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Few people have spent as much time working in the pet care industry or are as knowledgeable about veterinary services as Kristen Duhr and Matt Bowler. That’s why the pair decided to create Cheap Pricks, which allows pet owners a more efficient way to help their pets stay healthy. The company eliminates the stress of visiting overcrowded vet clinics and even the need to be in a shared space with other pets that might be sick. Now that vet clinics are dealing with more clients in and out on a daily basis, many pet owners are looking for a different way to take care of their pets in the post-pandemic world.
“During the pandemic, families found it a perfect opportunity to bring their first or even a second pet into their homes,” said Bowler. “Unfortunately, veterinary offices are at max capacity and clients can oftentimes take weeks to make an appointment for something basic. If a pet owner can get on their vet’s schedule, they may often wait weeks, sometimes even months, for the most routine services such as vaccines.”
But the company is also a solution for those on a budget who cannot otherwise afford expensive visits, procedures, and medications at their local vet.
“That’s why we’re doing it,” said Duhr. “We want pet owners to save their money, save their time, keep their pets healthy by going to a wellness-only clinic, experience less stress from the minimal wait times, inconsistent service and deal with friendly faces that are not overburdened so your experience is a positive one.”
Cheap Pricks Offers Invaluable Services to Pet Owners
This concept began as a low-cost vaccination clinic after both Duhr and Bowler both had reached their limit for spending so much money on pet care. That’s when they decided to create an affordable and consistent solution for clients and their pets to get basic, necessary vaccinations among other pet care.
The clinic the pair opened offered both honest, wellness-based care for a fraction of the cost of typical vets as well as preventative medicine such as routine testing. “The decision was made to put together clinics that only provided those essential vaccines, so we could cut down on costs, which would help more pet owners have access to the care their pets require,” said Duhr. In doing so, they could minimize the cost of routine visits that so quickly added up for clients — especially those with multiple pets.
The Heartbreaking Reason Cheap Pricks was Created
But Cheap Pricks wasn’t simply the duo’s first pet-centric venture. Both Duhr and Bowler had worked in pet care for more than 10 years. Duhr has been pet-sitting and dog-walking since 2001. Duhr even started a full-service pet care company in Missouri which included daycare, overnight boarding, training, grooming, and more. In 2009, Duhr began caring for Bowler’s pets and by 2011, the pair started their first pet-focused business together, All Critter Care LLC, which was an in-home pet walking service.
But during all of this time, Duhr couldn’t shake the sadness when a pet owner was forced to give up their beloved pet because they could no longer afford the vet care their pet needed. That’s why Duhr created a licensed nonprofit rescue, Home 2 Home Canine Orphanage, in 2014. There, Duhr was able to provide rehabilitation to thousands of dogs across the United States as well as find a new home for abandoned pets. It’s a mission so dear to her, Duhr still operates Home 2 Home Canine Orphanage today.
But with those needs met, the final step was to create Cheap Pricks to provide the affordable wellness clinic so many in the Missouri community needed to properly provide health care and medications to their pets. Ultimately, the hope is that through Cheap Pricks fewer and fewer people will need the services of Home 2 Home Canine Orphanage by being able to provide for and care for their pets. Because Cheap Pricks is able to provide great, essential pet care without charging inflated prices, more pet owners should be able to keep the pets they love so much. There is no doubt that those affected by the care Cheap Pricks provides know just how invaluable the service is.
Kristen Duhr is a pet rescue director who started her own pet sitting business after searching for a pet sitter for her own dog. Since then, Kristen has gone on to create All Critter Care, LLC., Kingdom Canine, Home 2 Home Canine Orphanage, and most recently, Cheap Pricks.
Matt Bowler began his career in IT in 2002 as a Linux system administrator and later as a consultant working for global clients in both the private and public sectors. In 2011, he and Kristen Duhr co-founded Kingdom Canine. In 2014, he retired from consulting to focus full-time on the pet business he and Kristen still operate today.
About Cheap Pricks
Cheap Pricks was co-founded by Matt Bowler and Kristen Duhr, who has been in the pet care business for over a decade. They are opening the first of its kind affordable and basic wellness care clinic for dogs and cats. Click here to get your pet vaccinated: https://cheappricks.com/
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