Twig… and the Houseguest

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Well Paula, we did it! And it was an unbelievable success. I think you would have been proud of every single one of us. Little man was phenomenal – I’m so proud of him. It took about 1.5 hours for Mom and Dan to be able to enter with him in full disconnect but we gave LOTS of time and space and settling and he 100% got their on his own. He did textbook behavior. Pinging from digging in bed, drinking water, jumping on couches, back to gate to barking, wash rinse repeat. Finally he had a big barking fit, shook off and fell asleep. Not ONE thing after that. Once mom was in, he utterly ignored my mom. No following, monitoring, staring, barking, no stickiness, just like she’s always been here. He utterly ignored her. He was even able to ask to go upstairs by himself. He didn’t stay there, but he brought his ball and hung out for a little bit. He barely would lift his head for more than basic curiosity when he was in the room with us, even if my mom moved about. He slept and groomed and etc etc. Of course, tired from daycare, but still. He was unbelievable. He managed to complete a 100% cycle and it ended SO positive. Looking forward to debriefing. We’re now about to gather with mom outside (he’s in room with me) and head to a walk then airport. I have no words Paula for how well this went and how well and completely fine Twig is. And my mom was a superstar too!

🎉 International Women’s Day Series – Pt 7

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I can’t believe this will be the last of my Women’s Day Series posts… March 31st, 2025

Actually, I am not sure how much of an introduction she will need since from the very first phone call I have with a prospective client, Kristina’s book, The Stress Factor in Dogs, has always been my first recommendation! Not only is Dr. Spaulding an author and a sought-after speaker in the Dog World but she is hands-down the most gifted educator I have ever witnessed. In a time when there is so much animosity and derision, the learning community she has created is sincerely ONE OF A KIND. Kristina inspires me to be a better educator each and every day.

Meet Dr. Kristina Spaulding – Business Owner, Educator, and Dog Mom to Darwin and Finn 🎓

I’m a bit odd. I very clearly remember learning what a PhD was when I was in 3rd grade. I immediately decided that I wanted to get a PhD. After running my dog training business for several years, I went back to get my PhD with the intention of becoming a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. In graduate school, I started teaching undergraduate courses and completely fell in love with teaching. I also learned that there was so much incredibly valuable information that wasn’t making it to the dog training world. I knew many trainers and behavior consultants who were frustrated because they felt they had maxed out the available learning. They were eager to learn more. Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior was born from this convergence of events. It is an incredible opportunity for me to bring science to the field and enhance the lives of animals and professionals. I’m astonished and grateful every day that I get to do this work!

~ Kristina

Kristina Spaulding, PhD, CAAB (she/her)
Owner and Educator
Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior LLC
www.sciencemattersllc.com

🇨🇦 International Women’s Day Series – Pt 6

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Next in my Women’s Day series – Making this a Truly International Celebration 🎊  I would like to introduce you to a highly talented, innovative friend 🇨🇦 from the north, a Canadian business owner and the founder of PawzNDogz…
Meet Smriti
PawzNDogz is a woman-led, family-owned Canadian premium pet brand specializing in canine enrichment through innovative, durable, and mentally stimulating snuffle mats. Designed with varying challenge levels, our products are crafted to engage and delight pets while supporting their cognitive development. We take pride in being the trusted “snuffling experts” in the pet industry. Discover the heart behind PawzNDogz—our ethos, inspiration, and the values we stand for – Our Brand Story https://vimeo.com/1004690346
From award-winning designs to third-party safety-tested designs to commitment to sustainability, we are here to help our fur babies enjoy every bit of their life with mental enrichment and stimulation. Nothing but the best matters at PawzNDogz.
Cheers,
Smriti, B.Tech, MBA (She / Her) | Founder & Owner
You all know what a huge advocate of Snuffle Mats I am, and you can find Smriti’s award-winning designs here:
https://inspirecanine.myshopdot.com/

🎉 International Women’s Day Series – Pt 5

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Continuing on with my Women’s Day series – I am so happy to get to share with you my client, a Trailblazer, Dog Mom of husky sisters, Leia and Loba, and honestly one of the sweetest 💕 people I have ever met…

Meet Yazmin Maillet – Co-Owner of Huskiesluckyrips Trading Cards

In December of last year, my fiancee and I started a business, “Huskiesluckyrips”. We sell trading cards on a live stream, as well as custom cards for pets or special occasions. Collecting trading cards is a male-dominated hobby. With that in mind, I started a community where everyone is treated with respect, and all different kinds of people feel comfortable talking about collecting and sharing their collections.

