CEO Garret Tadlock Discusses the Rise of FetchDesk AI 

Before FetchDesk AI—a burgeoning AI receptionist offering 24/7 call answering and innovation for the pet care industry—there was… the Yellow Pages. 

FetchDesk CEO Garret Tadlock remembers those days all too well. They were the catalyst for his first steps into a larger, more lucrative world. 

“I got started in the pet industry 16 years ago,” Garret recalls. “I built its first online booking platform. And I did that because I was going on a trip with a buddy of mine, and he forgot to book his dog.”  

The duo spent more than an hour calling boarding facilities back then, hoping for a last-minute save. 

“No one was answering their phones,” Garret says. “I was like, ‘Dude, this would be a cool problem to solve.’” 

The Meet & Greet Phase 

After nearly a decade as a technology consultant, Garret leveraged his experience to build an online booking tool tailored to pet care—but was initially met with fierce resistance. 

“I called at least fifty different companies—some big, some small—and everyone said the same thing: ‘There’s no way in hell I would ever use online booking. It’s just not a good fit. We have so many specific requirements,’” Garret remembers. 

However, there was strong interest in a custom cloud platform that could manage day-to-day operations. Garret’s persistence—and his willingness to listen—paid off. What started as rejection evolved into collaboration and community. 

He approached five major brands and proposed a three-day summit to design the platform. Within six months, funded by $100,000 in customer investments up front, PawLoyalty—the industry’s first and leading cloud-based business management software for pet care—was born. 

In a world still running on pen-and-paper scheduling, PawLoyalty was revolutionary. Major players like Wag Hotels, Dogtopia, and National Veterinary Associates (NVA) soon joined in, fueling rapid growth and development. 

“I bootstrapped all of it,” Garret says. “Customer-funded development helped me build the leading platform in this space. We had the best reporting, the best marketing, and were the first to build full digital charting of feedings, medications, and eliminations—all in real time.” 

But Garret wasn’t done solving problems for his new favorite industry. As technology evolved, so did his vision—laying the groundwork for FetchDesk AI. 

Heeding a New Call  

After 14 years spearheading PawLoylaty, Garret sold the company to the Moorpark, CA-based firm Kennel Connection. He remained on board as a consultant for two years before taking a hiatus from the industry.  

Garret soon found himself advising some friends who had launched an impressive, horizontal AI voice company known as Sindarin. The platform was enjoying success with clients ranging from law firms to retail brands. Still, Garret saw endless possibilities with a technology that could take action, particularly for the portfolio of pet care professionals that he had tallied throughout his career.  

“I said, ‘Let’s make a pet care vertical-specific platform,’” Garret recalls.  “‘We can always go back and be horizontal at some later point in time.’” 

The result was FetchDesk AI. Designed specifically for the pet care industry, the platform transforms every phone interaction into a seamless customer experience, providing a 24/7 AI receptionist that is lightning fast, natural, and seemingly human. 

Fueled by commitments from several large brands, the new company raised just over $750,000 in operating capital—with plans to raise additional funding after reaching $3 million in annual recurring revenue. 

Today, the company is busy building AI receptionists for brands representing more than 500 locations nationwide, Garret says. It has already integrated directly into MoeGo and Gingr management platforms, with plans to partner with other major players once those companies build out their Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).  

“We have 15 pet care AI agents live in the world today,” Garret says. “And we’re trying to build out 5-10 per week right now.”   

What a Difference AI Makes  

According to Garret, 30 million phone calls are missed every month in the pet care industry. 

“That’s billions per year,” he says. “That’s crazy. And if a brand is lucky, they will get 50 percent of their customers to book online. The other 50 percent and most new customers are calling in.” 

With FetchDesk AI, however, missed calls are a thing of the past. 

“We make it so they can still have that ‘human first’ element. We can program things so the AI only answers if someone isn’t able to pick up by the third ring. So, pet care facilities can still offer that personalized touch.” 

The bottom line: FetchDesk AI is a far better option than sending pet owners to voicemail. 

“What we have seen, so far, is that our AI receptionists are doing a better job of recommending enrichment services and departure baths. At the end of the day, the AIs are delivering better-than-human results. They’re delivering a higher average per appointment than a typical front desk receptionist would have.” 

AI receptionists are popping up everywhere, but most are built on third-party platforms, limiting their speed and flexibility. 

“They’re building on top of a third-party platform,” Garret says. “Our platform, Sindarin – we own it, all the way across, and have far more granular control.”  

FetchDesk’s proprietary Sindarin platform delivers near-instant responses—under 500 milliseconds—and can handle interruptions naturally, making conversations feel genuinely human. 

And the coolest part? “The technology is advancing so quickly, that it is continuing to improve exponentially on a monthly basis,” Garret says.  

What truly sets FetchDesk apart is the team’s deep industry knowledge. “We know how these conversations should sound—how to make genuine, personalized recommendations that focus on the pet’s well-being, not just making a sale,” Garret explains. 

And unlike other AI receptionists, FetchDesk doesn’t just answer calls—it takes decisive action. “We’re the only ones who can complete the entire loop: creating clients, booking appointments, and closing the circle,” he says. 

With time comes trust. Today, FetchDesk AI handles inbound calls seamlessly, with outbound calls and chat functionality set to roll out soon. 

“We‘re going to start allowing our AI receptionists to make outbound calls to at-risk customers,” Garret says. “They’ll call the local veterinarians to get updated records for dogs who have appointments scheduled but have missing or expired vaccinations. We’re also integrating chat functionality. The AI will be able to talk with leads on the website and onboard guests, as well.” 

There is huge potential in Voice AI, which is still in its infancy, Garret says. “But the performance and the value of it for our customers has been absolutely incredible so far.” 

Lessons Learned  

Garret regularly speaks to pet companies nationwide and continues to consult for more than a thousand facilities. 

Each talk is a sixteen-year culmination of lessons learned since that ill-fated trip. 

“I’ve been shaped by every professional I’ve ever worked with, every demo I’ve ever done—even if they never became a customer,” he says. 

Being a good listener and asking the right questions has served him well. Fittingly, that same philosophy is now taking FetchDesk AI straight to the top. 

“This industry is filled with people who love what they do,” Garret says. “Their intention—whether profitable or not—is to provide the best experience for the animals they care for.” 

“Look, I was in high tech before I was introduced to pet care,” he continues. “I used to sell phone service when I was in college. No one loved what they did back then. But in this industry, there is so much love, so much passion, and such a willingness to share. You can take two companies that operate ten miles from each other, and they’ll share best practices and answer each other’s questions. Everyone wants to elevate the industry—to reach higher standards and deliver the highest quality care, all in search of honoring and doing what’s best for animals.” 

Now, thanks to FetchDesk AI, they’re doing so more efficiently—and with more heart than ever before.