your business should help you
live more
like the dogs
you are so dedicated to caring for
life is meant for living
How many of us have thought about how good of a life our dogs live. With plenty of time for friends, naps, walks, snacks, and play, they certainly seem to have the market cornered on Living The Good Life.
When we look at how dogs live, they have a whole different set of priorities:
Dogs make time for their favorite things and their favorite people, and they definitely don’t skimp on fun.
Dogs prioritize themselves and what they need (naptime anyone??), while also loving on others.
Dogs are masters at delivering joy ; they foster relationships and make us feel special, even in a crowd.
So often we get stuck feeling unsatisfied or maybe weighed down with the obligations of business life. Time and time again, I had this feeling that my dogs knew some secret to a life well lived that I was missing.
living life like a dog
There is so much to living a full and happy life, but often we don’t make it a priority.
I unintentionally bought into the belief that in order to succeed I had to hustle and grind, sacrifice experiences to do more work, and put my own needs last. I realized that while I was working so hard to get ahead I was missing out on the things that made life most enjoyable.
Our days as pet sitters, dog walkers, and other pet professionals center around making sure the pets in our care are enjoying a full life. We make time for companionship, for staying physically and mentally healthy, for building a safe and trusting relationship, and for play and fun experiences. We make sure that every day has something good and special in it.
The question is, why aren’t we giving ourselves the same treatment?
lessons learned while walking dogs
2020 was a hard year for the pet care industry, but it was especially hard for me. We had a year of unprecedented industry disruption, my husband had a cancer scare, and we had to choose the big BE (behavioral euthanasia) for our beloved young dog, Olive. It added up to be a lot.
– By the end of the year I was on the verge of utter and complete burnout.
(Yet again.)
– I found myself crying in a client’s driveway after yet another a long week.
(It wasn’t the first time that had happened.)
– I was totally exhausted and wondered what the heck I was doing.
(Yep, I definitely had wondered this before.)
I just knew that this wasn’t sustainable. I knew there had to be a better way. So, I turned to the dogs I loved so much for some advice on living a full and happy life.
After my own experiences (plural) with burnout and the emotional challenges that come along with working in pet care, I am dedicated to educating and emboldening other Pet Professionals to lead full, happy lives:
- I think we deserve more than giving our clients everything with nothing to give to ourselves.
- I think our businesses should add fulfillment and joy to our lives, not take us down a path to overwhelm and burnout.
- I think we should end our work days having made time for our own pets and passions.
I hate that so many of us need a major catalyst to create a better work and personal life for ourselves. Instead, I am passionate about encouraging pet service providers to prioritize their own needs, living life more like the dogs they serve: with joy, enthusiasm, and time for their favorite things.
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Pet professionals are a special group: We love BIG. We care about every interaction we have, and every client we serve. And because we care so much, we pour everything out for others and neglect to care for ourselves and our own wellbeing. And that is why I am inviting you on this journey with me to start living our lives like the dogs we love – I know the biggest impact will be created when we all lean in, together.
Let’s give a damn on both ends of the leash – in our work and how our work effects our personal lives. I want you to coming along on your own journey, too. Let’s bringing our zest for life, our authenticity, and our passions into all that we do – just like our dogs.
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