~ Yazmin

https://www.whatnot.com/s/45grhfsM

🎉 International Women’s Day Series – Pt 4

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Next in my Women’s Day series – an industrious and thoughtful business leader, just ask Throne who is enjoying the sample box Chelsea so generously shipped to him; she leaves me gobsmacked!


Meet Chelsea Rusche – Founder, Breaker of Norms, and all-around kind person

For the Sake of Dog! or FTSOD! (“Fort Sod”) came into being as a business model that founder, Chelsea Rusche, has always wanted to build: a truly circular business to offer a beneficial impact to each member of the “value chain” for the improvement of wellness for the end consumer; from manufacturing to the communities our products are sold to.

Chelsea’s exposure in the canine industry as an operations consultant helped make it all possible, creating a reliable, premium dog treat that benefits dogs, their pup parents and the communities that support them.

She discovered many opportunities for improvement in American dog products such as: human-grade or premium quality ingredients, hedging an enormous amount of wasted product due to routine production or buyer limitations, and how to sustainably give back to the nonprofits that support the very people and pets that make businesses possible.

Chelsea started making some calls and connecting some dots to create what has now become FTSOD! A sustainably-sourced, artisanal recipe, human/premium-grade ingredient dog treat service that gives back by allocating a portion of each sale as a claimable commission for nonprofits who want to support FTSOD!’s mission. Or in other words, a truly circular business.

We’re just getting started and how we grow will lead to a greater positive impact by upgrading American dog treat standards, economic accessibility to premium pet products, curated recipe matching based on your dog’s needs, stimulating bonding activities for human-pet mental wellness, and offering a sustainable growth solution to communities who share in our mission and vision. New flavors, shapes, scents, and colors release every quarter to keep dogs’ noses stimulated and palates diverse while enabling pup parents to discover what is best for their doggo through small-scale taste-testing.

For the Sake of Dog! order some treats for the special pups in your life as the tail-wags await…

Chelsea Rusche

P.S.  You can find FTSOD here, and I have to say, the MYSTERY Box has the potential to be one of the best BIRTHDAY🎂 gifts EVER!
https://inspirecanine.myshopdot.com/

🎉 International Women’s Day Series – Pt 3

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Continuing with my Women’s Day Series…

I feel privileged to have the opportunity to introduce and share with you Founder AND Innovator – Michelle Huie!

Originally from New York and now based in Missoula, MT, Michelle Huie launched her first woman-owned company, VIM & VIGR, in 2013 to address the demand for stylish, functional compression legwear. VIM & VIGR has been included on Inc. Magazine’s 5000 list of the Fastest Growing Companies as well as its Best Workplaces list. Over the last decade, VIM & VIGR has contributed over $250,000 in product to frontline healthcare professionals and nurses directly through the company’s annual scholarship program.In 2024, Michelle launched her second company, ShopDot Pet, the first retail solution that makes it possible for pet service-based businesses to build an online storefront and sell curated products to their customers without the inventory costs. ShopDot empower groomers, trainers, rescues and shelters to generate additional revenue by selling products that complement their services and mission. Michelle comes from a family of small business owners and is excited to help local businesses better serve their community by becoming a source of trusted and recommended products.

~ Michelle Huie

Founder, VIM & VIGR (www.vimvigr.com) stylish compression legwear
Founder & CEO, ShopDot Pet (www.shopdotpet.com) retail operation management software for pet service-based businesses

🎉 International Women’s Day Series – Pt 2

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Continuing with my Women’s Day Series…

Next, I would like to introduce to you a phenomenal client, loving guardian of the most handsome, Bruno, and all-around ray :sun_with_face: of sunshine!

