Trusting a pet care provider or dog trainer with your pet is a responsibility we do not take lightly or expect right away, and that’s how it should be! All of our established team members have utilized pet care & dog training services for our personal pets—many of whom have sensitive behavioral needs—so we intimately understand what it is like to welcome a professional team into your home. We appreciate the efforts, consideration, and love that leads our clients to have high standards for their care. We encourage all prospective pet parents to take the time to see what Cloud 9 is all about before making the decision to book services!
Our Mission Statement
C9C Values
The Story of Our Local Small Business
Our Professional Qualifications & Standard
Why Choose Us?
Meet the Cloud 9 Canine Team
Service Area
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.
C9C Values
Relationship: We strive to truly connect with the pets and the people we work with in order to understand you and your pet’s needs and provide exemplary service. We encourage frequent communication take time to personally come to your home to meet you and your pets to ensure everyone is completely comfortable before beginning services.
Fear-Free Pet Interaction: Our team members are trained to utilize fear-free handling techniques while providing care to companion animals of all species, breeds, sizes, ages, health conditions, temperaments, and behavioral needs.
Reliability: We come to you and will be prepared and on time rain, snow, or shine! No matter what, we guarantee a member of our team will be in communication with you and we will have someone out to care for your pets.
Continuing Education: Our entire Cloud 9 team values approaching our work with a growth mindset, bettering our professional and personal pet interactions each and every day through our experience with your beloved family members!
The Story of Our Local Small Business
Hello! My name is Nicole, and I am the owner & founder 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 strong desire to connect with people but I didn’t how to. Throughout my childhood, I often felt lonely and as though I had no real connections. This void was filled, quite wholly and beautifully, while growing up with pets that gave me a particular soft spot in my heart for animals. Cats, geckos, rabbits, birds, even frogs . . . it didn’t matter if they were the furry kind or the creepy-crawly kind, they all fascinated me just the same.
Growing up, I spent the majority of my time outside in nature. 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 the driveway, we raced downstairs, threw open the basement doors, and charged out into the farmyard, eager to feed our rabbits, snuggle our kittens, let our goats out to graze, and search for salamanders in the swamp. When the sun set and we had to come inside, I remember what would become known as “binge-watching” Animal Planet and doing extensive research on dog breeds, behavior, care, and training as I dreamt of having a dog of my own.
In 2009, I was blessed to become the owner of my first dog, Morgan, a pit-lab mix. She was the face of Cloud 9 Canine throughout the early years until she made her journey across the rainbow bridge in December 2022.
As I got older, I began volunteering for the SPCA of Southwest Michigan 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 meet that need. Soon, the stars aligned and a lightbulb went off, and suddenly I realized I was able to pursue both of my passions for both pets and connection! And as the story goes, Cloud 9 Canine was born.
In our first year alone, we served over 200 families and their pets! We, as a team, are all very grateful for this opportunity and eager for all that will unfold over the coming years! It is a privilege for us to serve our community, both the people and their furry companions alike.
Don’t just take our word for it – read what others have to say.
Our Professional Qualifications & Standard
We are certified, insured, and bonded to give you peace of mind that we have plans in place for any “what if?” situations.
We utilize standardized service protocols, meaning no matter who provides care, they all will perform duties in the same manner no matter which team member provides service for the security of your home, your peace of mind, and promotion of well-being in reducing stress of all pets in our care. Team Members are all Pet First Aid & CPR Certified and trained in LIMA (Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive) pet handling per the Humane Hierarchy.
We prioritize pursuit of continuing education opportunities for all of our team—including Cloud 9 leadership—to invest in our team and constantly expand our knowledge, improve our skills, and evolve our processes to keep up with the latest progressive developments in the pet industry.
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, guided by a Code of Ethics fostering inclusivity, accessibility, transparency, honoring professional scope limitations, and willingness to learn from each other.
Why Choose Us?
Our services are designed by industry professionals with the well-being of your pets as our top priority.
Basic Needs: Nutrition, hydration, shelter, and bathroom breaks are basis necessities for pet care. We offer a range of service windows to accommodate your pet’s routine based on the importance of attentive, structured care.
Fulfillment: Beyond meeting basic needs, pets thrive with regular biological fulfillment that keeps their bodies active and their minds sharp. Each pet has unique preferences for engaging their natural instincts, whether through a romp in the park, a loop around the block, play with people, enrichment puzzles, sniffing through nature, socializing with other pets, naps in the sun, or showing off their tricks to our team members! Clients are encouraged to tell us about what activities their pets love so we can provide outlets for these innate behaviors during our services.
Companionship: Pets form bonds with their people and many desire intentional human contact. Our team is full of genuine pet lovers who are happy to stop for belly rubs during a walk, snuggle up on the couch, or allow an affectionate pet to curl up on their lap. We ensure your pet receives plenty of love while you are out and about based on their preferences for attention.
