Elle is small but has a big personality. Aspen is a ball of energy. Tommy loves smearing mud all over clothing.
For Roz Applebaum, professional dog walker, Elle the pug, Aspen the husky and Tommy the golden retriever are some of her co-workers. Her office is the great outdoors, rain, snow or sun.
Although she always welcomes new dogs, Applebaum has been walking some of them since she started her business Paws By Roz nine years ago.
``They are all very funny. Each has a unique individual personality. Each dog has its issues,'' said Applebaum. ``There is no perfect dog. This one likes to roll in dead things. That one likes to run up to people and bark at them.''
With 53 dogs to walk, Applebaum is a busy woman, coordinating hourlong playgroups and shorter walks. She knows every dog, not just by name, but also by personality.
While out on a playgroup romp through the woods at Cat Rock Park in Weston, with fellow dog walker Kate Sturgeon, and her son Nick Sturgeon, Applebaum discovers another pack of dogs bounding across the muddy terrain.
The 10 dogs all recognize Applebaum, bounding toward her at full speed and greeting her by planting muddy paw prints all over her from waist to toe.
Tommy, a giant golden retriever, comes close to knocking down Applebaum into a mud puddle.
These dogs are part of a playgroup led by Barb Nightingale, another employee of Applebaum's.
Four dog walkers work for Applebaum covering Waltham, Weston, Newton, Belmont and Watertown. Three out of the four walkers have worked for her over five years.
``We are a family,'' said Applebaum.
For Applebaum, it was a long road of self-discovery before she combined her love for dogs and her knowledge of finance to create a successful business.
A Pennsylvania native, Applebaum graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in English literature.
Entering the workforce as a reporter, she worked for two Connecticut newspapers, the Darien News Review and the Norwalk Hour for six years.
Reporting ``was just grueling sometimes,'' said Applebaum.
``I was tired of writing on demand,'' she said. ``My creativity just didn't work that way.''
Toward the end of her journalism career, she began working the finance beat and enjoyed it so much she made a move to a career in developing and implementing conferences.
``I really excelled,'' Applebaum said. ``I found my niche'' in New York at the Institute for International Research, she said, launching the institute's second finance and health care divisions.
After organizing over 200 conferences a year, Applebaum was burnt out. Her company transferred her from New York to Boston.
``My heart just wasn't in it anymore,'' said Applebaum of conference planning.
But there was one big benefit in Applebaum's move. She bought a house, a car and a dog in one week - all things she couldn't have in New York.
Applebaum quit her job a year after moving to Boston. She said she spent her days walking her two Labrador retrievers, Humphrey and Max, and trying to figure out her next move.
After two years, Applebaum said she realized how much she enjoyed spending time outdoors with the dogs.
With her business background, Applebaum launched her dog walking company. She said it was terrifying at first and she wasn't sure if she could make enough to scrape by.
But driven by her desire to be outdoors and her passion for dogs, Applebaum made it work.
The business has sustained her over the years and helped her ``through the whole burn-out phase,'' said Applebaum.
Applebaum said she has expanded her business endeavors from a dog walking to a conference company focused on the pet industry called Pet Industry Advisory.
Applying her conference skills, Applebaum held her first event in Las Vegas in February. The Pet Industry Transformation conference drew 75 attendees.
Pet Industry Advisory will hold a second conference, called Health and Wellness for Companion Animals, in Las Vegas in June.
Pet Product News International named her one of 25 people in the pet industry to watch in 2010. Also on the list were David Beckham and Martha Stewart.
Applebaum said the economy was rough on her business, but things are picking up, and with the recent success of Pet Industry Advisory, things are looking better.
``I love this industry,'' said Applebaum.
The industry's success has a lot to do with the bond between a pet and an owner and is scientifically proven to make ``peoples lives better,'' said Applebaum. ``It's amazing.''
Jen Judson can be reached at 781-398-8004 or jjudson@cnc.com.
WALTHAM —
