The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters recently named my business, The Wag Pack, its 2012 Business of the Year. I know what you’re thinking. There’s an association for pet sitters? Yes, my friends, there is an association for just about everything.

Isabel Alvarez

According to the organization, I was nominated for my strong business growth and commitment to the pet sitting profession. As you can imagine, I’m extremely excited. I love what I do and to receive an award for doing it well is a huge honor.

Since the news of my award was made public, I have received many congratulatory notes from staff, clients, friends, family and fellow pet professionals from around the country. The support and excitement is incredibly rewarding and especially validating for me because I oftentimes feel as though people don’t understand what I do for a living and why I do it.

Yes, I could be sitting behind a desk, working a corporate job, enjoying my evenings and weekends off, and aspiring to earn some fancy title. But I would miss out on long walks, fierce games of fetch, shared downtime on rainy days, tricking cats into chasing laser pointers, interacting with various species and discovering their quirks, and — my all-time favorite — sunbathing with a furry companion.

The everyday life of a suburban professional pet sitter, especially one that manages a staff, is hectic. Apart from hiring, scheduling, payroll, taxes and phone calls, I drive a lot, walk a lot and deal with animals’ bodily fluids — a lot. Although my business has grown considerably in the past few years, I still care for pets personally. I don’t think I’ll ever give up visiting my fur clients; it’s what I love most about my job.

I’ve had many funny, scary, irritating and fulfilling experiences in my four years as a full-time pet sitter and business owner: from using a Swiffer to protect myself from undersocialized cats that made Scar from “The Lion King” look like a kitten in a basket to a sweet beagle turned growling, snapping tyrant who wouldn’t let me take her for a walk. Overall, I’ve had some challenging days.

You never know what you’re going to get when working with animals. I’ve learned to be prepared for anything. I roll with the punches, leave extra time for the requisite wrong turn and fear nothing. I talk about poop all day, bake hundreds of peanut butter treats every year and negotiate with squirrels on a regular basis.  I manage a fantastic staff, help people raise their puppies, care for aging pets, offer support to devastated pet parents when they have lost a beloved fur relative and practice the art of the belly rub daily.

I’m a very lucky human, surrounded by unconditional love all day while others battle with office politics, terrible bosses and demanding clientele. Not every day is easy, and I have my fair share of battles, too. But at the end of the day, I always know my clients are happy to see me and, award or no award, it doesn’t get any better than that.

Isabel Alvarez lives in Alexandria and owns The Wag Pack, a local company that provides professional pet services.