Editor’s note: Building the Valley tells stories of businesses big and small and the employees who make them special. If you know of any standout employees, bosses or companies with a great story to tell, contact reporter Madasyn Czebiniak at mczebiniak@tribweb.com.

Years spent working in the pet food industry forced Jennifer DeSalvo to travel a lot, sometimes up to five days at a time.

While traveling, she had to board her dog Brody, a greyhound-Labrador mix.

DeSalvo wanted a place where Brody could play, make friends and be pampered. But no place was ever good enough for the neurotic dog mom.

So she built one.

“I was missing a sense of fulfillment and took the plunge,” DeSalvo said.

DeSalvo opened the Pittsburgh Paws Pet Resort in Sewickley in 2014 and modeled it off what she thought her own dog would want. Three years later, DeSalvo opened a second location in Fawn to help her clients and attract more business. A Buffalo Township native, DeSalvo said many of her clients would drive all the way to Sewickley to board their dogs.

The resorts offer doggy day care and boarding for dogs and cats.

The day care allows dogs to be outside all day and play, socializing with other dogs and staffers. The dogs return to their kennels — DeSalvo and her staff call them suites — to eat and sleep.

“It’s a fun experience because they’re meeting and they’re socializing with other dogs of similar size and temperament,” DeSalvo said. “They’re able to do whatever they want.”

DeSalvo and her staff treat the animals like family. They are always watching them, even when they close up for the night. A security and video surveillance system allows DeSalvo to see what’s going on from her house or phone.

“You’re very attached to these dogs,” DeSalvo said. “I’m always worrying about what’s going on at each of my locations. I do have a wonderful staff in place at both places so it makes things a little bit easier.”

The staff in Fawn, in particular, became enamored with a chocolate Lab named Roxy whose owner recently moved to Texas. She came to the pet resort three days a week for about a year and a half.

When Roxy left, the staff cried.

“Every person that works here, they understand that coming into this we treat these dogs like family,” DeSalvo said. “It’s tough. They’re your babies. They’re our babies when they’re here.”

The two locations follow the same policies and procedures but are different in terms of setting and space. The Sewickley resort is located on Route 65, which means there’s always a lot of traffic from vehicles and trains. The Fawn facility is larger and out in the country, so it’s able to offer more amenities.

The Fawn resort boasts more than 4 acres of space, indoor and outdoor play areas, kennels and a self-serve dog wash. The property also came with a house, where her sister and the resort’s manager, Marisa Booker, lives. The house is only a Frisbee throw away from the resort.

“It’s nice being available whenever my employees need me,” Booker said.

In Fawn, there are a lot of large dogs like German shepherds and Labrador retrievers, as well as a healthy amount of ’doodles. The Sewickley location gets its fair share of ’doodles, too, plus a lot more little dogs.

“Sewickley is a town. It’s a village,” DeSalvo said. “Here there’s a lot more land and farm space and room to run.”

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