New leash on life: How to be top dog in your own pet-care business

As Charlotte Reed delved into the details of her seminar, Career Opportunities for Pet Lovers, Midnight Angel Drouet blurted out from the audience, "You're scaring me." Reed responded, "It's all about being enlightened."

Starting a pet-care business such as walking, sitting or grooming can be the cat's pajamas, But it's a dog-eat-dog world right now. The recession has encouraged newly unemployed animal lovers to try pursuits that allow them to work around furry and feathery friends, Reed said. Outlasting the growing competition requires more than just showing up at clients with a leash and a plastic bag.

You'll need "knowledge and a small amount of money for a potentially lucrative career," said Reed, an ex-Wall Street attorney turned founder and owner of Two Dogs & A Goat Incorporated, a 25-employee pet-care service.