
HappyCamper
Lucas Beyer has started a business walking dogs in Newton, and he includes Polaroids with his service. Courtesy Photo
Lucas Beyer is a recent graduate of Boston College who started a dog-walking business in Newton, Happy Camper Dog Walking, with an added element: he takes Polaroid photos of the dogs for the owners.
“I felt pigeonholed onto a career track where you do an internship every summer and then work for that firm after,” he said. “A lot of my friends started applying for banking jobs after sophomore year – it decides the next five years of your life.”
He decided he didn’t want to do that. He already had some experience running an organization through his non-profit CycleService, which gives bicycle helmets and safety instruction to kids.
Beyer grew up in a rural part of New York, and his family had always had dogs, so he thought: why not a dog-walking business?
“I realized the industry itself is a little bit dated feeling,” he said.
Beyer remembered how his preschool teacher would take photos of him for his mother and thought that dog owners would like that too. He takes Polaroid photos, because they’re instantaneous.
When Beyer does an initial meet-and-greet with a potential client and their dog, he also takes a photo of them.
“It’s more than just dog walking,” he said. He also wants to provide more appointment flexibility than other dog walking services, as well as only walking one dog at a time, as opposed to group walks. This lets him focus more on the individual dog and work more closely with them on training.
The best place to walk a dog in Newton? Webster Conservation Area, Beyer said. It’s a 230-acre piece of open space with a lot of hiking trails.
Beyer hopes to stay in Newton and is even thinking of ways to convince his family to move to Newton from New York.
“It’s risky to do something I love, but it’s also risky to do something I don’t really care about,” he said about his choice to start a business as opposed to the consulting firm path taken by many of his peers.
Beyer has some advice to current college students who are unsure about what to do.
“Really dive deep into the thing you’re passionate about,” he said, adding that Boston College’s Center for Entrepreneurship was very helpful to him in being able to discuss ideas with other students.