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The resident of Port Washington, Long Island, N.Y., is expanding his Dan's Dog Walking and Pet Sitting service into Stamford, Darien and Greenwich after successfully building the business in Nassau County, N.Y., for the last six years.
The 27-year-old started out at what is now Loyola University but took some time off, then went to Nassau Community College before transferring to Hofstra University in 2011. Reitman graduated in 2013 with a degree in Entrepreneurship.
During his break from college, he worked at a Long Island animal hospital while also doing some dog walking. After a couple of months, Reitman saw that there was a market niche for his services.
"I realized there was no real professional company that provided services year-round," he said. Reitman moved quickly to create his own company in November 2009, and he said it has grown at least 50 percent each year.
Many dog owners had to accommodate the dog walkers' schedules, and he wanted to turn that around. His walkers take care of dogs at a time convenient for their owners.
Dan's Dog Walking and Pet Sitting sets itself apart by tracking and verifying the visits with a GPS application. It shows clients when and where their dog was walked and provides a summary of each visit along with photos of their pets. The firm also uses GoPro cameras to create custom videos for their clients. It also offers pet-sitting services.
The expansion into Fairfield County will be led by Joseph Calamusa, who joined the company back in 2013 and pitched the the idea of moving into the area.
Reitman's dog walking business led him to develop a tech startup with a former client. That company -- Smartline -- seeks to cut down on waiting times in restaurants.
In addition, he has also started a nonprofit, Hope for Hope, that seeks to aid children in Africa.
"It has been pretty incredible how things have panned out from the dog walking business," he said of his other pursuits.
Reitman said his goal is still to go to veterinary school, but he is enjoying his work for now.
"That is eventually the plan, but I don't know when it is going to happen," he said. "I have no idea where I am going to be in two months, three months, a year. That's the beauty of owning your own business."
For more information, contact, they can be reached at 203-850-7387 or customersupport@danspetcare.com. The website is: http://www.danspetcare.com.
As well, the sites for Hope For Hope and Smartline are: Hope For Hope as well: http://hopeforhope.org and www.smartlineapp.com.
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