Metuchen Pet Club

gives pet owners ‘peace of mind’ with TLC in pet care

Families who employ Metuchen Pet Club’s professional pet care services know their pets will receive the “tender, loving, care” they always receive in the comfort of their homes.

Metuchen Pet Club cares for dogs, cats, bunnies, hamsters, and other small animals, servicing families in Metuchen, Edison, and portions of surrounding New Jersey towns.

Growing up in Gravesend, Brooklyn N.Y., Nicole Blankiet’s family always had pets in their home. Cats, dogs, parakeets, fish, gerbils – you name it.

At the age of 16, after consistent requests, she was gifted her first dog, a pit bull beagle mix.

So, that tight-knit family feel she fondly remembers is exactly what Blankiet had in mind when she set up her Metuchen Pet Club LLC in October 2018. It was a year after leaving the corporate world to pursue her love of caring for animals.

“After almost 30 years in the call center and customer service management industry, I needed to try something more, something from my heart. Because of my life-long passion for animals, I decided to start with pet sitting in the neighborhood,” Blankiet recently explained.

She contracted as a pet sitter for a year to make sure this was the path she wanted to take. Blankiet set up her business in 2018, however, due to the sudden illness and death of her father, she kept her business small so she could care for him at the time.

In March 2019, she began to advertise and get her name out through social media, and word-of-mouth spread quickly; among pet owners and their pets. “The business started to grow,” she said.

Around the same time, Blankiet moved to a pet-friendly residence and adopted Calli her plott hound/pit bull, who quickly became Metuchen Pet Club’s mascot. Then in December 2021, she added to the family by adopting Luca, a six-year-old beagle.

While other pet-related businesses may only offer limited services, Blankiet’s approach to pet care is extremely comprehensive. In fact, the motto is “the kind of care your pets deserve,” and the same level of love and care that the pet owner would provide. Metuchen Pet Club, which is fully insured and bonded, provides a variety of services including pet sitting, dog walking, pet taxi to the veterinarian, grooming appointments, light house-sitting, and more. “We are here to make your life easier and brighten your pet’s day,” says Blankiet. “We provide peace of mind so you can go to work and travel with the comfort that your pets are being well cared for and loved.”

The visits are tailored to meet all of a pet’s needs, so the pet does not miss any sched-

please see PETS, page 17 08840

uled feeding, potty breaks, medication, playtime, and companionship. “We offer loving pet care – including feeding, cuddles, playtime, and more – when you are not there. Your trust, security, and the well-being of your pets and home are of the utmost importance to the Metuchen Pet Club.” The animals in her care include dogs, cats, bunnies, chickens, other small animals, and even a pig and a bearded dragon. In fact, she recently took the pet pig to the vet.

“It is the kind of care your pet deserves. When I go to a client’s house, I am there to offer the kind of care that the client would provide for his or her own pet,” Blankiet explained. “We become an extension of the family. One client’s young children started calling me ‘Aunt Nicole’ and I was so honored. I watched them grow from infancy. They saw me almost daily when I came to walk the dogs.”

She admits that she misses the pets in her care when she doesn’t see them for a while. “I know their quirks, fears, what upsets them, and what makes them happy. This is not just a job where you show up and throw some food down and change the litter box. I am providing peace of mind.”

She also said it is important to communicate with her clients. She shares a phone app that provides visit reports photos, and GPS maps showing where they walked. “Our clients love our phone app, especially those on vacation for extended trips.”

All of this is crystal clear to new and longtime clients, which can be seen in the many positive testimonials on the Metuchen Pet Club website.

“We couldn’t be happier with Nicole; she

PETS continued from page 16 gives us peace of mind. We have three ‘senior’ rescue dogs, each with her own set of issues,” said longtime happy client Lorraine LeSter, of Metuchen. Before Nicole, our youngest dog, Kassidy, would hide, bark, and shake when anyone came over while we were out because she is very leery of strangers. But Nicole won all of them over so quickly. They love her. Without Nicole, we could not leave the house for any extended periods of time. I have recommended her to everyone I know who has pets, and each of them has thanked me.” Not only is Nicole devoted to her human and furry clients, but she has also shown them her resilience and devotion, especially during the pandemic. She was getting ready to hire employees and further ramp up the business in March 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions and isolation took place. She lost 90% or business overnight. Metuchen Pet Club took all COVID-19 precautions needed,

anyone came over while we were out because she is very leery of strangers. But Nicole won all of them over so quickly. They love her.

please see PETS, page 19

PHOTOS BY JAMIE GIAMBRONE Nicole Blankiet offers “the kind of care your pet deserves” through her business Metuchen Pet Club.

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