Erin and James McCarthy have turned Creature Comforts and Pawsitively Marblehead into a one-stop shop for local dogs and their owners.
CC Paws was founded by Brooks and Ned Williams nearly three decades ago. After seven years of working under the couple, Erin purchased the business in 2019.
“I worked for them for a number of years as my part-time job,” Erin said. “(James) was doing real estate… We were both looking for career changes and this was all sort of lining up at the same time.”
The “creature concierge,” a van that transports dozens of dogs at a time to and from the company’s doggie daycare, is a staple of CC Paws. However, Erin shared some new offerings her ever-growing business has launched as recent as the new year.
In February, Erin used her decade of experience in the maritime mammal training industry to begin new puppy training classes.
“My old boss from the aquarium has partnered up with me,” Erin explained. “We’re in our first session right now… the next session is pretty much booked out for two classes. And then we already have interest for our summer session.”
She added that the aquarium-based training does translate well to dogs. In some cases, it is the owner who is the recipient of the most instruction.
“A lot of puppy training actually is teaching the owners how to do a lot of things,” Erin said. “It’s a little bit about teaching the dogs, but it’s really more about getting information to the owner so that they can work on a lot of that in their own time at their home.”
The store portion of the business just underwent a redesign, with a notable addition of food for both dogs and cats. CC Paws has also partnered with fellow Marblehead pet business Goodness Gracious, with a refrigerator housing their handmade pet meals to greet customers when they walk in.
One may think that the McCarthys get their K-9 fill at work each day. However their dog, Riley, and 2-year-old son keep them busy when they are away from their puppy empire.
“He’s kind of like an animal,” Erin joked about her toddler.
