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Change is Good for Snaggle Foot

HOUSTON, April 17, 2009 — Out with Waggin’ Tailz. In with Snaggle Foot. A growing pain that thrills Karen Cockrill.

Little did the pet care entrepreneur know that her one-man show would grow almost as fast as a puppy does. But after the founding of Waggin’ Tailz in 2006 as just a local enterprise in League City, Texas, demand rapidly outweighed supply as Cockrill received pet sitting requests outside of her service area. In 2008 she began offering franchises nationwide, and Waggin’ Tailz swiftly started growing into a big dog. Up went two additional shops in Houston, one each in New Hampshire, Alabama, and California, and inquiries streamed in from several other states. Then came a fence.

The company’s due diligence in researching data of potential franchise locations includes searching county databases for pet care companies with similar sounding names. Cockrill came upon several that were too close for comfort to Waggin’ Tailz. To strengthen the company’s presence through a unique brand image, she needed a new identity for her labor of love. After scouring the country’s lists of pet industry businesses, she was free to go back to her childhood. The new name pays homage to her brother’s Beagle, Dixie, a mischievous hound whose wayward ways led to the term of endearment, Snaggle Foot.

“Finding a new name was a good problem to have,” says Cockrill. “This is a positive change that clears the way for the company to continue to expand across the country. We offer a unique service, and our franchisees deserve to have a unique name to set them apart.”

Cockrill will navigate the transition from April through July, during which time franchisees will enjoy double exposure as http://snagglefoot.com and http://www.waggintailz.com operate in tandem. The company will retain its logo and color scheme, and will continue to nurture the stellar service that has gotten it so far so fast.

The innovative menu of services includes field trips, a pet taxi, and 24-hour on-site care that has encompassed not just dogs and cats, but also iguanas, a sugar glider, rodents, rabbits and horses. Snaggle Foot has truly thought of everything. Clients use a scheduling system to manage their visits and pay their bill. And they find peace of mind in the company holding accounts with emergency vet clinics, being fully bonded and insured, and requiring anyone who works with it to pass a drug screen, a background check, and complete its training program.

Cockrill says franchisees will be free to operate under the former name indefinitely, but will most likely switch before fall in order to capitalize on making their mark in their marketplace. She will retain the Waggin’ Tailz domain name, and an alias will escort its visitors to http://snagglefoot.com, which launches April 23 and will feature news links and the blog, “The Daily Snaggle.”

 

The Daily Snaggle Blog