Eleanor Howe On Prospect Park Pets, The Respite Of Ditmas Park & The Best Fish Name Of All Time
You may have seen flyers around as of late for neighbor Eleanor Howe’s new dog walking and pet sitting business, Prospect Park Pets. A longtime animal lover, Eleanor has just recently decided to make a living of her passion for the pawed–so we asked her to tell us a bit about getting started as an entrepreneur, what she can offer neighbors (human and other), and her favorite things about Ditmas Park.
How long have you been in Ditmas Park, and what brought you to the neighborhood? Do you have any pets of your own?
I moved to Ditmas Park just over two years ago, after falling in love with the drastically different character of this neighborhood compared to other parts of Brooklyn (I previously lived in Bushwick).
Although I don’t currently have any pets of my own, I grew up with several wonderful family pets in Seattle–Sophie and Frannie (dogs), Fergus the cat, a yard full of chickens, and a goldfish named Well Enough, so that when people tapped on his/her bowl, I could tell them to “leave Well Enough alone.”
When did you decide to make Prospect Park Pets happen, and what were you doing before that?
I decided to officially launch Prospect Park Pets a couple of months ago. Before that, I was exclusively working as a freelance commercial/tv/film composer. Recently, I came to the realization that shutting myself away in a windowless room (studio) for hours on end without regular contact with other people, animals, nature, and daylight simply wasn’t cutting it!
While I still do a fair amount of composing work in the evenings, I’m hoping to fill more of my days spending time outdoors with animals that I love.
What do you do when you’re not hanging out with animals?
I love the sense of community I’ve found here in Ditmas Park, and my flexible freelance work schedule has allowed me to spend much of my free time locally–enjoying yoga classes and acupuncture at Third Root, savoring tasty meals at various local restaurants, perusing the offerings at the weekend farmer’s market, enjoying drinks with friends at Sycamore, or meeting a pal for coffee at any one of the many delightful coffee shops we have here.
It feels like a fully functional small town out here, which is the perfect counter to the hectic Manhattan existence from which I need an escape more often than not.
What should people look for in a dog walker or pet sitter? What pets do you take care of, and what areas do you serve?
As a dog walker/pet sitter, my goal is to simply provide plenty of love, attention, and exercise to beloved pets while their owners are away or at work. While my services are geared primarily towards dog and cat care, I’m happy to take care of other pets as well.
I’m hoping to establish a client base here in Ditmas Park, extending up through Park Slope, with walks around Prospect Park being a central component of the business.
What sets your services apart?
I’m currently considering offering a unique service: the CleanWalk, which would be either a private or two-dog walk through Prospect Park or a specific neighborhood area designated by the client.
This service would include bringing a large garbage bag and cleaning up streets/trails along the walking route, then taking a snapshot of the dog next to the waste that was collected at the end of the walk, and texting/emailing the photo to the dog owner with a message that reads something like, “Thank you, Fido, for helping keep Prospect Park clean!”
I might even want to collect and post these photos on a blog, so people could see their adorable pups and neighborhood cleanup progress. I’d be curious to know if there would be any interest in a service like this–so readers, let me know!
Think Eleanor might be a good match for you and your pet? Get answers to your questions about services, rates, and more at the Prospect Park Pets website, then give Eleanor a call at 206-295-3049 or email info@prospectparkpets.com–and make sure to keep up with Prospect Park Pets’ latest updates on Facebook.
Photos via Eleanor Howe