From 'dog-eat-dog' world to pet sitting.

As a young girl, Kelley Allison had a fondness for pets. Growing up in Virginia, she was often asked to care for her friends' pets while they went on vacation.

As she grew up and went on to become an investor relations specialist, Allison realized the corporate world was not for her. She hoped to start a business of her own when she recalled how her pet walking and pet sitting services were so popular in her hom town as a teenager.

She then founded The Pet Whisperer, a West Hills-based company that provided dog walking, pet sitting and training services for Valley residents.

Four years later, Allison's business is growing thanks largely to word-of-mouth referrals from her customers and through her Web site www.the-pet-whisperer.com.

With training and certification from the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters, Allison has grown her business to include customers in the Valley and surrounding communities.

"I'm from back East so I used to do a lot of pet sitting and pet walking for my friends and neighbors, so it wasn't a new idea for me. I remember how much I really loved to do that so I started to do it professionally.

"It's really a big change since coming from the corporate world where it's 'dog-eat-dog' with lots of orders and deadlines all the time you have little time to breathe.

"I had enough and I really wanted to do the things that I loved and that was being outdoors and working with pets and caring for them. It's totally the opposite of corporate.

"I had been pet sitting for friends already and I was getting more referrals all the time so it seemed like I could really build on that.

"I sent out a lot of fliers and put notices up at dog parks and local pet shops, but it's really been the word of mouth that's been the most effective. People were telling other people about how excited they were about the service so they told their friends.

"The word of mouth spread and I started getting calls about taking care of horses, cats and reptiles and it really took off from there.

"We do everything from dog obedience training, to dog walking and pet sitting and we keep the customer apprised by sending regular e-mails if they're on vacation.

"It seems like an easy job, but it's not really for everyone. You have to be knowledgeable about the pets and you have to be patient with them and let them know you care. Trust is a big issue for pets.

"My most unusual job was caring for reptiles and making sure the temperature was proper for them and checking to make sure they were alright. That's hard to do."