Paws-itive change: Jackson dog trainers move into new location

Makayla Hawkins has owned dogs her entire life. At any given time, she’s had at least four of them, and she currently owns half a dozen. Now she’ll have more dogs in her life than ever before with the new 11011 U.S. 61 location of her Paw Talk dog training and boarding service.

“To us, we see these dogs so often, their owners become parts of our family. We know the dogs like we know our own dogs. We know their quirks, we know what makes them happy and we love them,” she said.

Hawkins purchased the location in August and started renovations right away. The day after she closed on the building, she and her husband started painting its once-orange exterior hot pink.

“We definitely have a very bright and vibrant brand and that very much matches our personalities and it matches the services we want to provide,” she said. “… I think we generally attract the people that are a good fit for us and we’re a good fit for them just based on our branding.”

She said her primary goal with the new facility was to get all services under one roof. Paw Talk used to have two locations, one for boarding and one for training, some 15 minutes apart. The larger location provides boarding, obedience training, doggy day care and a new limited grooming service. It also has a retail space, selling leashes, collars, dog food, treats and some apparel. In inclement weather, two larger indoor play spaces allow for dogs to explore and interact with one another instead of being cooped up in cages.

Although there are usually some 15 to 20 dogs onsite at any given time, at absolute maximum capacity, Hawkins estimated they could host up to 100.

“Before, we were maxed out on space. We had no more room to supply any more clients. We were booked. So I wanted to expand that, expand our services,” she said.

Hawkins started the business five years ago and had been running it by herself for more than half of that. She then brought on Eryka Underwood as a day care manager and later Chelsea Baker as Paw Talk’s manager. The business currently has around 10 employees.

She hired people who wanted to provide care for the animals they serve. Among the rules for the business: Employees have to keep the dogs happy and they have to love them. Education plays another major role in the facility, for workers and dogs alike. Staff members learn dog body language and the canines themselves learn through pack play, interacting with dogs from other families.

Many of Paw Talk’s clientele have been with the business for years now, and Hawkins said she wanted them to help make the facility feel like home for their dogs. Customers designed and decorated each of its dozen-plus boarding suites in a different style. They feature artwork and beds in the likes of a beach theme, a spa theme, a butterfly theme, a Beale Street theme and several more.

“I really, really wanted our clients to be part of this transition and to have their own piece of Paw Talk and their own say on everything,” Hawkins said. “…I want to be the people (who) people can trust, and that’s who we are.”

Using an app, Paw Talk’s staff update dog owners about the status of their pets a minimum of three times per day. They send pictures of dogs, let their owners see what they’re up to and allow them to purchase additional add-ons such as frozen treats and different activities while the dogs are being boarded.

“Our clients get updated the entire time they’re gone on how they’re doing, what their stay looks like. We’re always fans of what I like to say is over-communication. If we have any kind of concern, the first thing we’re going to do is reach out to our clients,” Hawkins said.

Until earlier this year, Hawkins said, she did practically no advertising.

“That was something I’ve always prided myself in saying, that I built this business 100% through word of mouth. I never had to seek out people,” she said.

Paw Talk’s boarding suites were already booked for the Thanksgiving weekend and its leadership turned their focus to Christmastime. An additional bonus of the larger location is an expansion for boarding pickup hours. Paw Talk now offers them 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

“It’s really important to me that when our clients go in and out of town, they can drop off when it’s convenient for them and they can pick up when they come back home and they don’t have to wait for us to open on Monday at 8 a.m.,” Hawkins said.

After a Nov. 18 soft opening, Paw Talk’s grand opening will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7.

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