Husband-wife team finds calling with ‘bed & bark-fest’

Darlene and Tom Sawyer relax at home in Old Bridge with a few of their canine tenants. JEFF GRANIT staff OLD BRIDGE — While talking with Darlene Sawyer, there are frequent, sometimes loud, interruptions.

The distractions might be unwelcome if they did not come in the form of playful, fluffy canines.

Darlene, who runs Aunt Darlene’s Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Service, cares for dogs with all different personalities, some more demanding of attention than others. She handles them all with the ease of an expert, throwing a toy or massaging an ear mid-sentence. Darlene and her husband, Tom, have shared their mother-daughter home with hundreds of dogs since she started the business in 2003.

While listing the animals she has pet-sat, which include dogs, cats, birds, chinchillas, rabbits and even goats, one of the boarding dogs does its “business” beneath her feet. Without missing a beat, Darlene grabs some paper towels and asks Tom to spray the floor. The mess is cleaned in a minute.

“If you got upset about this, you wouldn’t be in the business,” she said with a laugh.

The business may not be for everyone, but it is perfect for a dog lover like Darlene. Inheriting her love for animals from her father, she said she always wanted to work with animals professionally. She even briefly thought about applying to the Bronx Zoo, just to work with animals in some way.

Instead, for 18 years she worked as a legal secretary to pay the bills until a friend suggested Darlene help her run a pet-sitting business. The friend left the business the next year after finishing school, but Sawyer kept with it. She had found her calling.

And, to his surprise, so did Tom.

Like many in this troubled economy, Tom was laid off from his job in information technology in 2008 and was left to scramble for a new position. He had always helped his wife with the business website, as well as looked after the boarding dogs at their home, but he began to take on more and more responsibility as time went on and no job offers came. Now he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“What I thought was a disaster turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “I always loved animals, but I didn’t realize how much.”

A few weeks ago, Tom was offered a job. He said he met with the employers but immediately regretted it. He quit after one day .“He missed it, and I missed him,” Darlene said.

The two recognize that not every couple would be able to work together, partnering in both private and professional lives, but Darlene said it works for them. The couple met 17 years ago when Darlene called for computer service at a law firm in South Plainfield. Tom remembers the exact date and time: July 28, 1994, at 10 a.m. They went out for drinks that night and married eight years later.

Their relationship success has been paired with their business success. Since they started their cage-free boarding service, which they call their “Bed and Bark- Fest,” they have housed over 200 dogs and added two guest homes — one in Old Bridge and another in Hazlet. With business booming, they hope to expand further, but slowly.

“The biggest complaint from people who work for competitors is that they have so many boarding homes that they never get any dogs,” Tom said. “As time goes on, we want to add two to four homes per year, but as demand allows.

When a client signs up a dog for board- ing, Darlene records the essentials, like vaccination certifications, food preferences and veterinarian contact information, but she said she also digs deeper, noting if the pet is scared of thunder or if it is all right to touch its paws. Darlene, who is also certified in pet CPR and first aid, said she is well versed in dog psychology, which considers body language and calming techniques.

When asked what sets her business apart from the many that come and go so quickly, Darlene said it comes down to dedication and love.

“You have to be available seven days a week at any time,” she said. “For us, it’s not about the money. It’s all about the dogs.”