Strut Your Mutt owners Tina McNabb and her husband, Dave, take their dogs Jake and Jennifer out for some air. The “Mutt Mom” license plate was a belated Christmas gift from Dave to Tina.

GALLOWAY – They say when the going gets tough, the tough get going. The old adage surely applies to Dave and Tina McNabb of Smithville.

In October 2010, Tina McNabb lost her longtime job in the meat department of an Ocean City delicatessen. In April 2011, Dave was laid off from his position of 33 years as a table games supervisor in the Atlantic City casino industry.

The McNabbs, who have a 10-year-old-son, Matthew, looked to other states for opportunities, including Nevada, Pennsylvania and Florida. Then they decided to stay put and start a business of their own, based on a shared love of animals.

The result is the dog-walking and pet-sitting service Strut Your Mutt, launched last fall.

“I always say, what can be better than spending your days with dogs and cats?” said Tina McNabb.

The McNabbs are self-described “animal people” who spend much of their free time helping homeless pets. They volunteer at the cat shelter at the Ocean City Humane Society, and work with Penny Angels, a beagle rescue group that holds regular fundraisers and adoption events at the Mays Landing Pet Smart. The family’s two beagles, Jake and Jennifer, came from the rescue organization.

For Tina McNabb, the business is a natural.

“We always wanted to do something animal-related,” she said. “In this business, you can wake up feeling mad or miserable, and the minute you go to a house, there’s a dog practically hitting the ceiling, he’s so happy to see you. You leave feeling better, and the dog is happy too.”

Strut Your Mutt charges $12 per half-hour to water, feed and play with the dog or other pet, take it on a walk, clean up any accidents, administer medications or vitamins if necessary, bring in the mail, and as the website says, make sure the pet is “doggone tired” at the end of the visit.

The McNabbs also offer a pet taxi service ($20 per hour) and a 24-hour “pet holiday” ($75) in which one of them will stay with the pet while the owner is away. There is no extra charge for additional animals and no extra charge for holiday services, though a surcharge may apply if the customer is more than seven miles from Smithville. The business has been insured and bonded through Pet Sitters International.

The couple invested between $1,500 and $2,000 in start-up costs and got their first customers by placing cards and flyers at businesses, advertising in local newspapers, and creating a website. Word of mouth brought more clients, and the home business continues to grow. It is just a sideline for now, and fortunately for the family, Dave McNabb was recently hired as a table games supervisor at the new Revel casino, due to open May 15 in Atlantic City.

The couple’s fondest wish – if they should ever win the lottery or experience any other kind of financial windfall – would be to buy a big parcel of land and start their own animal rescue.

“That’s our dream,” said Dave McNabb.

“For us, it’s always about the animals,” his wife said.

For information call (609) 404-0105 or see www.strutyourmutt.net.