Meet Kiersten Bushnell – Business Owner and Skin Guru :lotus:

As a passionate esthetician, I am dedicated to enhancing natural beauty through personalized skincare solutions. I specialize in tailored facials, advanced treatments, and skincare guidance to help my clients achieve radiant, healthy skin.
My approach goes beyond surface-level care—I focus on education, customized treatments, and a holistic approach to skincare that nurtures both beauty and confidence. Whether you’re looking to refresh your glow, address specific concerns, or simply indulge in self-care, I’m here to create a skincare experience just for you!

~Kiersten

https://www.afterglowskinca.com/

🎉 International Women’s Day 2025 Series – Meet Diane OKeefe Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Ulti-Mutt

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With Saturday, March 8th being International Women’s Day – this year, I decided to do something special to commemorate 🎊

Each week, I want to share with you a different woman business owner that I know – celebrating their individuality and contributions to the lives around them. A series of solidarity, because honestly, how do you contain the magic that women bring to just one day…

Meet Diane OKeefe – Co-founder and Co-owner of Ulti-Mutt, the ❤️ behind the business:

Ulti-Mutt started as a way to provide my own training clients with products that helped to meet pets’ needs better and on the pet parent side, be cost effective, easy to use and long lasting. Dave and I started the business about 4 years ago as restrictions were starting to loosen up from Covid. We started with just making our Snout Rollers- a slow feeder toy made of medical grade PVC that is adjustable to the difficulty level your pet needs. Originally they were just one offs Dave was making for me in our garage, but over time we started getting people asking where they could buy them. By focusing on improving the lives of dogs and standing by our products, instead of just selling cute stuff. We have built a community who trusts us and we take their feedback seriously. Our commitment is always to pets, but also to people. We believe all beings deserve to be treated with kindness and given what they need to thrive.

~ Diane

If interested, you can find her Snout-Rollers here:
https://inspirecanine.myshopdot.com/

Clover… and pickleball?!?

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Finally checking out Dali’s Sniffspot. It’s a very cool spot! And we had an active pickleball game next to us with a dog in the court. She did great!

 

Edith… and her 1 yr vet visit

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Hi Paula, I know I will be seeing you on Saturday with Edith but wanted to give you a running report on her visit to the vets last night. I got there quite early ~4:15 for a 5pm appt. I waited in the car with her for a good while (15mins) to help her and her arousal level. I would say she was in orange when we arrived and was able to have her dunk some feet into Green/yellow. There were a lot going on outside the car and she was able to at least sit and just look. She was very good about waiting in the car once I opened her door, she let me change her leash patiently etc. She was also very patient about getting out of the car but the blacktop was hot and so I had to move her quite quickly to a shaded area. We stood there for 10mins and she was very good. She basically sat and watched her little world go by. She didn’t take any kibble from me but she was happy to sit. Once it was time for her appointment I went into the waiting room area where there was one other person with a cat. Edith was interested and pulled on her leash a little but no barking etc. She then sat by me until it was her turn.  She was very unsure about the scales but we took our time and she slowly walked on after following me. Once in the room I let her sniff everything. A dog was barking in the waiting room and she barked a couple of times and then she actually did OSR with me. She was very cautious with the Vet tech but I explained to her not to push Edith and to take everything slowly with her so we first put her on the table and let her have a sniff etc and did a little OSR although at this point I think she was genuinely scared. I let Edith know everything I was doing-“Up” “off”, “Help” etc. When the Vet came I again explained that we just needed to go slowly and inform Edith everything that we were doing. The vet was my old boss so she was very understanding. Edith was scared but slowly she relaxed. I had been practicing with Edith a lot at home with saying “eyes” when looking in her eye, “ears” “teeth” etc, etc. And after telling the vet, she let Edith know everything she was going to do, and you could physically see Edith relax slightly. She was such a good girl.  I am sooooooo proud of that little lady!!