This December will mark eight years since Paws Republic Centre for Pets opened their doors in Martensville. Recently undergoing a re-branding, Paws Republic has seen much growth throughout their time in the community.
For owner/operator Kristine O’Brien, Paws Republic is a dream come true. From a young age, O’Brien had a passion for both people and animals alike and as she grew, the idea of opening a boarding and training centre became more and more of a focus. “I wanted a place where people could leave their pets knowing that they were comfortable and safe, but also a place people could use a resource and feel welcome themselves. The goal has always been to make lives better for people and their pets,” O’Brien said.
After moving to Martensville with her husband, the community quickly became home and seemed like the perfect place to open up shop. Since that day, Paws Republic has seen much growth and offers a wide variety of services to the area with options such as; boarding, training, grooming, daycare, a small retail area and more. Details on the available services can be found online at www.pawsrepublic.ca. Additionally, Paws Republic is available as a safe place for stray animals, or animals at large can be taken that are found within the community.
Training services are provided in a broad range from puppy training, all the way to seniors. Classes such as socializing, obedience, confidence building and more are offered; however, with COVID-19 a reality in our day to day lives, many of these options are now being offered virtually or in a one-on-one set-up.
“We just had a rebranding, and with that, and with the unknowns in the world due to COVID-19, we thought it would be a good time to come out with a fresh look, not just for the business, but also for our training as well. We have officially branded ourselves as adaptive trainers, which means we are not set in any one way or style of training. We want to work with our clients and their pets to be able to adapt to their needs, their style, their comfort level and have it be a really positive experience for them,” O’Brien explained.
Constantly looking for new options to provide to their clients was the driving force behind bringing a new activity not only to Martensville, but to Canada. As the first club in Canada to offer GRC Dog Sports, O’Brien is pleased with how successful the program has been. “GRC is based out of the idea that we need something for dogs that aren’t necessarily good at agility, or not great with other dogs and therefore can’t go to the dog park. These dogs still need an outlet in order to be biologically fulfilled and that’s what GRC provides.” To learn more about GRC Dog Sports, visit www.pawsrepublic.ca.
As options began expanding, so did the need for additional space. Since opening, Paws Republic has been located at Bay 6 – 323 Centennial Drive South; and has been using a temporary secondary satellite location on Centennial Drive North. Next month, the secondary location that will be used for training purposes will be moving to a location on 9th Avenue. The new building will provide more space, which will allow for two classes and more opportunities for training.
This October, Paws Republic was awarded as the winner of the Community Involvement category at the annual Warman, Martensville & Region Business Excellence Awards. “Hearing our name announced really solidified for us that people are happy with what we are doing here. It was a really humbling experience and we are so grateful for all of the support from the community,” stated O’Brien.
On Tuesday, November 24th, Paws Republic announced their newest initiative – ‘Adopt a Pet Family’. “This time of year is often stressful for people, and especially this year, so we wanted to come up with an idea to help support them during this time. Through this, we hope to alleviate some of that stress.” Through this, people can nominate pet families in need, provide donations or unopened/unused items, or provide a monetary donation that will be used to purchase items to be included in a hamper for the selected family/families. More information, and the nomination form can be found at www.pawsrepublic.ca/adoptapetfamily. The deadline for nominations is December 21 and items will be delivered prior to December 25. “We just want to help spread a little joy and offer a little something to someone in need.”
For more information on Paws Republic Centre for Pets, visit www.pawsrepublic.ca, call (306) 934-7297 or visit them on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.
