04/18/2025
Roverchase Update and New Seasons
11.5 years. 138 months. 604 weeks. 4229 days. 101,496 hours. 6,089,760 minutes. 30% of my life.
I was 28 years old when I opened the facility I named Roverchase LLC. It had been my singular dream since I was 12 years old. I was young, determined, talented, arrogant, driven, lucky, and many other things. I had a bed in my office for the first 7 years because I worked so much. I raised the facility and the facility raised me. We grew up together.
Reflecting today, on the last day of the brick and mortar version of Roverchase LLC, I am feeling such a wide range of emotions. It would truly be impossible to begin to thank or name every person who made the last 11.5 years possible, so I am going to try to name broad groups.
First and foremost, this building exists because of my amazing staff. This is especially true in the last few years as my health declined and it often felt like my body betrayed me. You have shouldered together and reminded me of my dreams even when my body did not allow me to fulfill them myself. This chapter would have a drastically different ending without your unwavering support and belief in the vision and mission of what we were doing and why. I am so proud of you and I know you will continue to change the face of this industry. I will never be able to thank you enough for your faith in me - I am insanely proud of who each of you are. I cannot wait for this next chapter where we are friends and colleagues. I love you.
Secondly, the amazing clients of Roverchase. I have fallen in love with your dogs and often multiple generations of your dogs. I have had the privilege of watching your children grow up, your dogs become gray-faced, your welcoming of new puppies, and your lives of amazing growth and change. We have experienced so much life together. You have trusted me with the care of your dogs through the birth of your children and grandchildren, passing of loved ones, weddings of family and friends, vacations, business days and trips, crazy Alabama weather, celebrations, and milestones. You have trusted me with your most beloved pets. You have supported me in times of personal and professional success and times of personal sorrow. You have seen me exhausted and you have seen me thriving. You have shown me so much love and support and trust. You have been my most championed supporters and I am so grateful. You have trusted me with your beloved four-legged family and I am so honored by that trust. Thank you for choosing me and my team. You have enriched my life more than you will ever know.
Thirdly, to my friends and colleagues. My life is so much better because of you. You have listened to late night and early morning phone calls to vent and celebrate and do life together. I would have never thrived or survived this season of my life without you. Some of you showed up in my darkest days. Some of you joined me in my brightest moments. Many of you did both. I can never adequately express how grateful I am to you for your willingness to do life with me in this journey. Thank you for giving me space to make mistakes as much as you celebrated my successes. I am so grateful for your support and belief in me and my mission. You have made me who I am.
Finally, to my pets and those I consider family over the last 11.5 years. You have seen me at my best and my worst and every iteration in between. Late nights, early mornings, seasons of stress that threatened my humanity, seasons of success that healed pieces of my soul, day to day monotony that made up the bulk of this journey — you have been there day in and day out through it all. You watched me grow up, succeed, fail, reevaluate, grow, and change. Your steadiness, support, and care have shaped who I was, who I am, and who I will become. Thank you for believing in my ideas and dreams even when I forgot. Thank you for reminding me of my humanity and who I am even when I couldn’t always see it for myself. Thank you for giving me space to become my authentic self in this moment in time. Thank you for loving me as I am yesterday, right now, and tomorrow. This is a gift that becomes more valuable to me each day.
As I look forward to a new chapter, I am brought back to the people and animals who have been this season of my life. Trusting me with your pets is a privilege and honor that shaped my personhood.
I hope each of you will keep in touch with me on social media and send me pictures of your dogs! Please be sure to continue to follow both Roverchase and The Roverchase Foundation on all platforms so we can stay in touch and share this new chapter of life together. While the season of owning and operating a pet care facility has come to an end, I will evolve and continue in my journey working with animals. My primary focus will be on the amazing work of The Roverchase Foundation and our mission with Service Dogs.
For those of you who are in-person clients, all of the staff you have grown to love at Roverchase will be continuing with the new company, Bark Mountain, at the same address and location. All of your daycare packages have been assumed and the staff you know and love will be there waiting for you and your dogs after their team building time on 4/21-4/22 ❤️ You can reach Bark Mountain at 205-238-5077.
You can follow me on Facebook at Abigail Witthauer. You can find Jimmie and Em in the comments below.
Thank you for helping me become who I am today. It has been an honor and privilege. I am excited to continue to share life with you on social media in this next chapter and season.
