Kate Wagner is the owner of Sawgrass Pet Resort, as she is a pet lover at heart. It was her passion for animals that led her to build and open the facility in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
Our family lives by a handful of mottos. One of our favorites is “Good people do good things, period.”
We also try to live our lives full of love, laughter, purpose and to be kind.
As an active family of four, Scott, my husband, is a dentist who owns Eccella Smiles in Jacksonville Beach.
We have two teenagers, Austin (15) and Leeli (13), plus two Weimaraners, one cat, two geckos and one snake.
How did you get involved with the Sawgrass Pet Resort and how long have you been a part of it?
I left the interior design industry in 2013 to become a full-time mom, but since animal rescue had always been a part of my life along with my affinity for Weimaraners (my spirit animal), I became the Southeast vice president for the Grayter Good Weimaraner Rescue.
My passion for animals propelled me to design, build and open Sawgrass Pet Resort.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
My mission is still the same, which is to provide a safe, active, recreational and healthy environment while improving the quality of life for your dog and to serve our local community.
As a small locally owned and operated business, we understand your pup is a part of your family and an extension of yourself.
We cater to the individual needs of your dog and the client/pup experience, meaning all dogs are not the same, and they require different engagement and enrichment.
What are the primary goals/services provided by the business?
We offer daycare, boarding, grooming, training, dog walking and dog bakery services.
You can add; bedtime stories, personal playtime, and body massages to any visit your pup has with us.
We have both outdoor and indoor play areas so that they can enjoy the sunshine, ocean air and birdwatching when the weather is lovely.
One of our SPR catchphrases is, ‘dogs big and small, we love them all,’ and my team and I do love your pups.
We also sponsor dogs that are in need of adoption and try to educate people on rescue, fostering and adoption.
We run pet food drives and collect donations for our “Round Up For Rescue” fund and distribute those quarterly to our local rescues.
We are grateful to our loyal clients and community who have helped to support us and all of the locally owned and operated businesses over the past two years when so many have closed their doors.
What do you enjoy most about living in the North Florida area?
We love the Ponte Vedra Beach culture, along with its beautiful weather, beaches, clubs and all of our small local shops.
Ponte Vedra Beach is a close-knit community, and a big dog community that we are lucky to call home.
Although our schedules are full, we try to balance our busy lives with beach walks and regular trips to the mountains to disconnect and reconnect.
Life is short, do what you love with who you love.
What do you like to do in your free time?
When I do have some free time to myself, I like to walk the beach with my Blue Weimaraner, Bella.
She is an expert level “fisherwoman” and loves to run through the incoming tides to catch fish.
The only thing she likes more is the hummus at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club.
If you see us and you’re not a fish or a chickpea, she probably won’t notice you, but wave hello anyway. #32082doglife
