We had the good fortune of connecting with Kassie Chaffin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kassie, how does your business help the community?
Mutt Motel is a 501c3 nonprofit organization devoted to caring for foster dogs from other 501c3 nonprofit animal rescues until they are placed in their forever homes. Mutt Motel helps our community by caring for these animals, one dog at a time.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am excited to share about Mutt Motel and Speech Foundations PLLC. I will start with Mutt Motel. I took in my first foster dog from Fort Bend County Animal Services, Mikey, back in 2019. A very generous woman, Frankie, volunteered to cover his heartworm treatment and connected me with the wonderful women of Lucky Penny Rox Rescue. Since then, I have had the privilege of learning and growing with these amazing women. My husband and I moved out to a rural town a few years ago and that’s when we decided to build Mutt Motel, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that is a small shed building with a full AC/heater that houses up to 6-8 foster dogs at a time. My husband helped by building out the entire inside with electrical, plumbing, flooring, kennels, etc. Two weeks after I brought home my first round of foster dogs in Mutt Motel June 30, 2023, I found out I was pregnant. Fast forward to now, Mutt Motel has cared for almost 30 foster dogs and my baby is now almost 8 months old! It has been an adjustment, but an amazing one. Nothing about any of this has been easy, but I am continuing to work through kinks. The fact that we have been able to care for almost 30 dogs in a year and a half is awesome! All of my fosters are backed by Lucky Penny Rox Rescue. They provide all vetting and networking for the foster dogs, so I am able to focus on caring for them to provide food, shelter, water, enrichment, etc.

One of the main challenges is maintaining enough funding to care for the animals. I have to provide food, electricity, supplies, and hiring dog sitters when necessary. I solely rely on donations from family and friends for funding. I am also grateful to share that Mutt Motel will be receiving an Operations Grant from the amazing Houston PetSet organization for the second year in a row.
Another challenge is always having to plan out my daily routines to make sure my animals are taken care of in addition to my baby boy. This means I am not able to just pick up and go somewhere without first making sure I have a dog sitter lined up that is reliable and trustworthy with my dogs. I am extremely privileged to have some local vet techs with the AMAZING Columbus Animal Clinic, PLLC with whom help me out when I can’t be home! I am taking care of these dogs all day everyday. First thing in the morning I am caring for them in addition to my own 4 dogs and 2 cats. I am constantly watching the clock every single day making sure everyone is taken care of and they have plenty of time to play outside. I’ve learned so much over the years. I have learned that it’s okay to have bad days, but to always continue learning and becoming as efficient as possible. Unfortunately, right now dogs are not being adopted like they used to. This means I have foster dogs that have been with me for a year or more simply because no one is interested in adopting them even though they are ready to find a home. I want the world to know that every single person has a way they can help the animal rescue world. Every person has a role to better the animal rescue community. They can donate, volunteer, foster, and adopt. But most importantly, we need everyone to spay and neuter their pets!!!!

For Speech Foundations PLLC – after spending time working in the public schools and Thrive Speech Therapy, with the support of my husband and family, I decided to start my own private speech therapy business, Speech Foundations PLLC. I love being a Speech Language Pathologist because I am able to help children of all ages and abilities live to their full potential through communication. I think what sets me apart from others is that I am able to provide quality speech therapy to children in the comfort of their own homes. Speech therapy in a child’s home is the best, in my opinion, because I am able to target functional goals while providing flexible and child-led therapy. I am very proud of the significant progress all of my clients have shown and look forward to continuing their success along with meeting new clients.

Starting my own business has allowed me to care for my baby boy and animals while also being in control of my schedule to see clients in their homes and daycares in the Fulshear and Katy areas. I started out by posting on local Facebook groups. I have also enjoyed connecting with daycares and private schools by offering free screenings to quickly identify children needing early intervention. I like that I use minimal advertising as I want to keep my caseload manageable. I would love to have more clients, but it is truly amazing being in control of my caseload so that I can assure each child is receiving the quality speech therapy they deserve!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I just had one of my best friends visiting the other weekend actually! I took her to The Heights and showed her around Houston. We ate at Local Foods and also La Lucha. I took her to Montrose and we enjoyed coffee and pastries at Common Bond. We also loved going to some bars such as Wicklow! I told her she needs to come back soon, because Houston has soooo much more for her to experience. My favorite thing about Houston is the diversity. Houston has every type of culture that includes delicious and authentic food!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I truly believe I have one of the best support systems which is the reason I am living out my dreams. My amazing family and friends have always supported me in every single thing I do. I could not be where I am without them. My biggest passions are speech therapy and fostering dogs. I have the privilege of doing both. I want to personally thank Jessica Sekhon with Thrive Speech Therapy for encouraging me to venture out and start my own practice after I was employed with Thrive Speech Therapy. It was important to me to continue my dream career, but I needed more time in my day to also make sure my foster dogs with Mutt Motel were taken care of throughout the day. I recently had my first baby in 2024, so I am happy to continue my dream career with Speech Foundations PLLC. Another group of women I would be lost without is the amazing animal rescuers of Lucky Penny Rox Rescue. I have fostered for them since 2019 and they have supported my dreams of Mutt Motel from the beginning. They continue to teach me so much about animal rescue and support me every single day! Thank you Kara, Heather, Abby and Frankie!

Instagram: @txmuttmotel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/txmuttmotel

Other: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562287182313

Speech Foundations PLLC

Image Credits
None. They are all pictures I took myself.

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