May 31, 2007 Issue
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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Online Editor Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or Winner of One |
Even mutts feel like royalty with Queenie’s Pets
It’s often been said that every dog has his day, but the lucky ones spend their days with Adina Silberstein, even in a dog-eat-dog world. Adina’s Mt. Airy-based company, Queenie’s Pets, is part of a phenomenon gaining a toe-hold (or a paw-hold) in upscale neighborhoods around the country. That trend is the professional dog-walker/pet-sitter, once the purview of the teenager next door but now one of the fastest growing businesses in the country. For people to whom their pets are four-legged children dispensing unconditional love and non-stop face licks, the kid next door — who may or may not be reliable, who may or may not understand those who regard Fido and Fluffy as veritable family members, who may or may not feel that scooping up fecal matter is a worthwhile enterprise — just doesn’t cut it. This is where Silberstein, who founded Queenie’s Pets last September, comes in. Adina, 31, grew up in Mt. Airy and still lives there. She graduated from Central High School in 1994 and American University in 1998 with a degree in anthropology and linguistics. (Adina has two sisters who are both Central High grads. Heidi, 34, is an audiologist who lives in Australia, and Meg, 31, who was adopted, is a pharmaceutical representative living in New Jersey.)
Silberstein, who was the commencement speaker at her college graduation ceremony (with more than 5,000 people in the audience), is clearly a multi-talented and peripatetic individual. She worked for the late U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone in Minnesota and was a teacher of special education children in New Orleans, a “back-packer” across the U.S. at age 18, a bike messenger in center city Philadelphia (that career ended when her bike was stolen), a student in Denmark for one year (she even speaks Danish), a counselor of victims of domestic violence in London, a director of catering and sales and a wine buyer for Cresheim Cottage Café in Mt. Airy, a member of the Mt. Airy Learning Tree board and a feature writer for an internet ‘webzine’ geared to gays and lesbians. Clearly, Adina, whose life partner, Rae Munroe, is an architect (they’ve been together for five years), could do just about anything well that she set her mind to, but she has chosen to spend every day with fuzzy little (or big) four-legged creatures. In fact, Queenie’s Pets currently has 85 clients and normally averages 17 on any given weekday. Many are walked and played with for a half-hour; many for an hour, some in two-hour play groups and some overnight in the client’s home while the pet owner is away on vacation or out of town on business. There are many people who would consider Adina’s career a waste of her extensive education and work experience, but she would insist they’re barking up the wrong tree, that her tail-ent is being perfectly applied.
“As far as I’m concerned, I have the best job in the world,” she insists. “When it’s really cold or wet out, it’s not too thrilling, but I feel so fulfilled and stimulated. I communicate all day long with both people and animals, and I have to make good business decisions. The main thing, though, is that animals love me, and I love them. There is nothing like that in the world. “I do not have human babies, but these animals are my babies. They give me so much love. One dog routinely rests his head on my left shoulder. I see little doggie smiles, and that’s amazing ... Some have had fear and aggression issues, but I win them over. Every day I think how lucky I am to be able to make a living this way. “I know it sounds cheesy to many people, but it’s true. The love you get from animals is so pure. So many people think, ‘Oh, God, I have to go to work. My boss is a jerk, etc.’ On the other hand, when I get up in the morning, I think, ‘Wow, this morning I’m going to Pastorius Park to have fun with some great dogs; at noon I’m going to Valley Green, and in the afternoon I’m going to Gorgas Park.’ And I get paid to do it. Now what could be better than that?”
Silberstein always knew pets would be a part of her life, but for years she never thought they would actually constitute a career. Her mother, Marilyn, a realtor with Elfant Wissahickon, and her dad, Ed, a former social worker who now lives in New Jersey, raised champion German Shepherds, and they insisted that Adina, who often accompanied her parents to dog shows, and her two sisters take care of them. They also had two Bernese Mountain dogs, a bearded collie, six cats, gerbils, hamsters, fish (pets, not dinner) and hermit crabs (ditto). In high school she began pet sitting for friends and neighbors. She was so trustworthy — and obviously such a passionate animal lover — that she wound up with 23 dog walking clients but only when their owners would go away on vacation. “Finally,” said Adina, “I thought to myself, ‘This is nuts. Why do I have to do this only when people go on vacation? Why can’t I do this every day?’ I knew there was a clear need, and I knew for years that I wanted to be my own boss.” For a brief period of time in 2006 Adina had two partners in a pet-sitting business, but the collaboration did not work out, and she decided to go out on her own. Almost from the beginning, Queenie’s Pets has exploded from word-of-mouth. With virtually no advertising, she was still able to triple her client base in four months. “It’s because I treat the animals like they are my own. I have no qualms about getting slobber or mud on me. People hire me not just to walk the dogs but to wear them out and make them tired. (She also has three cat-walking clients.) One client named Jim says, ‘The dirtier the dog is, the more fun I know he had.’ “I run and jump with them, and at the end of the day I am thoroughly exhausted. (At one time Adina was also a long-distance bicyclist. She once rode the length of Alaska as part of a fundraiser for an AIDS vaccine.) I wear a pedometer which shows that I do 12 to 15 miles a day. I had a woman working for me who lost almost 35 pounds in four months because of all the running and playing with the dogs ... My resting heart rate is 51, which is like an Olympic athlete.
“My butt may be big, but my heart rate is great!” The clients we contacted all raved about Adina and her services. For example, Andrea Fine, of Mt. Airy, said, “Adina has been caring for our dogs and cats for about four years. She is professional, responsible and is a pleasure to work with. Even when the pet instructions have been complicated, she’s come through. Best of all, the dogs and cats just absolutely love her!” Rob Warren, MD, of Mt. Airy, commented, “As two working professionals, we hired Queenie’s Pets following the adoption of a new puppy in November. From Adina’s initial intake interview, we felt extremely comfortable that our dogs would be part of her ‘family.’ This is truer than we imagined. Not only is our puppy loved and well-excercised, but our 12-year old dog is much happier, always greeting the Queenie’s team with excitement.” And Ruth Anne Cionca, a professional dog trainer from Mt. Airy, declared, “I trust Adina with my five-year-old, high-energy terrier and my 16-year-old black Lab mix. It’s not easy to watch over a dog at the end of her life, but Adina pitches in with a generous heart, good judgment and a sense of humor. I recommend her wholeheartedly to my clients and students. She’s a true professional.” Adina, who is bonded and insured, is a member of the National Association of Pet Sitters (NAPPS) and Pet Sitters International (PSI). She can be reached at 215-248-9999 or www.queeniespets.com Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com |
