When shit gets hard in business and in life we all need that one being or thing that grounds us to keep us connected to why we are doing this and allow us to keep going.

For many of us, that why is our heart and soul dog.

Meet mine. You’ll see her face all over my website and social media, because even though she’s been physically gone for the last 2 years, she’s still as big a part of my business, my life, my heart, my soul, my day, my existence, my purpose, my everything.

For most of our 16 years together, I was so disconnected from what I needed and wanted that providing for her gave me direction and purpose. Providing her with safety and stability pushed me when I didn’t want to do hard things for myself. She made me a better person.

This dog has literally saved my life (3 times) and is the reason I'm where I am right now in business and as a human being

She came into my heart and home right after after my divorce, and less than a year later we moved to Canada together, leaving our life in South Africa behind.

I quickly got so tired of leaving her home alone while I went off to my job in corporate, coming home at the end of the day exhausted and unable to do the things I wanted to do with her. And that guilt ate me up inside. Her little face staring at me through the window as I walked away every morning damn near broke me. And so I started my dog walking business. So I didn’t have to leave her behind, and could instead spend all day hiking in the beautiful BC mountains with her and my client dogs.

When she got tired of being around other dogs as much as a hiking business required, I moved into full time training, so that I could still have the time I wanted with her, without her having to deal with other people’s dogs.

Except that didn’t really go as planned. Once I had set up my training business the way I was told I was “supposed to” (facility, group classes, 121s) I found I had just as little time with her as I’d had in corporate. I hated trying to squeeze a walk in with her in between clients, or leave her home alone for the 4th time that day as I went out to work with other people’s dogs.

She was one of the biggest factors in me learning about blended programs, because I wanted time with her WHILE I was running my business. I didn’t want to sacrifice my time and relationship with her. I didn’t want to spend my whole life working with other people’s dogs at the expense of my own. So I learned how to implement blended programs.

And it gave me exactly what I wanted. I was able to still help my clients and give them the service and results they’d learned they could with me, but still have the time I wanted and needed with Piper. From being at home with her while I worked, to being able to get out for hikes, sport classes, vet appointments - whatever she needed, whenever she needed.

And I will be forever grateful. The last year of her life was a hard one, for both of us. But I had the time and the money to do everything she needed. Chiropractic, acupuncture, laser therapy, massage therapy, swimming and cuddling on the bed as I worked. I didn’t have to worry that something would come up that I couldn’t afford and that is a peace of mind every single dog trainer and every single dog guardian and every single dog deserves to have.

When she passed, I lost my fucking mind. Even if I burn my business to the ground tomorrow and go buy a bookstore in Morocco or something - I will forever be grateful that my business was set up the way it was with a blended program for so many years before she passed. If I had needed to run a traditional business while going through that level of grief, I would not have survived it. Either my business or my sanity would have crumbled.

But I had a business that allowed me to serve my clients at the time, without worrying about anything else. Without having to leave the house. Without having to leave bed sometimes. To sleep when I needed to, cry when I needed to, work when I needed to, without the pressure of everything falling down around my ears if I wasn’t “on it”.

Piper is my heart dog. My soul dog. My one in a million.

And she is one of the reasons I’m where I am right now. And her memory helps to keep me grounded and know why I keep doing the things that I’m doing.

Who or what is your why? And how does creating a better business for yourself help to give them a better life?

Let’s have a chat about how I can help you do that for them, and for you.