Meet Planet Paws Pet Care
Based in Clinton Township, Michigan, Planet Paws Pet Care was founded in September 2021 when Kevin Johnson, a practicing attorney at the time, couldn't find local pet care he trusted for his own pups. What started as occasional boarding at home quickly grew into a full-time dog walking and pet sitting business with loyal clients and referrals pouring in. Kevin was juggling all the roles of a small business owner—walker, scheduler, customer service rep, accountant—while trying to give clients the same level of trust and transparency he wanted when he started Planet Paws. His goal wasn't just to walk dogs. It was to build a brand that pet parents could count on, no matter their pet's temperament or needs. Today, Kevin offers a full suite of services that many small pet care businesses depend on software to streamline: dog walking, pet sitting, cat care, and in-home dog boarding (limited to two dogs at a time). His focus remains on delivering personalized care, especially for anxious pets or those who aren't a good fit for traditional facilities.
Kevin and his wife named the business after a brainstorming session, inspired partly by their Star Wars pups, Poe and Finn.
Why He Chose Time To Pet
When Kevin first launched Planet Paws, he looked at several pet care software platforms. But Time To Pet stood out for its clean design, strong mobile app, and reputation in the professional pet sitting community. "I wanted something that would grow with me, not a patchwork of tools I'd outgrow in a year," Kevin said. "I picked Time To Pet four years ago because it felt purpose-built for real pet care pros."
What Is a Strategy Call?
Strategy Calls are free one-on-one sessions with a Time To Pet customer experience expert (all former pet care professionals) to help pet care business owners review their current setup, learn about underutilized features, and streamline their operations. Strategy Calls are designed to uncover simple ways to save time, improve client experiences, and make better use of the platform's full range of tools. No upsells, no fluff, just tailored guidance based on how you run your business.
The Challenge: Great Business, Growing Chaos
Despite using Time To Pet's dog walking and pet sitting software from the beginning, Kevin felt unsure if he was using it to its full potential. His weekly scheduling was completely manual. He spent 1-2 hours every Thursday plugging in recurring walks. He also manually emailed clients reminders to update their care info and sometimes forgot, leading to mid-vacation texts about missing food or outdated medication instructions.
Kevin was doing things the hard way without realizing there was a better one. It wasn't until a chat with Time To Pet at the NAPPS conference that he learned about the Strategy Call program.
The Strategy Call: Lightbulb Moments and Total Gamechangers
During his call with Hallie, one of Time To Pet's onboarding experts, Kevin learned about:
- Setting up and auto-approving Templates to schedule recurring walks, eliminating manual scheduling each week and ensuring visits were always tied to the right times and staff
- Automated emails prompting clients to update pet care info, reducing the back-and-forth and making sure nothing fell through the cracks when pets' needs changed
- Client flags for things like alarms, keys, and vaccines, letting Kevin track important safety info at a glance instead of digging through notes or texts
- How to block off unavailable days to prevent misbookings, helping him plan time off and avoid scheduling mishaps
- Customizing his new client form to capture essential info upfront so he no longer had to chase clients for details after the booking was made
He also received support in guiding clients toward the Time To Pet mobile app—essential for any modern dog walking or pet sitting business—and in centralizing all communication in one place, instead of juggling Messenger, texts, and emails.
The Results: Two Hours Back Every Week (and Sanity Restored)
Kevin now saves 2 to 3 hours a week by streamlining scheduling and reminders. The benefits extend beyond time saved to include:
- Clients are better prepared and grateful for reminders
- Fewer last-minute scrambles and outdated care notes
- Communication centralized in one place, eliminating inbox chaos
- Increased app usage, attributed to instructional emails and client support
Kevin's advice to other Time To Pet users is: "Even if you think you know everything about the system, you don't. Just do the Strategy Call."
Kevin is a solo operator who is laying the groundwork to hire. He uses features like automatic charging (Time To Pet Payments), flags, tasks, blocking his schedule, and centralized records to plan for growth. Kevin aims to scale while preserving the personal connection his brand is known for, using client flags and tasks to build an operational foundation for future hires. He states, "When I do hire, I know I'll have the systems ready to support them. That's a big weight off my shoulders."
Advice from Kevin
"What I thought were limitations of the software were really just limitations on me. I didn't ask. Once I did, everything got easier."
*Planet Paws Pet Care uses Time To Pet, an all-in-one platform for dog walking, pet sitting, cat care, and in-home boarding businesses.
