EP# 183 - Transforming Dog Care: Insights from Dan Saltino

What if you could ensure your dog’s health with just a monthly membership? On this episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast, we sit down with Dan Saltino from ScentHound in Bonita Springs to uncover how his innovative approach to dog care is making waves in the pet community. From basic hygiene services like baths, ear cleaning, nail trims, and teeth brushing, starting at an affordable $39, Dan explains how proactive care can prevent common health issues in dogs. Plus, learn about their unique six-point wellness check that keeps pet parents informed about their furry friends' well-being.

Dive into Dan’s captivating journey from a dog lover to a passionate business owner. Hear firsthand the emotional highs and lows of running a franchise, the lessons learned, and the common misconceptions about dog grooming. Discover why Dan believes every dog needs basic hygiene, even if they don't need a haircut, and how his dedication is reshaping the way we think about pet care. This episode is a must-listen for all pet parents eager to keep their dogs healthy and happy.

ScentHound - Bonita Springs
Dan Saltino
24600 S Tamiami Trail, Suite 102
Bonita Springs, FL 34134
(239) 653-7700
fl046@scenthound.com
WEBSITE

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Cabo Jim.

Speaker 2: 0:08

Schaller. Welcome Good Neighbors to episode number 183 of the Good Neighbor Podcast, Estero. Today we have Good Neighbor Dan Saltino from ScentHound in Bonita Springs. Dan, welcome, Thank you so much for having me. Cabo, Absolutely Always a pleasure to get to know people in the community and what they do and share it with our listeners. So, without further ado, let's jump right in. And why don't you share a little bit about what you do over at ScentHound?

Speaker 3: 0:35

Yeah. So ScentHound is a new concept in dog wellness. We focus on basic hygiene and routine care that every single dog needs as part of a monthly care club. That club provides a bath, ear cleaning, nail trim and teeth brushing at a very affordable price, starting at $39. And then pet parents can add on additional services like haircuts or shedding treatments or whatever their dog may need. So they're only paying for what they need when they need it. And then we keep everybody informed with a wellness check, a six point wellness check we call a scent check at the end of every visit, covering those crucial areas that dogs need to take care of.

Speaker 2: 1:16

Interesting. I love it. So let's back up your story a little bit. How did you get involved in this industry?

Speaker 3: 1:24

Well, you know, I had made a lot of changes in life and I was looking to be an entrepreneur, so I started looking into franchises. Connected with somebody that helped me find ScentHound, through a process of kind of getting to know me and what I'm interested in. I've always had a passion for animals and specifically dogs, and so ScentHound is a brand that was born in Jupiter, florida. We had struggled with our own dog and trying to find a place that we were able to get into easily, and then, on top of it, this idea of proactive care really made sense. Why wait until your dog has an ear infection or has hip issues to start taking care of it? Why don't we do things proactively? So it just seemed like a match that was made for us and we took the leap and bought into ScentHound.

Speaker 2: 2:29

Absolutely Much like a vehicle. It's called preventative maintenance for a reason you don't want to wait till your car breaks down. You want to take care of it so it doesn't break down. Exactly, absolutely so, opening the business. People run through challenges, obstacles all the time. Is there something that maybe you went through that you can look back at now and say you know what? Not necessarily glad I went through it, but I went through it, I made it and now I'm better on the other end because of it.

Speaker 3: 2:57

You know, I think you know my wife will tell you I've got a big heart and I just trust everybody that they're going to do their very best all the time. And so I think the learning curve for me of going through hiring, you know, putting trust in people, learning together, all of those things has been a complete roller coaster of, you know, emotion and time and all the things. But I really wouldn't have it any other way because we've learned a lot in seven months about being a business owner and I think we're taking all of those lessons and improving every single day.

Speaker 2: 3:40

Absolutely, and the biggest thing is that you're passionate about what you do. So that's just doesn't seem a lot like work then, but you know you put your heart and soul into it and people can see that. So what type of? There's sometimes common myths or maybe misconceptions surrounding what you do. That you know? Are there any that we could clear up for our listeners, perhaps?

Speaker 3: 4:02

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 4:03

So a lot, a lot of times I'll talk to somebody you know just maybe a complete stranger about what ScentHound is and they'll say, oh well, my, you know, my dog doesn't need grooming.

Speaker 3: 4:17

And so I think what we're really trying to do at ScentHound as a whole a brand that's growing across the country, you know exponentially is is make sure that we are educating pet parents to realize like, hey, yeah, your dog may not need a haircut, but they still need basic hygiene.

Speaker 3: 4:39

Just like everybody should be brushing their teeth on a daily basis, so should dogs as well, because the chances are, by the age to 90 percent of those dogs will have periodontal disease from pet parents not brushing dog's teeth, periodontal disease from pet parents not brushing dog's teeth. And so that misconception that I have a dog that doesn't need a haircut, so I don't need to bring it to some place to get care, is something that we're hyper-focused on. And just helping pet parents understand that this isn't a place that you come when your dog's toenails are curled over and why not? This is a place you come on a monthly basis so that you keep them in great shape and you're able to love and connect with your dog much, much more and they're around longer too, and in turn, that helps the pet parent, because studies will tell you that people live longer, happier lives when they have a dog.

