Ruh-Roh Retreat didn’t begin as a business idea — it began with a lifelong connection to animals.

Ruh-Roh Retreat didn’t start as a business idea — it started as a lifelong connection with animals.

As a teenager, I worked as a veterinary assistant and later helped care for a veterinarian’s 20 Bernese Mountain Dogs. I fed them, walked them, administered medication, bathed them, supported senior dogs, and helped raise puppies. Those experiences became my introduction to what calm, attentive, compassionate care truly looks like.

Years later, I pursued a career in corporate finance. For 10 years, I did what I thought I was “supposed” to do: show up, crunch numbers, present analyses, and follow a predictable routine. But even as I worked hard and tried to excel, I always felt like something was missing. I couldn’t picture myself being an entrepreneur, and I certainly didn’t think I had the creativity or confidence to build anything on my own.

Then the pandemic hit. For the first time in my adult life, I slowed down — and returned to something that had always brought me joy: caring for dogs. As I dog-sat more often, I began asking myself the big questions: Am I fulfilled? Is this how I want to spend the rest of my life? What would my life look like if I followed passion instead of expectation?

Those answers led to clarity. I stepped away from corporate life and focused on what made me feel purposeful. I realized that caring for dogs fulfilled me in a way my corporate work never did.

When I eventually returned to dog sitting full-time, my small business grew faster than I expected. Pet parents consistently shared the same concerns: They struggled to find trustworthy care. They were anxious leaving their dogs behind. They didn’t feel peace of mind with traditional facilities.

But with my structured, calm, small-group approach, those anxieties disappeared — and I realized something important: What I was doing wasn’t just dog sitting. It was solving a real problem.

Then one day, my stepmom told me she wanted to do what I was doing. That moment changed everything. If she wanted to follow the same philosophy — and if pet parents loved this model — maybe I could help more sitters recreate this experience under one shared brand.

That’s when Ruh-Roh Retreat was born.

The name comes from Scooby-Doo’s iconic catchphrase — that moment when something feels uncertain. For pet parents, leaving their dog often creates that same “ruh-roh…” feeling. Our goal is to turn that uncertainty into confidence through transparent communication, vetted sitters, and a community built on trust.

This isn’t a franchise and it isn’t a traditional pet-care company. It’s a curated, boutique network of independent sitters who share the same philosophy of calm environments, structured care, transparent communication, and personalized experiences. It’s a platform built with intention — one that supports sitters’ independence while offering pet parents the peace of mind they’ve always wanted.

Ruh-Roh Retreat wasn’t created to chase revenue. It was created to build trust, reduce stress, and give dogs a vacation of their own — in homes filled with warmth, calmness, and genuine care.

And now that it’s here, the question isn’t “Can I be an entrepreneur?”

It’s “How far can I take this?”