We love hearing about spirited entrepreneurs who focus on creating a completely dog-centered business. When we found out about Sarah Warford, we had to hear more about her story and the amazing, fun service she provides for dogs and dog owners…Sarah is the owner and founder of DogRunnin, a canine fitness enterprise based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Explained in her own words, she and her employees “run (and walk) dogs as well as train dogs and owners to run together as a team.” When they’re not busy getting their run on, they also provide marketing services for other businesses that “have a crossover in cliental between canine and human athletes.”

How did such a unique business get its start? Sarah says it was a total accident. “As a runner, when our dog became old enough to run I’d take her with me. We’d meet people who’d frequently ask if I’d take their dog running too.”

The idea of a business didn’t occur immediately. Sarah says she usually just laughed these requests off, explaining, “I didn’t take it seriously at first, but as things began to snowball I knew that DogRunnin had great potential.” A light bulb went off when someone made the usual request – and put a dollar amount with it.

As for her own pup who helped get the business started? “Pippy is a young husky/shepherd/lab mix. She’s a tiny girl (only 40lbs) considering her breed mix, but she’s speedy!” Sarah says. Pippy was adopted through a local dog rescue and she’s been making a big impact in Sarah’s life ever since.

“Pippy is the true brains behind the operation; she really did inspire the business. She and I spend a lot of time together. We really are a team.”

That’s obvious from the way Sarah talks about her canine partner. “Pippy runs hard, but snuggles harder. She’s incredible company and her sass is great comic relief to lighten the grumpiest of moods.”

Sarah and her team have been working hard to develop a business that offers real value to their clients. “We’re working hard to raise the standard of service care for our human and canine clients,” she explains. “We tailor every session – private, semi-private, or group – to the needs of the clients present…[and we] check in with our clients to get updates on what new commands they are working to reinforce so we can practice with their pups while we’re together.”

And Sarah also appreciates that she was able to take an opportunity and develop it into a fun and fulfilling career. “I quit my trained profession to run… with dogs,” she enthuses. “Seriously though, who gets to do that?”

If you’d like to learn more about Sarah and DogRunnin, you can visit the blog or tweet her on Twitter @DogRunnin.