Pet Taxi: Driving for Success

The Pet Taxi simplifies traveling for pets.

DeAnna Andrews has spent more than two decades in pet care, and one of the things she always noticed was that pet parents often had challenges getting their pets to the veterinarian.

It was while working for Big Dog Ranch Rescue, the largest no-kill, cage-free animal shelter in the country, where a big effort was to adopt senior dogs out to senior people, where she really noticed a transportation challenge.

“Watching these dogs go to new families, it was so cumbersome watching people try to lift the dogs into their vehicles,” she said. “All I could think about was what happens next; these dogs need to get to care a lot more often than younger dogs, and these people are aging just as rapidly as the animals. I knew there needed to be an option to get their pets to important pet appointments when they themselves cannot.”

That’s when she came up with the idea to start Pet Taxi, a convenient way for clients in the Chicagoland area to transport their pets to the places they needed to go. The company started in 2012, and an app for the business went live in October of 2019.

Pet Taxi has since expanded to Palm Beach, Florida, and now serves clients throughout the state and the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

In the beginning, the company offered services for veterinary visits, therapy and specialty treatments, airport pickups or drop-offs, and boarding services. More recently, it has focused on just the veterinary visits portion, partnering with local veterinarians in the area to ensure pets are seen when needed most.

“It started as a way to relieve the staff and team members and we still are a support service for the care world,” said Andrews, who serves as president and co-founder of the Pet Taxi. “While we do help pet owners and pets, the back end of things has always been to be there for relief. We saw more of a need for us being a liaison for the pet owner and care team when it comes to medical advice and going through medication instructions when they get home.”

On-call for veterinarians

In 2016, the business implemented a fear-free approach, which created trust with the pets and their owners. This helped the company open up a path to partnering with veterinarian teams and specialists in the community.

“Now, we are on-call with a large neurology group and large cancer group who pay us to help get their clients pre- and post-op to different locations where they offer different types of care,” Andrews said. “That all stems from the idea we can treat pets with respect and get a lot further with a certain handling and communication skill.”

Pet Taxi sells itself to the veterinary world by highlighting how it optimizes the front office, increases revenue, helping veterinary practices get control of their schedules and eliminating last-minute cancellations.

“We want to empower them with this business-focused solution,” Andrews said. “It aids in their efficiency, strengthens their client loyalty and allows them to respond to emergency situations with no cost to them.”

In addition to a driver, a pet chaperone is part of the transport, ensuring the animal is comfortable and recording any problems that may occur. There’s also a dispatcher available to follow along the ride and answer any questions or communicate anything that may happen during the ride.

When the vehicle arrives at an appointment, the chaperone goes in, stays with the pet and learns any important instructions and medical care that is needed so they can pass it on to the owner.

“We take all recordings and all notes, so the owner is able to understand what’s needed for follow-up,” Andrews said. “We are the proxy for the owner. But at the same time, we will have the owner on a FaceTime if they are able so they are also able to hear what’s going on. We record everything for them. We find the follow-up care is even better this way.”

The pet owners are not permitted in the car, though Pet Taxi has been known to help people get to the appointments if necessary by booking them an Uber as well.

Pet Taxi started with just a few personal vehicles that were turned into commercial, but Andrews quickly saw the need for low riding passenger vans, which are more welcoming for pets – especially the larger, older dogs.

“We have four Ford Transit-Connects currently and hope to have another one that will be handicapped accessible, though we do have handy pet ramps available,” Andrews said.

The plan for Pet Taxi is to expand to other locations and Andrews hopes things start to take off in the next few years.

“We are highly recommended or referred because of our processes, so we are hoping to get into the franchise mode,” she said. “We’re looking to spend the next two to three years getting all the legalities together for that.”

Taxi rates

Pet Taxi rides are available 24/7. The rates start at $95 per hour, with an additional charge of $2 per mile and $2 per minute.

Photo caption: Pet Taxi partners with local veterinarians to ensure pets are seen when needed most.