What began as a personal interest for Tom Bacon has grown into a fullservice dog boarding business serving pet owners in Pilot Point.
Fetch Pet Hotel, which opened in 2021, is now undergoing an expansion to increase capacity and accommodate rising demand.
“It's really a passion project that's formed out of our love of animals,” Bacon said. “It's very rewarding. The biggest reward is just to love the dogs.”
Bacon, who has a background in marketing, and his wife, Shannon, a longtime horse trainer, relocated from Portland, Oregon, to Pilot Point in 2021.
Their move was driven by career opportunities in the equestrian industry, but it also opened the door for a new venture.
“I’m a lifelong animallover, dogs especially,” Bacon said. “We'd been talking about this in Oregon a little bit before we came down here. There was a kennel that became available, and it kind of got us interested in wanting to do something different.”
Fetch Pet Hotel opened its doors on May 1, 2021.
From the beginning, the facility was designed with one priority in mind—providing a safe, clean and enjoyable environment for dogs.
Despite opening during the uncertainty of the COVID- 19 pandemic, Fetch Pet Hotel began gaining traction slowly. Now, the business regularly operates at full capacity.
Fetch Pet Hotel follows three core values: treat every dog like family, no dog goes hungry and keep the facility odor-free.
With all-inclusive pricing, large private suites, and daily photo and video updates, the hotel offers a clean, comfortable and transparent experience for dogs while their owners are away.
The expansion, underway on the existing property in Pilot Point, will allow the business to increase its boarding capacity.
The upgraded space includes additional boarding suites and outdoor play areas.
The new space will also provide more flexibility to accommodate last-minute and emergency boarding requests.
“How it’s worked out, we don’t have a big waiting list—one or two versus 20 or 25 before,” Bacon said. “The new configurations give us a lot more flexibility in getting people in.”
Other features of the expansion include several TVs for “doggy TV,” a full wash station and even a turntable to play music for the dogs. The project is expected to be fully completed by mid-June.
The attentiveness and home-like atmosphere of the facility is evident through the customer reviews.
One customer, Daniel Matlack, put it simply.
“There's nobody that takes better care of my pet when I'm gone and gives me a sense of security that she's being well taken care of,” Matlack wrote.
The feedback speaks for itself—but for Bacon, the work is part of something bigger than business.
“We all need to find little moments of joy every day when we can,” Bacon said. “I think we kind of try to deliver that to our guests, to our humans. We're going to keep doing that. Got to make the world a little bit better, a little bit happier, add a few more smiles. That's our part. We're always going to be positive.”
For more information on pricing, booking, services and contact information, visit the Fetch Pet Hotel website at fetchpethotel.
com.
Tom Bacon takes a selfie with a dog staying at Fetch Pet Hotel. Photo Courtesy of Tom Bacon