We understand that leaving your pets is stressful. We take this responsibility seriously and are here to give you peace of mind while you are away.
Visit Reports: It is our duty to be considerate of the nerves that pet parent feel when leaving a family member in someone else’s care. Throughout your pets’ care, we maintain frequent and detailed communication via report cards to make it feel as though you’re right there with them. We value earning the trust of our clients through open conversation that keeps you updated on how your pet is doing while you are away. Each report card includes a journal of the service, check in and check out times, a GPS map of the team member’s location throughout the service, and pictures of your pet.
Team Based Services: We employ a team of pet care professionals so our clients never have to rely on the availability of a single individual. By teaching our team to safely and mindfully care for pets with an array of personalities and needs, creating highly detailed step-by-step care instructions in all pet profiles, and implementing secure yet accessible home access protocols, we eliminate the risk of our clients ending up in a panic searching for last-minute alternative arrangements. No need to scramble for back-up plans when you book with Cloud 9: our team will work together to take care of everything when you can’t be there!
Unsure about our “team-based” service model/having multiple care providers? This is a common initial concern for many pet parents; we want to honor your advocacy of knowing what is best for your pet, but if you are curious about how to make this work, we are more than happy to discuss how to set your pet up for a successful experience—contact us to make arrangements!
Meet the Cloud 9 Canine Team
Our team of dedicated professionals have completed an intensive pet handling & dog behavior training program designed by our Certified Professional Dog Trainer, undergo an extensive background check, are Pet First Aid & CPR certified, and are committed to ongoing skill & knowledge training.
Meet the Owners
Owner & Founder: Nicole Bowdish
Hi! I’m Nicole, the proud owner and founder of Cloud 9 Canine, LLC! My love for animals was fostered from a young age. I remember moving with my family to in a local rural community when I was four years old to a 30-acre property. Soon, the land was populated with an assortment of pets of all kinds. Throughout my childhood, I raised and cared for pets of all shapes and sizes from geckos and rabbits to goats and sheep, and spent many evenings inside watching Animal Planet.
Caring for my first dog, Morgan, greatly deepened my love for dogs and pet care. Shortly after, I began volunteering as a dog walker at local shelters. I later worked as a kennel attendant and in 2018, began providing pet care services for fun and was quickly enamored by dog walking and pet sitting. Not long after, I realized there is a strong need for reliable, customized pet care in Southwest Michigan, and, well, the rest is history!
I currently have two cats, Xi & Nala, that truly light up my life, as well as a crested gecko, Draco. I am always hoping to add more animals to my growing family and have been so fulfilled spending time with all of your lovable pets as well!
Lead Dog Trainer & Co-Owner: Jordan Bowdish, CPDT-KA
Hi there! Fun fact: Nicole and I are twin sisters! I grew up on a hobby farm in the small local town of Vicksburg where my lifelong passion for working with animals began. I have been working in the pet care industry since June of 2014 with experience in boarding kennels, animal shelters, dog daycare, facility-based dog training, and in-home pet care. I am a Michigan State University alum (Go Green!) with a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology and a background in occupational therapy. I had an early career change from healthcare into dog training and am living my childhood dream out each and every day! I am currently pursuing a Canine Fitness Trainer certification (CCFT) with long-term goals to expand local opportunities for performance dogs and contribute to research on holistic canine behavioral interventions.
I am a full-time member of the Cloud 9 Canine team responsible for program and policy development centered on evidence-based pet care handling techniques supporting the well-being of companion animals as well as the safety and professionalism of our staff team. I also oversee and curate curriculum, assessments, and intervention planning for our dog training services. You will see me around providing services of all types as I aim to help out our staff team wherever I can.
In my free time, I adventure with my special needs kitty, Cinder (an alum from the Kzoo Cat Cafe), and train/travel/compete in dock diving, herding, agility, disc, and AKC rally obedience with my Australian Cattle Dog, Zuko. My entire life always has revolved around animals, so I am genuinely thrilled for the present and future work I GET to be a part of in our community!!!! It’s an incredible feeling to love what you do and do what you love.
Meet the Pet Care Providers
Nicole Z, Team Member
Madeline W, Team Member
Chloe M, Team Member
Caroline E, Team Member
Service Area
“Cloud 9 Canine was so wonderful!! This was our first experience with a professional sitter and we were so pleased. They came by to make sure our pup was comfortable ahead of time and asked alllll the right questions. And the best part was the after visit updates sent each time they went to the house. (Nicole should side as a pet photographer because the pics we received were frame worthy!) We will absolutely be using them again!”
– Nickie W.
Contact Us
We’d love to hear from you!