Resident Fulfills Dream and Supports Dogs in the Community

For the past decade of her life, resident, Danielle Logan, has been immersed in the field of education, most recently employed as the vice principal and assistant program director of East Boston Head Start and Children’s Services. While Logan was dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children and families, she recently learned that she had another passion flourishing inside her. Having always loved animals, Logan rekindled her connection to pets and decided to give up her nine to five job to follow a longtime dream of walking and boarding dogs. After a friend and fellow business owner encouraged her to “jump” and chase her dream, Logan launched “Just Like Home,” a pet sitting and walking business designed to make the family pet feel like they are amongst family members even when they are far away.

Logan’s desire to transition careers stemmed from more than just a love of dogs, and she made the leap so she could spend more time with her family after a particularly scary medical diagnosis. In May of 2017, Logan discovered that she had a melanoma tumor on her forehead, which would require a major surgery resulting in 26 stitches. When the impending medical procedure naturally brought on a lot of stress, Logan started walking a neighbor’s dog to clear her mind, which is when the idea sparked and clicked into place.

“I wanted to be more present and mindful of every moment, and I wanted to do something that was meaningful to me,” said Logan. “It was a huge decision to leave my job, but with the support of family and the community, it was attainable.”

Just Like Home is a dog walking and pet sitting service that offers another option for boarding. Instead of going to a boarding facility with several other dogs, it offers one-on-one sitting in a home environment.

“We like to pride ourselves with it being a vacation for your dog while you are away on vacation as well. I wanted to give dogs an opportunity to be boarded in a home environment. It’s not for everybody but it speaks to a lot of people. If you are going away, you want your dog to be comfortable and around a family.”

Logan does not run the business on her own and she has the help of her husband, Steve and two children Lilah (6) and Tommy (3), making it a family team. On average the team walks eight to nine individual dogs a day and boards two to three dogs a week.

“The kids love it and it has made their relationship with animals so much stronger,” said Logan, who has seen her own health improve drastically since the change of jobs. “It’s taught the kids how to be kind, intentional and gentle. I don’t miss the nine to five at all, it’s nice to be around my family more and be able to support the dogs and families in the community.”

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