Pet Care Tops the Agenda at DTails

Dawn Chin understands customer service.

After 15 years of pitching pills and patiently following up with clients on behalf of a successful pharmaceutical company, she was ready to apply her business skills to something else – something, perhaps, a little closer to her heart.

“I’ve always owned dogs—since I was a little girl,” Chin, 40, told me when I recently stopped by her new full-service pet boutique, DTails, located at 482 Columbus, formerly . After an eight month planning and preparation process, the store will see a soft open this Friday, July 1 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“I was getting tired of corporate and, having loved dogs all my life, this just seemed like a natural idea," Chin said. "I lost my Jack Russell Terrier a year ago… the older I get, the more I seem to be getting into having rescue dogs.”

Wandering the small shop is Daisy (a Chihuahua/Pug mix) and Pogo (a Chihuahua/Min-Pin mix).. Both animals came from the same kill shelter in Arkansas.

Prior to her career in pharmaceuticals, Chin managed a sports bar – yet another customer service challenge. She says her job choices have always been about trying to find an environment that allows her a certain amount of human interaction.

“I love people – I’m a classic ‘people' person. If I’m not socializing, I’m not happy,” she said, noting that because South End residents tend to be passionate about loving their pets, “right away we have something in common.”

Chin's looking forward to hard, honest work, being her own boss and making her own decisions. But she’s even more excited about her fancy new animal tub, installed just a few hours before I stopped by. The boutique will eventually offer a grooming services.

She’s also got a shiny new glass-door refrigerator to house several lines of raw pet food, including Primal and Stella & Chewy.

“I’d hesitated about stocking the raw food when I was originally sketching out my business plan, but then I attended a pet convention in Atlantic City and my eyes were opened to how much it’s catching on," she said.

Chin will also be stocking plenty of organic and grain free foods, treats, toys, grooming options and more… she’s got a trick or two up her sleeve that will likely attract her own client base despite other boutiques in the area. Down the line she’s interesting in forming alliances with shelters and hospitals to help improve the quality of life for homeless animals.

“In general, I feel that customer service is huge – and for whatever reason, there’s just not enough of it,” she said. “I want people to have a really warm experience when they come in here… but I’ll probably end up learning all the dogs’ names first.”