When Rick and Paulette Nava started looking for a service franchise to buy ten years ago, they were looking for more than just a business opportunity – they also wanted to be able to help their San Mateo, CA community. Reading about a New Jersey DoodyCalls franchise whose owners were helping to raise money to provide bullet-proof vests for police and military dogs helped them make up their mind.
“The Cover Your K9 Foundation was just the beginning,” says Rick. “Owning the franchise has allowed us to help pet owners with physical limitations, help out SPCA and the Humane Society, and clean up parks and public areas.”
Of course, the couple has had to contend with their share of jokes. But there is nothing funny about the relationships they build with their customers with physical challenges, says Rick.
“Like other DoodyCalls franchise owners, we have found that our service provides help for disabled veterans and others with physical issues. Pets increase the emotional wellbeing of the disabled and aged, so for us providing our service is a win-win situation on many levels.”
The couple’s first clean-up was for a cancer patient with three months of deposits in their yard. They also helped a disabled woman living in a crime-ridden area. When she could not afford it, they did it for free.
Their efforts to help protect police dogs are ongoing. The Cover Your K9 Foundation provides protective K-9 vests, trauma kits, car heat alarms and grants for retired police dog medical care in Northern California. An annual summer Cover Your K9fundraising effort in the Bay area has just ended, but the event has raised more than $200,000 in just 3 years and helped more than 100 police K9s throughout Northern California.