Speaker 2: 5:32

Absolutely, and you want to make the pet happy as well, too right. You've got to take care of them. So do you notice anything trending lately in the industry, or changing?

Speaker 3: 5:43

You know, that's a really good question In terms of trends. The pet industry is a rapidly growing industry, and so that was one of the things that really attracted us to ScentHound as well from a business standpoint. Obviously, our passion about wellness, proactive care and dogs in general was one thing, but then also an industry that's growing. It's something that you know continues to grow but also stands the test of time. Through, you know, recessions and dips in the economy.

Speaker 3: 6:22

People still take care of their pets, or a lot of people do, and we're starting to see more and more people understand who ScentHound is and what we do and how we're different than a traditional grooming salon. The haircuts are just the bonus for us. We're doing a functional haircut one length all over for those dogs that need haircuts. They look cute. They look like that puppy or that teddy bear that they want to look like. 90% of pet parents want their dogs to look like that puppy or that teddy bear that they want to look like. 90% of pet parents want their dogs to look like, and if they're looking for a specialty breed style or something fancy and we'll let them know, hey, that's not what we do here. We're happy to take care of everything else.

Speaker 2: 7:07

Absolutely so. Are you from Southwest Florida originally? No, no, no, I don't know.

Speaker 3: 7:14

Uh, uh, I ha. I don't meet a ton of people that are and I. I I am from Buffalo, new York originally.

Speaker 2: 7:22

Wow, what brought you down here?

Speaker 3: 7:24

Well, uh, my, my wife's from Binghamton, new York, about three and a half hours Southeast of Buffalo. Uh and um, you know I love Buffalo. I'm a diehard Bills fan Savers fan through and through. It's in my blood. I grew up in the early 90s. I was a kid watching four falls in Buffalo in those Super Bowl losses. So love that. But we had really enough of the weather. Like most people's story who moves to Southwest Florida is the weather is a big attractor. But in my job at the time when we moved here seven years ago, there was an opening here in Southwest Florida. I wanted to escape that cold, gray winter and we made the leap and we have never, never, looked back. We're very happy here.

Speaker 3: 8:20

We consider ourselves to be Floridians and very happy here in Estero.

Speaker 2: 8:27

That's it. Yep, we love the weather down here, so being a business owner can be very demanding on your time, but when you get a moment, what do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Speaker 3: 8:37

on your time. But when you get a moment, what do you enjoy doing outside of work? Well, I love spending time with family. We have two boys, 10 and 12. They're very active in different activities jujitsu, a little bit of golf, flag football. So I've spent some time in recent years doing a little bit of coaching flat football, trying to get out occasionally with my son that golfs and show him that it's just as difficult for a 42-year-old man as it is for a 10-year-old boy. And you know, just enjoying our beautiful nature and landscape here being by the water, boating, you know, paddle boarding, all of those great things that we have here in Southwest Florida.

Speaker 2: 9:18

Absolutely being outside. That's why we love being down here. So is there one thing you wish our listeners knew about Scentown that maybe they're not familiar with or wouldn't know?

Speaker 3: 9:29

You know I think we've probably covered it Cabo, that is it's. It's really just that um, we're focused on basic hygiene and routine care that every single dog needs. It doesn't matter the breed, the size and um. We're here to to help you and be an advocate for your dog. One of our core values is dog first. So you know, we really take pride in being informative and educational and helping that dog live a longer, happier life, and so I want that to stand out as a real key difference in what people may think of the you know, quote unquote pet grooming industry and what ScentHound is.

Speaker 2: 10:21

Yep Trying to change things and people's perceptions. So how would our listeners go about contacting you if they wanted to learn more? Wanted to bring their dog in?

Speaker 3: 10:30

Yeah, so they can call us at 239-653-7700. We are. We have our website. Scenthound. com forward slash Bonita hyphen Springs is our local landing page, but you can easily find us just at ScentHoundcom as well. We're on Facebook ScentHound Bonita Springs, instagram ScentHound underscore Bonita Springs, and we are in the process of opening up our second location at the shops at Fiddlesticks off Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers. So that will be probably early fall or December at the latest, and we should be launching our website for that location in the next couple of weeks here.

Speaker 2: 11:15

Very good. Congratulations on that. Any last words for our listeners.

Speaker 3: 11:22

Love a clean, healthy dog.

Speaker 2: 11:24

There we go, dan. It's been a pleasure getting to know you. Thank you for being such a good neighbor and I hope to see you out in the community soon. Thanks, jim.

Speaker 1: 11:33

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast Estera. Thanks, jim. Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast Astero. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpestero. com. That's gnpestero. com, or call 239-296-2621. Thank you.