Dogs Helping Dogs

 
The next time Spike is in need of a spa day, he won’t have to go very far now that three alumni have opened a dog care facility in Kirksville.
 
After graduating from Truman in 2021 with a degree in accounting, Kirksville native Austin Sykes knew he wanted to start a business in his hometown.
 
“I did a lot of market research and talked to the community about some good business ideas for this area,” Sykes said. “After some research, I found out that Kirkville has limited options in the city limits for dog care services.”
 
That need for services lined up with Sykes’ interests. He had numerous dog-sitting jobs in high school and college. His grandmother raised dogs, and Sykes spent countless hours helping to socialize the puppies. Just as he helped his grandmother with her business, as Sykes’ idea came into focus, he also found family support to get it off the ground.
 
“I spoke with my wife and mother, and they both thought this would be a great idea,” he said. “They both decided to be partners in the business with me.”
 
Like Austin, his wife, Martha (Glastetter) Sykes (’21, ’22), and mother, Pam (Flynn) Sykes (’96), both earned degrees in accounting from the University. Martha also received a master’s degree in accounting and picked up her CPA license in 2022. A native of Washington, Missouri, she works full-time for a local accounting firm, in addition to providing her expertise to the family business. Pam worked for several years as a private accountant. Now in retirement, she helps Austin with the day-to-day responsibilities of business.
 
“I am excited to be a part of this family business,” Pam said. “Being able to meet all of the incredible dogs is great, but being able to achieve this dream with my son and daughter-in-law is truly amazing.”
 
In 2024, the trio opened Begging to Stay. In addition to boarding, the business offers grooming services and dog day care. Located on Illinois Street, the facility includes a 6,000 square foot building, 5,500 square feet of turf and four large play areas.
 
“I always had a plan to open my own business at some point. I did not think it would be this quick, but I am very happy that it worked out and that I get to do this,” Sykes said.
 
After a few months of operation, the company already has approximately 60 regular customers and usually around eight dogs using the day care services.