When it comes to pursuing a passion, many people stop short. But Amanda George and Lalka Morales gave up successful careers in New York City to pursue their passion for animals by becoming dog walkers in Tampa, Florida.

“It was all just this perfect storm of events,” Amanda said. “We didn’t know if it was going to last a week or if we would make a dollar, and now it’s five years later and look where we are.”

They took the leap to move to Tampa and start SoHo Hound, a pet concierge service, in 2013 and just celebrated the fifth anniversary of the business. There’s been a lot of hard work to put in over those five years, but Amanda and Lalka are proud of what they’ve built. They now have more than 250 clients in a five mile radius in South Tampa, and they have 17 employees to help them meet the demand.

Now each day looks different for Amanda and Lalka, and they can set their own schedules, a welcome change after years of working long hours at corporate jobs in New York City. Having each other to count on makes bearing the load of a growing business much easier.

“Our interests are the same in that we both love animals,” Lalka said. “When you can build on that foundation, the rest is easy. We just divide and conquer. We are blessed every day to know that we have each other to lean on.”

As if serving pet owners throughout South Tampa wasn’t enough, Amanda and Lalka also choose to give back to the Tampa Bay Humane Society to further a cause close to their hearts, adopting rescue animals. Both ladies have rescue animals of their own, so they spread the word about the impact of adopting rescue animals whenever they can. They also donate their services for raffles at humane society events and facilitate food and toy donation drives for the human society with their clients.

“We just like to promote rescuing because it’s something people don’t understand the impact of until they set foot in a shelter,” Amanda said. “There are so many homeless pets, and supporting them is a platform we stand by.”

Whether it’s caring for a precious pet in a South Tampa home or one who hasn’t yet found a home, Amanda and Lalka are making a big impact on the animal community. Interested in enlisting their help with your furry friend? Visit their website to learn more at mysohohound.com.

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