Matt's Pack

30/07/2026

Truth 🎯
You can do it guys!

🤔 Would your dog be the same dog? 🤔

​Imagine, for a moment, that you were suddenly removed from your dog’s life. Not in a tragic way, but in a quiet, parallel universe shift. They are handed over to someone else - a marathon runner, an anxious homebody, a dog trainer or a laid back farm owner. ​Same DNA. Same breed. Same baseline temperament.

​Would they still be "your" dog? Or would they become a completely different version of themselves?

​When a Handler changes, 3 fundamental things shift instantly -

⭐️ ​The Rules.
Different people tolerate different behaviors. What one person calls "affectionate jumping," another calls a boundary violation.

⭐️ ​The Energy.
Animals thrive on predictability. Confident, clear communication reduces a dog’s need to make decisions for themselves.

⭐️ ​The Narrative.
Humans tell stories about their pets.
"He's just spiteful", "She's just lazy", "Oh he's just crazy". A new person has no baggage and no preconceived narrative, giving the dog a clean slate.

😅 ​This brings us to a somewhat uncomfortable, existential realization. If your dog’s confidence, manners, anxiety, and daily routines are deeply tied to you, how much of your dog's "identity" is actually just a reflection of your lifestyle, mental health, and habits?

🤔 ​If a stranger took your dog tomorrow -

- ​Would their "separation anxiety" disappear because the new person sets better boundaries around physical space?

- ​Would their "aggression" turn out to just be resource guarding triggered by your own nervous tightening of the leash?

- ​Or would their gentle, nature shine through no matter where they landed?

🐕 ​What Your Dog’s Behavior Really Says.
​Thinking about this isn't meant to cause guilt, it’s meant to offer agency. ​We often feel trapped by our dogs' unwanted behaviors, assuming "this is just how they are." But realizing how malleable they are is liberating. It means that if you change the way you move through the world, if you become calmer, more consistent, or more decisive, your dog will often shift right along with you.

​Your dog is not a finished product. They are an ongoing collaboration between their instincts and your influence.

01/03/2026

Happy Birthday to the one and only, Matt!
You’re so passionate, hardworking and so selfless when it comes to working with dogs and their owners. You’re always going above and beyond for those who are struggling with their dogs and those you care about. Whether it be 8:30pm call-outs (there’s never any hesitation, you’re just out the door for those in need) waking up before even the birds are up to start the day early so the dogs can have a big and fun pack day, even spending your whole night brainstorming problems your clients are facing (sometimes I need to tell you to stop so we can have some family time 😂).
We’re all so lucky to have you and wish you the best day! 🐾❤️

11/02/2026

Rest in peace our sweetest boy ❤️‍🩹🕊️
On Thursday we said our goodbyes to Bailey, he started his decline and we made the call instantly because he deserved better than to spend a single day suffering. We had the most amazing 6 weeks with him since his diagnosis, he always lived the fullest life but we made sure he went out with a bang. Multiple beach trips a week, 5 star meals, spending time with family, friends, kids and hanging out with his old family whom he loved so much!

If you haven’t been following us for very long, Bailey was surrendered to us about 5 years ago. He had pretty severe food aggression and resource guarding for a 1 year old dog, he came and lived with us for a month to get through the worst of it and then returned home, his family put in the work and tried their best but it was a dangerous situation when they had kids in the house and they made the tough call to send Bailey to us. We are so thankful to his previous family for making the right call and trusting us with Bailey. We worked hard on these issues for a very long time to the point where he no longer showed aggression around his food. He taught us so much during that time and because of him we’ve been able to help countless people who have been dealing with those same issues.

Bailey was a one of a kind dog, he loved people, dogs, working and spending time with his family. He helped with classes, consultations and training sessions and he was one of the first picks to help with new dogs starting their pack days. He was true gold and we are so grateful for him and all his help.

He had the most beautiful and pure energy, never caused a fuss, he was very pack driven and thrived living with all his brothers and sisters and seeing his pack day friends every day. You were our best friend Bailey, thank you for everything you taught us and the unconditional love you shared with each and everyone around you.
There will never be another boy like you and we will continue on in your honour.

A massive thank you to the Vet House Matangi too, we couldn’t have gotten through it without you all, not just the care you provided to Bailey but the compassion you showed our family. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

It’s so quiet without you here our boy and we’re all heavily feeling the loss of you.
Love and miss you Baby B, thank you for everything ❤️

18/01/2026

Hey everyone!
Unfortunately on Christmas Eve last year we got some pretty sh*tty news, our boy Bailey has lymphoma and doesn’t have much longer with us. It’s a pretty tough time for us, grieving a best friend who is still here with us as well as waiting for the day we have to make that tough decision.
He’s still happy and healthy for now, but as soon as we see a decline we won’t be letting him suffer.
This is just a message to say while he’s still with us, we won’t be doing afternoon sessions or Saturdays as we are prioritising spending as much time with Bailey as we can. Also if we take a while to reply, we haven’t forgotten about you, we’re just in the thick of it.
Thanks for your understanding, we’ll see you all soon! 🐾

20/12/2025

And just like that another year is nearly over, I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported us this year, whether it was sending your dogs on our pack days, allowing me to teach you through one on one sessions, recommending us to friends and family, supporting us through social media or the massive amount of support we received through our givealittle page, we raised over $26,000 and it alleviated so much stress on our family, it was our busiest year to date and we did a crazy amount of hours every week, a special thank you to my partner Jess, she took on a pack of her own, the Pram Gang as well as looking after our beautiful son and taking care of everything at home when I wasn’t finishing until 9:30pm most nights.

Another special thank you goes out to the team at the Vet House Matangi, the level of care and expertise is next level and we couldn’t have gotten through this year without you all!

Last but not least a massive thank you to my Mum and Step Dad for allowing us to operate from your property, it means the world to us and we couldn’t do what we do without your support!

I hope you all have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, and I’m looking forward to 2026 being our best year yet!

17/12/2025

The last pack day of the year for the Thursday dogs 🐕

12/12/2025

Saturday morning walk with the dogs that are boarding and half of my dogs, the other half of my pack are starting to get older so they do a shorter walk, it’s very important to not push your older dogs too much but to still ensure they get out daily, you never know which day will be the last one you have with your dogs so I make the most of every day I do have with them. It’s been a hard process watching my once young vibrant pack age but I’m honoured to be able to give them the care that we do ❤️

12/12/2025

The Friday pack before their walk 🐾

10/12/2025

Welcome to the pack Miss Cersei 🐾

08/12/2025

Hey everyone, I hope you’re all enjoying this heat 😅 we will be closing from the 20th of December until the 5th of January this year, I’ll still be boarding dogs over this time so if you’re a pack day client and you’re going away flick us a message, I have a few spots left 😀