A popular Australian dog grooming business knows how to keep its franchisees happy, recently welcoming back a member of the team after ten years absence.
Jill McCarthy has returned to Aussie Pooch Mobile, where she was one of the first franchisees to join in 1993.
“Working with dogs was my dream job. Every day brought something new and I got to know and love each dog like it was my own. There was never a day I didn’t look forward to going to work,” says Jill.
After joining in the ’90s, Jill grew her business to the point where she was able to sell off half.
In that time, she became a trainer and on-road support person, and also featured in training videos for the company.
Due to health reasons, Jill made the decision to leave Aussie Pooch in 2002, but kept finding jobs with dogs and other animals.
“Over the years I did several courses and became a qualified canine massage therapist and obedience instructor, and qualified as an odour detection dog handler, which was incredible,” says Jill.
Jill worked for Biosecurity Queensland for almost 4 years on the Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program, where she was responsible for the transport, care, and deployment of two fire ant detection dogs.
“I also trained my own dog Shelby to locate horse shoes in an open paddock, as quite often the horse would lose one shoe, so Shelby would find it for me, because those things were expensive to replace!”
Jill also worked in the equine therapy industry, but through charity and other volunteer work, she was never far from Aussie Pooch and jumped at the chance to return full time.
With Aussie Pooch now counting over 200 other franchisees around the world, Jill is coming back to a business where 65 percent of franchisees are women.
She says, “I honestly feel like I’ve come home. While I am finding it challenging, as things have changed a lot in ten years, with new services and techniques, it’s just as rewarding as I remember.”
