Meet Charter Member Barkaritaville Pet Resort
As part of our 4th Anniversary of The Dog Gurus membership, we wanted to highlight a couple of our charter members. Charter members were facilities who joined The Dog Gurus as soon as we launched and have been with us ever since. We are thankful for their support and hope they have loved being a member as much as we love having them! For this post, we interviewed Laina Schonefeld from Barkaritaville Pet Resort in Corpus Christi, TX.
TDG: Provide a brief overview of your company (when you started it, services offered, what is your facility like)
Barkaritaville Pet Resort is locally owned and operated by Laina and Steve Schonefeld. The resort was opened in 2009 and is a 12,000sqft state of the art full service pet resort that offers Lodging, Daycare, Grooming, Retail and Training Services. We are the only facility that offers indoor/outdoor accommodations and large play yards in our area.
TDG: Why did you get started in the pet industry?
Laina, originally from Corpus Christi, Texas has a Master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas and a BA in Psychology/Human Resources from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. She started in the animal care industry in 1994 as a Hospital Administrator at a veterinary hospital. Her prior experience in finance, sales and marketing helped Laina develop valuable management skills. While attending Graduate School in 2000, Laina realized the need for a luxury pet resort offering a full range of services such as boarding, daycare, grooming and retail in Corpus Christi. As part of her graduate studies, she developed a professional survey for clients of the veterinary hospital where she worked in order for her to study the need for pet resort services. The response was overwhelming. Years of research and planning later, Laina and her husband Stephen made Barkaritaville Pet Resort a reality. The community has welcomed the business and it puts a smile on Laina’s face to see the guests at Barkaritaville leave with a smile on theirs!
TDG: What do you find most rewarding about working in the pet industry?
I love making pets and their pet parents happy. There is no greater feeling than when a pet parent is picking up their pet from Barkaritaville and they run back to the front door!
TDG: What does being a member of The Dog Gurus mean to you?
It means we are 100% committed to being one of the best in the industry. By providing continuous training to our team members to ensure we are providing a safe environment for pets and a peace of mind for the pet parents. We will continuously strive to provide a level of care for pets and our staff that sets us aside from our competition. Safe group play for pets is one of our primary goals.
TDG: What is the thing you are most proud of for your company?
I am most Proud to be involved with the top industry leaders in the organization such as IBPSA, PACCC and The Dog Gurus. Through these wonderful organizations we can provide our clients and their pets with the best the industry has to offer by keeping abreast on the latest trends and staff training available.
TDG: What does your staff do together for fun?
Occasionally we try to get together outside of work for to get to know each other better. In addition, we have some team building exercises planned. We also do a fresh food Friday where we bring in food for the team so they can have lunch together.
TDG: Do you have a client or dog who changed the way you run your business?
Each client and pet continuously changes the way we run our business. Through the years we have listened to their wants and needs and have evolved to make the necessary changes to full fill them.
TDG: If you could meet anyone in the industry, who would it be and why?
I feel like I’ve met the best in the business already. However, I would maybe love to meet some more of the great dog trainers that are in the industry.
