children’s lives, especially during the short, precious time I have with them at home. Some of my children have faced challenging circumstances before coming into my life, and being there for them, through both the joyful and the difficult moments, has been my greatest calling.
What I enjoy most about my job is how it connects me to the Midland community in deeply meaningful ways. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of helping clients during some of their hardest days, whether they’re navigating health challenges or traveling to care for a loved one. Knowing that our team provides peace of mind by ensuring their homes and pets are in good hands feels like fulfilling a greater mission.
I’m also incredibly proud of how our staff supports one another and steps up when needed. Their compassion and teamwork reflect the values we strive to bring to every client’s home. It’s an honor to be part of a business that’s not just about pet care, but about making life a little easier for the people in our community.
Message to the Community:
As someone who built a business right here in Midland, I want to remind others that big dreams can grow in small towns. This community has been a source of inspiration and encouragement for me, and I hope we can be the same for others. Whether it’s pursuing your passion, starting a new venture, or simply finding balance in your life, know that you have a community here cheering you on.
A Funny or Interesting Story:
Pet sitting might sound like a dream job, but let me tell you—it’s full of surprises. Imagine being tasked with walking a dog for an hour, only to find that the dog in question has perfected the art of playing dead – 3 blocks away from home…and it’s always the 50-pounders with noodle legs, never the tiny 12-pound fluff balls.
Then there’s the moment when you find yourself flat on your back on an icy sidewalk, one arm still tethered to the leash of an overexcited pup, while you desperately hope the poop bag beneath you survived the impact unscathed.
Back at the house, you might be hunting for a missing cat who’s decided that hiding among Christmas decorations in the basement is their new hobby. Meanwhile, a fellow pet sitter is sending out an SOS because they can’t open a frozen lockbox, and then you’re navigating a maze of detours from road construction to make your next visit on time.
And let’s not forget the ultimate pet sitter scavenger hunt: finding the elusive cat litter scoop, dog food scoop, or poop scooper. (Why are they always MIA?)
Despite the challenges, we wouldn’t trade these moments for anything. They keep us laughing, learning, and constantly improving. Each visit is an adventure, and at the end of the day, knowing we’ve cared for these beloved pets makes it all worth it.
About Paula & Her Family:
I grew up in a small farming community in Michigan’s Thumb, where life revolved around family and the land. My earliest memories are of helping my parents care for the cows, pigs, ponies, ducks, geese, and chickens on our farm, surrounded by the love and guidance of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. Alongside my three brothers, I attended a one-room country schoolhouse through eighth grade, which instilled in me a strong sense of community and resilience.
Some of my happiest childhood moments were spent playing with our many barn cats, riding my pony, Bucky, and dreaming of becoming a Horse Jockey down in Kentucky. As a teenager, I worked after school and on weekends at a neighboring dairy farm, milking a herd of 350 cows, a job that taught me discipline and responsibility. I also jumped at every opportunity to ride horses owned by friends and neighbors, even trying my hand at a rodeo. These experiences not only shaped my love for animals but also laid the foundation for the passion and dedication I bring to my work today.
One of my most important lessons in respecting animals came at the age of 17, when I approached a friend’s horse in a paddock without reading its body language and ended up with nine cracked ribs from a swift kick. That experience taught me to be attuned to the body signs that animals use to communicate, a skill I use every day in the pet-sitting business.
After high school, I joined the United States Army as a Military Police Customs Officer, serving for two years before spending 15 years as a military spouse. My journey took me to Germany, the Panama Canal, Ft McClellan in Alabama, and Ft Bragg in North Carolina. In 1999, I returned to Michigan and eventually settled in Midland in 2008. The military lifestyle has profoundly shaped me: my father, three brothers and two of my children have all served. For anyone considering the military, I wholeheartedly say: go for it! The experience is life-changing, offering invaluable perspective, unbreakable bonds, and personal growth beyond what you could ever imagine.
Additional Information:
I am incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved with Paula’s Pet Sitting (PPS). Over the years, we’ve developed a robust system for handling the challenges that come our way. By documenting these experiences and creating a detailed playbook (Standard Operating Procedure), we’ve ensured our ability to navigate difficulties smoothly and effectively.
While I know I won’t be able to do this forever, my hope is that PPS will continue to thrive long after I step away. I envision finding someone who shares our passion for pet care, values our commitment to serving the community, and is eager to carry on and even improve what we’ve built. The central focus of PPS has always been service to our community, care for animals, and doing the right thing, and I want those principles to remain at the heart of our work.
One of the things that sets us apart is the strong camaraderie and teamwork within our team of pet sitters. They genuinely enjoy working together, and their shared commitment is what makes PPS special. If there’s someone out there who feels inspired to learn the business and would like to build on the foundation we’ve created, I’d be open to having that conversation. Together, we can ensure PPS continues to make a difference for years to come.
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