Priscilla's Pampered Pets

Priscilla Casanova

When Priscilla Casanova first met her husband Al in Denver, CO, he enjoyed going to the dog tracks to bet on Greyhound races. But while Al was enjoying the races, Priscilla could only think about what became of the dogs when their racing careers were finished. 

That question, her passion for animals, and a long winding road to Flat Rock ultimately resulted in a new local business: Flat Rock Pets - Personalized Pet Services.

Priscilla grew up in St. Paul, MN and spent many summers visiting her grandparents' farm in South Dakota. From an early age, she learned to enjoy a menagerie of creatures including horses, cows, pigs, and chickens. Those halcyon days on the farm helped create a soft spot in her heart for animals and that compassionate concern bubbled to the surface during her fateful trip to the dog track.

Priscilla found a woman who ran the Greyhound rescue program at the track in Colorado and immediately got involved in the effort to find new homes for dogs no longer wanted for racing. She ultimately was one of the founders of Colorado Greyhound Adoption and worked passionately to help the discarded dogs find new and happier lives. It was both rewarding work and incredibly stressful. “I eventually burned out on the abuse that I witnessed,” she recalls now. “I still wanted to do something with animals, but something that was positive.”

She and Al eventually moved to La Veta, a small town in southern Colorado. She took a job as a pet groomer for the first year. Soon thereafter, she realized that a lot of the locals owned summer homes in and around La Veta and needed someplace to board their dogs and cats as they traveled back and forth. Priscilla was inspired to start her own business and converted an adobe barn on her property into a boarding kennel. She refurbished the building extensively and created something of a pet spa for her four-legged clients. “It was a bed and breakfast for cats and dogs,” she explains. “Each kennel area had a lodgepole bed with Mexican blankets and pillows. We had TV sets that would play pet shows and a huge fenced area for the dogs to run and play.”

As is so often the case for people passionate about their work, Priscilla totally immersed herself in the endeavor. After nine years, however, the commitment took its toll. “I was available and working pretty much 24/7 for all those years. Physically I was just burned out.”

At the same time, Priscilla and Al had wearied of the long and very cold winters in the high mountains of Colorado. They set out in search of a warmer place to call home and migrated to Savannah, GA on the advice of a friend who described it as the most beautiful city on the East Coast.  Savannah was indeed a beautiful place, but ultimately the sultry sweaty summers in Savannah proved to be more than the couple bargained for. It was time to find their next home.

As is so often the case for people looking to relocate to North Carolina, Asheville was their first inclination. And, as is also so often the case, Priscilla and Al realized that Henderson County offered some financial advantages relative to Asheville and had many charms of its own. The couple ultimately found their home in Flat Rock and purchased a house on Little River Road. 

What does Priscilla think of Flat Rock? The answer has the ring of a Goldilocks tale. Colorado was too cold. Savannah was too hot. And Flat Rock was just right.  “I love it. I think we are in paradise,” she says with the happy smile of someone fortunate enough to live in the area. “We found the best place!”  

After a hiatus from animals during their time in Georgia, Priscilla was once again ready to start a new pet business. She took classes at the Small Business Center at Blue Ridge Community College designed to help prospective business owners figure out the best way to convert their entrepreneurial dreams into reality.  

Armed with her new business idea - dog walking and pet sitting - Priscilla opened Flat Rock Pets - Personalized Pet Services in February of 2020. As fate would have it, she launched her business right into the teeth of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.  Although disappointing in many ways, the challenging first year did afford Priscilla more time to continue to refine her business model. And it did not stop her from marketing her enterprise. “I literally knocked on doors to promote the business. My neighbor laughed that I would hand out my business card to anybody that would talk to me. But I met a lot of people and got started that way.”

Part of Priscilla’s marketing plan was adopting three miles of Little River Road for periodic trash pick up.  The community service project is another opportunity for her and Al to be outdoors and she enjoys contributing something positive to her new home. What odd things have they picked up?  “So far we’ve found a woman’s bra, a lampshade, and tons of small whiskey bottles!” 

As the threat and limitations of the pandemic have receded, Priscilla’s client roll has grown. Her business description lists pet sitting, dog walking, and a pet taxi for residents of Flat Rock, Laurel Park, and southern Henderson County. Occasionally, she will stay overnight with pets if the owners are traveling out of town.  Her many years as a kennel owner hold her in good stead and she feels ready for almost any situation an owner - or pet - can throw her way. “My service is for people who prefer that their animals stay in the home and not have their routine disturbed.”

She has a number of people who hire her to look in on their pets during the workday. And she has been surprised at the number of cats that have become clients. “I honestly thought I would be doing mostly dog walking,” she says. “But over 50% of my clients are cats.”

As the fledgling business continues to grow, Priscilla sincerely appreciates the time with her pet clients. Especially the ones that make her laugh. “I really enjoy some of their quirks and knowing that they are happy I’m around.”  True to their reputations, her dogs can be rambunctious and some of the cats are truly enigmatic. “I care for two cats that I NEVER see,” she says with a laugh. “So I sit on the couch and read and call out their names so they know I’m around.”  

Although she’s been in Flat Rock for a relatively short time, Priscilla Casanova is already having a positive impact in Flat Rock. With her help, the animals are happier and our roads are cleaner.  Fortunately for all of us, the Village is not too hot and not too cold. Flat Rock, as it turns out, is just the right place for a woman with a passion for animals and a strong entrepreneurial spirit.

(Learn more about Flat Rock Pets here)