Get to Know the Cloud 9 Team

Cloud 9 Canine Pet Care & Dog Training

Our Mission Statement

Cloud 9 Canine’s Mission is to enhance the lives of our human clients and their beloved companions. We aim to provide outstanding service that exceeds your wishes and meets your pets’ needs while keeping them safe, happy, and relaxed in our care. Our passion and enthusiasm for pets shines through not only our work, but our efforts to develop a strong bond with both the people and pets receiving our services. When choosing us, we give our all to ease your mind and leave your pet(s) on cloud 9.

Cloud 9 Canine offers pet care services unique to Kalamazoo, Michigan. We employ a wonderful team of outstanding dog walkers and pet sitters, which gives us the ability to match you with the pet lover best able to accommodate your pet care needs.

We are more than just pet sitters, dog walkers and trainers. Choosing us means that you are entrusting us with not only your pet, but a member of your family and your home. Our sitters go above and beyond to ensure your pet is safe, well cared for, and happy until you return. We also keep your safety and wishes as our top priority. We promise to be on time, prepared with supplies, knowledge and resources, an enthusiastic attitude, and personally written detailed care instructions. Our sitters and walkers will communicate with you throughout the booking and send detailed updates with GPS time stamps for absolute peace of mind. For us, animal care is a profession and a passion, not a hobby. We bring a positive, professional, and service-driven attitude to each walk and visit.

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What Sets Cloud 9 Canine Apart

• We are certified, insured, and bonded to give you peace of mind that we have policies in place to prepare for “what if?” situations.
• All staff undergo background checks, ongoing screening, and extensive training on best practices to ensure high quality of service.
• We work as a team, providing heightened reliability compared to depending on the availability of a singular individual.
• Improved reliability should there ever be an emergency with a sitter; not only do we employ an entire team of sitters, but we utilize standardized service practices, meaning no matter who provides care, they all will perform duties in the same manner no matter which team member provides service.
• Prioritizing continuing education to invest in our staff and constantly expand our knowledge, build our skills, and evolve our processes to keep up with the latest developments in the pet care field.
• We are united under a shared mission to provide the best pet care possible to improve the lives of pets and their humans in our community.

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Our Story

Hello! My name is Nicole, and I am the owner of Cloud 9 Canine Pet Care & Dog Training.

My passion for pets was first cultivated when I was about four years old. My parents decided to move to a 50 acre property in a small rural town within the Kalamazoo area. The land was quickly transformed into into a hobby farm, which was an absolute dream.

I was extremely shy as a child and struggled to make friends. This was very upsetting for me, as I had a huge heart and a strong desire to connect with and serve people. and I didn’t how to. Throughout my childhood, I often felt lonely and as though I had no outlet for this passion I carried within myself. This void was filled, quite wholly and beautifully, while growing up with pets and livestock that gave me a particular soft spot in my heart for animals. Frogs, geckos, rabbits, birds, even insects . . . it didn’t matter if they were the furry kind, or the creepy-crawly kind, they all fascinated me just the same. I yearned to learn about and understand them, and, later on, to connect with and care for them.

Growing up, I spent the majority of my time outside. My sisters and I would wait rather impatiently by the upstairs window, on the lookout for our babysitter to arrive. The moment her car rumbled up our rocky driveway, we were racing downstairs, throwing open the basement doors, and charging out into the grass, eager to feed our rabbits, snuggle our kittens, check on our goats, and search for frogs in the swamp. When the sun set and we had to come inside, I remember watching Animal Planet and doing extensive research on dog breeds, behavior, care, and obedience as I wished for a dog of my own terribly.

In 2010, I was blessed to become the owner of my first dog, Morgan, a pit-lab mix. She is going on eleven years old and the face of Cloud 9 Canine!

As I got older, I began volunteering for the SPCA of Southwest Michigan walking dogs and providing pet sitting and dog walking services for fun while attending Western Michigan University. There, I studied business, where I found I discovered another passion of mine. I believe business is about giving — finding a need, figuring out how to fulfill it, and going above and beyond to give back and truly serve the community in order to fulfill that need. Soon, the stars aligned and a light-bulb went off, and suddenly I realized I was able to pursue both of my passions for both pets and servitude! Thus, Cloud 9 Canine was born.

In our first year alone, we have served over 200 families and their pets! We are all very grateful for this opportunity and ecstatic for this next chapter to unfold! We look forward to serving the community, both the people and their furry companions alike.