02/28/2024
Hi guys. I know it’s been a loooooong time, so I felt I owed everyone a bit of an explanation of where I’ve been. After classes ended in July, I took a much needed break to focus on my own aging pups (Gracie just turned 14 and Garmin is nearly 12) and myself.
Compassion fatigue is real—and working a day job all day where I am needed in so many ways and then training at night weighed on my emotional well being a bit. More than I realized at the time, I think. I LOVE all of you and your dogs, but so much goes into making sure that everyone, dog most importantly, is happy and thriving, and sometimes I was doing all of that at a detriment to myself. And I knew I couldn’t continue at the pace I was going and be good to anyone.
After I took the summer off, I had fully intended to launch new classes for the fall, but I wasn’t getting many inquiries or interest and as a small business, I have to have enough clients interested to make launching a class a financially sound decision. Factor in the fact that my day job of teaching high school has come with increasing pressures, and the numerous daycares that have opened that have full time trainers on board, and my little part time business became harder to maintain, which was another added stress.
When I launched this business, I was filling six classes a week and often had people on wait lists. I was reaching lots of people, classes were going well, and I was able to help and support hundreds of families, many of them repeat clients who came back for more classes and helped my business become strong. Sadly, since my business shutdown in 2020, I’ve had a difficult time filling classes and because of my limited availability, being competitive became increasingly difficult. And in a “quick fix” society, my style of “slow is fast” training is sometimes a harder sell. But it’s the heart of my business, and who I am as an owner and trainer and that will never change. Ever.
If you were a potential client who reached out over the last few months, I apologize— I really stepped back and tried to give myself a chance to breathe and regroup and think about what was next. I know it wasn’t the most professional way to handle it, but all I can do now is apologize and move forward.
To former clients who have reached out—I deeply, sincerely apologize if I’ve overlooked you. My business wouldn’t be anywhere without you guys. Please reach out again if I can help.
I’m weighing options on a possible rebrand and relaunch in the coming months. I truly miss watching the lightbulb moments (for dogs and humans), I miss laughing at your dogs’ antics, celebrating your successes, and watching your relationship with your dog grow. But, I had to take a step back and make sure I was also taking care of my dogs and myself.
So, for now, enjoy some pics of my dogs over the last few months. Know I miss you. I care about you, and I hope to be back soon. As always, remember that happy training makes happy dogs…and humans. Be kind to each other. Be kind to yourself. And be kind to your dogs. ❤️
