683: AI Roundtable for The Pet Care Industry

What role should AI play in running our business? In this roundtable, Michelle Kline, Daniel Reitman, and Doug Keeling explore the growing role of artificial intelligence in the pet care industry. They discuss practical use cases like data analysis, client support, route optimization, SOP creation, and marketing, while also wrestling with real concerns around environmental impact, ethics, authenticity, and changing job markets. The conversation keeps returning to one central idea: AI should not replace human care, but it can free business owners to spend more time on the parts of the job that matter most. This episode is a nuanced, honest look at how pet care businesses can engage AI without losing their values, relationships, or humanity.

Main topics:

• AI use in operations
• Ethics and environmental concerns
• Saving time through automation
• AI and client experience
• Future of pet care

Main takeaway:

"AI should never make care decisions about a living animal. It should never replace a physical caregiver. It should supplement what we do."

AI can help us analyze data, improve systems, and buy back time, but it should never replace the human judgment, presence, and compassion that define great pet care. The real opportunity is not to become more robotic in how we run our businesses. It is to become more human by removing some of the busywork that pulls us away from pets, clients, and team members. This episode is a thoughtful discussion about how to use new tools without losing the heart of what we do.

About our guests:

Michelle K. is the founder of Dog Co Launch, where she helps pet care business owners build stronger systems, scale sustainably, and think more strategically about growth. She brings a coaching perspective to this conversation, especially around operations, data, and the ethical limits of AI in service-based businesses. Michelle is deeply focused on helping businesses adapt without losing the human relationships that make their work meaningful.

Daniel Reitman is the owner of Dan's Pet Care and is known for asking hard questions and pushing the industry to think bigger about operations, technology, and standards of care. He is an early adopter of AI tools and has been exploring how they can support data analysis, staff communication, customer experience, and business scalability. Daniel brings both enthusiasm and urgency to conversations about how quickly this technology is changing the landscape.

Doug Keeling is the founder of Bad to the Bone Pet Care and a respected voice in pet care hiring, leadership, and business development. Though he describes himself as a later adopter of AI, Doug has found meaningful ways to use it for SOPs, training, data analysis, and administrative efficiency. He brings a grounded, thoughtful perspective to the conversation, especially around environmental impact and using AI in ways that create more time for relationships and community care.

Links:

Michelle Kline (DogCo Launch)

• Dog Co Secrets PodcastListen on Apple Podcasts

• Grow Your Daily Dog Walking Business with Dog Co Launch

Doug Keeling (Doug the Dog Guy)

• YouTube Doug the Dog Guy YouTube channel example video

• Instagram @dougthedogguyofficial

Daniel Reitman

• FacebookDaniel Reitman Facebook page

• Instagram@danielreitman

• LinkedInDaniel Reitman LinkedIn profile

AI Tools Mentioned

• ChatGPT (OpenAI) https://chatgpt.com

• Claude (Anthropic) https://claude.ai

• Gemini (Google) https://gemini.google.com

• Elicit (AI research tool)Elicit official site

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Full show notes and transcript

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Pet Sitter Confessional, its hosts, or sponsors. We interview individuals based on their experience and expertise within the pet care industry. Any statements made outside of this platform, or unrelated to the topic discussed, are solely the responsibility of the guest.

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