Unleashed, the Dog & Cat Store

Ivon Bustos​

​

Hello, I’m Ivon! I was born in Celaya Guanajuato Mexico, but have lived in Chapel Hill - Carrboro since I was 7 years old.  I’ve been working since I was 16 years of age, so all I knew was the food industry- but I was truly unhappy. When the restaurant I had been working with for 10 years closed its doors I was kinda in a limbo… I didn’t want to keep working in the service industry, but I knew nothing else and I felt lost. So the cycle continued and I went back to working in a restaurant again. However, when COVID happened, I was laid off.  I was back to square one wondering what to do next since most restaurants weren’t hiring. I embraced the change and looked into different industries and I landed my first job as a receptionist for a hair salon.

 

This job was great. I truly loved my coworkers and I liked what I was doing, but I wasn’t feeling fulfilled. One day, while I was still at the salon, I came upon a hiring ad for Unleashed. I decided to go for it and apply.  I truly didn’t think I would get hired. I didn’t feel qualified enough because everyone from the store I had visited always seemed so well educated on everything.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved animals and my mission in life was to give all of my pets the best life possible, but I never truly felt like I knew what I was doing.

 

Here’s a little info about my pet history: my first pet was a Guinea pig named Sammy. He was with me for about 8 years. My second pet was a mini dachshund named Chocolate. We sadly had to put him down when he was 9 for reasons that now working with unleashed I feel could have been treated. Then comes Sandy, my German Shepherd girl. She sadly got cancer and passed at the age of 9 as well. Fast forward to now I have 5 kids (as I like to call them): 9 year old Lulu Golden Retriever mix, 8 year old Sophie Pit mix, 3 year old Nicky German Shepherd, one year old Mochi, a short haired domestic cat, and lastly, my new baby kitten Tamaki.

 

When I got hired by Unleashed, I was finally able to see my passion for learning about pets. I truly love coming in everyday and getting more and more educated. From food to toys, there is so much to learn. I finally feel fulfilled. I don’t think of this as a job; this is a passion. My mission now is to better the lives of all pets and to learn as much as I can to help everyone I meet. There is truly something new to learn everyday and I love it. If you’re ever in Durham, please stop by and visit. Follow my learning journey with me and I would love to pass on everything that I have learned. Thank you for taking the time from your day to get to know me a little better.