Combat veteran Mak Son cares for pets at Fur-Baby

A. Being a first-generation immigrant coming from Cambodia at four months old, money was tight and I always wanted a dog so badly, but my parents couldn’t afford to give me a dog. So I gained my knowledge base through books. I had to feed my curiosity about this animal through reading ... By the time I was 14, I had learned what (training) method works and what didn’t, why it didn’t work and how to make it work. I learned as I went and found some combination of techniques and methods to make a dog respond better.

Then I joined the Army and didn’t think about dogs until one my sergeants said he wished there were some people who knew something about dogs to help him train his dog. I was like, hey sarge, I need some extra money. Being a private, E-1, in Germany, I didn’t make a lot of money. So I started training dogs on the side, and I did that throughout my military career.

A. Money was tight. My parents came into the country already in their 50s and they didn’t know how to speak English because of the Khmer Rouge incidents (repression and mass killings). I just started at a really young age and I realized I needed to do something where I could help my family. That’s the biggest thing, learning about the American dream and how this country was formed through immigrants and stuff like that.

I always wanted to own my own business, but at the same time I knew I needed to do something to make it happen, so I joined the military in 2001. At first it was just going to be a couple of years so I could get the school money to go learn the business aspect and start my own business. But I was in Germany and met my wife there, so I extended for a few more years. Then my first child was born and I extended (his military contract) and the next thing I knew … (laughs) I made the military my career.

Then I got hurt in Afghanistan on my fifth deployment and it killed my career. At the time, I was worried because I didn’t know what I was going to do.

A. Yeah. They’re a very therapeutic animal. There were times when I gave up, just the pain and struggle of recovery, and my military career ending and I was depressed about it. I was just going through a lot of things. Lucky for me, I had some dogs that helped me out through my recovery. They got me moving. They got me active. They basically gave me another life.

I started developing Fur-Baby then, developing my business ideas, my business plan. So when I got out, I put it into play. Fur-Baby started just out of my car, driving around Columbus and training dogs at the park and at peoples’ homes, and it grew to where we are today.

A. I groom, I board, I do doggie day care. We provide dog transportation, bringing them here or taking them to the vet. There are elderly people that don’t have cars big enough for their dogs, so I provide that service to help them out and do what they need.

A. We’ve gotten a lot of support from the community. Everything here has grown because of my clients. They asked me if I would groom their pets, so I started grooming services. They asked me if I would board them, so I did that … Everything just grew because my clients requested it, and it was just listening to them and giving them what they wanted. Word of mouth spread and we went through some social media marketing, and getting our name out there.

A. I’m doing it all, making sure the business stays alive through paperwork, administrative work, and then I’ve got to take care of the dogs. That’s the biggest thing. I’m also training other people. I have a guy out back who used to be my soldier. He did his time in the military and went home and things weren’t working for him, so I brought him over here and gave him a job, just helping him out and giving him options. A lot of times when military folks get out of the Army, we lose that structure, we don’t have that guidance, we don’t know what to do with ourselves. He’s a good guy and I’ve seen him develop since he was 17 years old, so I wanted to teach him.

I also want to expand one day. I have a goal to put a Fur-Baby near every military installation. I’m proud of being a veteran-owned business, and I know there are a lot of veterans out there that have the same training I have, the same discipline, that go-get-it attitude. I want to help them become entrepreneurs themselves through Fur-Baby.

A. The hardest part is … everything about being an entrepreneur is hard. My military career, as hard as it was with all of the deployments and training and what not, doesn’t compare to being out here on your own. You don’t have the security of a paycheck. There are days I work all day and not get paid. Just developing something out of nothing is the hardest thing. That’s why not everybody is an owner out there and doing their own thing. But I sucked it up and just kept driving and doing what I’m supposed to do to make my dream happen. Once it fell into place and everything developed, my clientele started building up and our reputation was being built in the area, and it just blossomed. Everything just fell into place.

A. PCSing (permanent change of station) to Fort Benning gave me the opportunity to know the area. I know Columbus has developed greatly in the last few years and I did my research about their development plans for the future. I noticed it is a growing city. People come from different areas to Columbus because it’s growing, and to me that’s a good place to start a business.

I also know Columbus is a dog-friendly place … People do love their pets here. I just see the city growing and I want to grow with the city.

A. We’ve got dog owners that work all day every day and the dog is just in the home by themselves and not getting the proper exercise. Nobody wants to come home to an energetic dog that’s just running around and being hyper. That’s why I provide doggie day care, where a dog can be here and is being exercised and cared for. When they pick them up, they pick up a calm, relaxed dog, and everybody’s happy … They can focus on the love that the dog provides.

We have house rules that I teach all dogs. They have to learn not to jump on people. They have to learn to respect some boundaries. That way they can play with each other.

A. We groom and board cats. Birds. Whatever the clients ask us to do, we’ll do, we’ll accommodate as long as we’re able to. That’s why it’s Fur-Baby Pet Services and not Fur-Baby Dog Services.

A. I got hit by an improvised explosive device, IED, a roadside bomb. I don’t remember too much about it. We were just on a routine patrol, had done it numerous times. I will tell you that was the only day out of my time between Iraq and Afghanistan that I was off. I woke up that day feeling off. I just felt something (was going to happen). I’m glad there was a mine roller for us to use and that’s what really saved us, saved me and my crew. … I’ve been hit by multiple IEDs and I’ve been in firefights, and been in some of the worst areas in Iraq throughout my career. Everything just compounded on each other and I took one too many and my body just couldn’t handle it anymore, especially with the mine. There’s only so much that your brain can take. I blacked out, and I’ve got some internal body issues. My back is bad; that’s why I walk with my cane.

A. I am blessed, because I don’t know what my life would be if I had never come to America. This is a country of opportunity.

A. They sure do. They just take American citizenship for granted. Like for me, I didn’t get my citizenship until my third deployment in Iraq. I had been serving in the military since 2001, and didn’t get it until Christmas 2005 in Iraq. That’s where I got that American flag right there (points to wall). I got that during my ceremony. I just had to earn it the hard way.

But I’m very proud to be an American, and I just want to show people that it’s really easy to chase the American dream. You’ve just got to work hard, do your research, learn what you need to make everything flow … and make things happen.