Our Story

I started Animal Friends Pet Care in 2013 because I loved animals and I believed I could take care of them better than anyone else in this town. For five years, I poured everything I had into building this place. I learned grooming from the ground up. I built boarding suites with my own hands. I answered every phone call, cleaned every kennel, and knew every single pet by name.

By October 2018, we were doing well. We had a growing list of loyal clients who trusted us with their dogs and cats. Business was steady. Life was good.

And then Hurricane Michael came.

Seventy-three. Dogs of every size. Cats. Animals that belonged to families who trusted me to keep them safe while they went to work, went on vacation, or prepared for what the news was calling a tropical storm. Nobody expected what was about to happen.

Hurricane Michael hit Panama City on October 10th, 2018, as a Category 5 hurricane — one of the most powerful storms to ever make landfall in the United States. Wind speeds exceeded 160 miles per hour. The eye passed directly over Bay County. In a matter of hours, our entire city was unrecognizable.

Power went out. Water went out. Cell towers were down. Trees fell across every road. The streets were filled with twisted metal, shattered glass, and nails — so many nails from destroyed buildings that you couldn't drive a mile without blowing a tire. Panama City didn't just lose power for a few days. We lost power, water, and utilities for three to four months.

There was no calling for help. There was no driving to a store. For weeks, it felt like the end of the world.

And I had 73 animals counting on me.

So I did what any person who actually loves animals would do. I stayed. I didn't evacuate. I didn't leave. I slept at the facility. I rationed water. I figured out how to feed and care for 73 pets with no electricity, no running water, and no idea when help would come.

In the days and weeks that followed, clients started reaching out — the ones who could. But here's the part that still stays with me: only 9 of those clients came back to pick up their pets.

Nine out of seventy-three.

The rest had evacuated. Many of their homes were destroyed. Some had lost everything. Some moved out of state entirely. They physically could not come get their animals. I don't blame a single one of them. That storm took everything from a lot of people.

So for weeks, I cared for dozens of pets whose owners couldn't return. I fed them. I walked them. I made sure they felt safe in a world that had fallen apart outside our walls. And when the time came, I called a nearby rescue organization and made sure that every single unclaimed pet found a forever home. Every one.

That experience broke something in me and rebuilt it stronger.

I made a promise to myself: I will never be caught unprepared again.

After the storm, I invested over $120,000 into making Animal Friends Pet Care the most storm-ready pet care facility in the Florida Panhandle — maybe in the entire state. Here's what I built:

$106K
A complete solar power system with three battery banks. Our facility can run for 48 hours with zero sunlight and zero grid power. Lights, climate control, water pumps — everything stays on. If the grid goes down, you won't know it by looking at our building.

A private deep well with water purification. We never depend on city water. Even if the municipal system fails for months — like it did in 2018 — our pets have clean, fresh water. Always.

A commercial agility park with real equipment — not a patch of grass with a plastic tunnel. A proper space where dogs can exercise, play, and thrive even when the world outside is recovering.

A brand-new Ram ProMaster transport van — so we can pick up and return pets safely, including during emergency situations. Door-to-door service. GPS tracked. Wheelchair-accessible ramp for clients with mobility needs.

That's not marketing. That's not a tagline. That's a promise from someone who lived through the worst day of his professional life and decided to spend six figures making sure it never happens like that again.

I tell you this story not for sympathy. I tell you because I want you to understand something about who we are: Animal Friends Pet Care is not a business that was built on a business plan. It was built on a promise. A promise that your pet will be safe, cared for, and loved — no matter what.

We've been open since 2013. We have 4.9 stars across 574 reviews. We have over 30 FurPlan members who trust us with their pets every single month. And every single decision I make — every dollar I invest, every person I hire, every piece of equipment I buy — comes back to the same question: Is this the best I can do for the animals in my care?

Thank you for trusting us with your pets. It's an honor I don't take lightly.