Kylie Kim, founder of Sunset Vet Care, talks to Tom Raynel about how the need for at-home services grew during Covid and why customers have reacted better to it. Each Monday, we interview a small business owner, which is now a regular feature of NZME’s editorial campaign , showcasing uplifting stories of success, inspiration and possibilities.
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Small Business: Giving furry family members a final farewell with Sunset Vet Care
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Kylie Kim founded Sunset Vet Care to provide at-home euthanasia services for pets so that families have a comfortable and safe option to farewell their beloved furry family member.
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I always found home visits for euthanasia to be really beautiful because being away from the clinical environment, it’s a bit more comfortable. Everyone’s a bit more relaxed, including the pets themselves.
I lived in the UK for two years and I worked there as well. I did a few home visits over in the UK and I found the whole process really beautiful.
During Covid in New Zealand, there were just so many demands to vet clinics that many of them couldn’t go out anymore because they were just so busy. That’s when I thought maybe I’ll just start this so that families at least have the option to do this in their home at such a stressful time.
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Why is at-home euthanasia care on the rise for pets?
I think the main thing has been raising awareness and letting people know that the option is available, because it’s a very personal thing and quite a horrible thing to go through.
I’ve been in that environment where I’ve seen the public dealing with all of the emotion that comes after the process is done, and also taking pets away from their home to the clinic can be quite stressful as well. Especially cats and elderly dogs, they really don’t like to be outside of their home environment.
Often, I do find that large dogs have mobility issues, so for clients to put a dog in a car when it’s really uncomfortable, then to drive to a clinic, that part can be really, really stressful and traumatic for the clients having to put their pets through that.
What has been the reaction from the vet industry?
People in the vet industry, we all know how much better it is at home. For example, if a colleague’s pet needs to be put down, we would travel to their house and do it for them, so we all know the value of it.
Unfortunately, the reality of running a clinic is that’s not their main focus. The clinics are there to save them, to give vaccines or the surgeries that are required to keep an animal healthy.
For them to remove themselves from the everyday clinic setting, they just won’t be able to provide as much unless they are able to go to a home environment. It’s just not the same with the clinic, and we all know it as well.
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Do you have any plans to expand outside of Auckland?
It’s definitely on the cards because we’d like to offer it to other regions. But finding the right people to carry on the ethos of the business and run it in a different area, that’s the next step I’d like to explore.
It just hasn’t been easy finding someone suitable. Also, I know what the expectations and the demand are like in Auckland, whereas I’m less sure about a different area.
I would love to take it to another place, and maybe that will come in the next year or two.
What would be your advice to a budding entrepreneur wanting to start a business?
Find a need in society that you truly believe in and try to fix that problem or try to alleviate at least some burden in that area. Then make sure that you’re passionate about it.
It’s not like you’re purchasing a business just to make the money. It’s essentially your baby and you want to truly believe in what you’re selling or what you’re providing. Without that, I think it’d be easy to just lose the momentum.
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.