If anyone needs the comfort of a dog, it’s those of us that work full time!  Dogs are great stress relievers and enable us to get the exercise we need.  But no dog should be alone 8 hours (or more) a day while we are hard at work.  One could argue that the emergence of the dog walker as a business and profession has enabled more hard-working Americans to experience the joys of dog ownership, by providing dogs with much needed mid-day breaks.

Like most things pet related, dog walking and pet sitting are rapidly growing businesses with codes of conduct, certification programs, insurance and local and international associations.

In this episode, we chat with Lauren Heath, a social worker turned pet sitter/dog walker and the owner of Presidential Pet Care, located in Northern Virginia just outside of Washington, DC.  Karen, Jean and Lauren discuss what owners should look for in a dog walker and pet sitter.  Hint, there are lots questions we all should ask.

In a very short time, Lauren has grown Presidential Pet Care into one of the area’s top professional pet care businesses, with incredibly high standards for employees and clients. They are bonded and insured in addition to being a member of Pet Sitters International and the National Capital Area of Professional Pet Sitters.  https://presidentialpetcare.com/

Lauren, Jean and Karen share their PawsUP and PawsDOWN  If you have an idea for a podcast, ping us on Instagram @PawsGo – and share your PawsUPs and PawsDOWN with us – if we use any of your ideas, you’ll get a cool PawsGo t-shirt.  Find them all at www.pawsgo.com

Lauren is passionate about the human-animal bond and seeks to make a positive impact in her community through her business, Presidential Pet Care®, and personal endeavors as “the Dog Boss Lady.” She is working toward becoming a CPDT (Certified Professional Dog Trainer) to follow her dream of training assistance dogs for victims of violence.

Lauren is an graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses scholarship program. She is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter® (CPPS®) and a member of Pet Sitters International. Lauren is also a member of the National Capital Area of Professional Pet Sitters and is a member of their 2018 Executive Committee.Talking the Talk and Walking the Walk – the professional dog walk tells all

A food truck for dogs? Yup, and not a truck that rolls up and hands out kibble.  Woofbowl serves up treats like burgers, fries and pho!  In this episode, Jean and Karen chat with the incredibly cool and extremely focused Ron and Solo.  Ron, a Navy veteran, suffers from PTSD.  He also has an MBA and is an author.  Solo’s family escaped Cambodia’s killing fields.  She fulfilled her parent’s wishes and became a biochemical engineer. 

It was Ron’s PTSD that lead them to becoming “dog parents”.  Their two French Bulldogs proved to be exactly what he needed.  Solo soon began creating healthy meals for the dogs and developed a real interest in canine nutrition.

Love of their dogs, a passion for nutrition and a true entrepreneurial spirit led them to creating Woofbowl.

Woofbowl is the first food truck for dogs operating in the Washington, DC area.  Boomer and Poppy met them at an event and gave Woofbowl 4 PawsUP!  

More about Ron, Solo and Woofbowl here -- https://www.mywoofbowl.com/

Do you know cool "dogtrepreneurs" like Ron and Solo?  Send us a DM or tag us on Instagram @pawsgo and if we use your suggestion, you'll get a PawsGo t-shirt.  See them all at www.pawsgo.com 

We love smart women with big ideas that do good!  In this episode, Karen and Jean chat with Anne Tuccillo, founder of Pawfectly Delicious dog treats.  A federal employee ready for retirement, Anne was also growing concerned about limited employment opportunities for her adult son Bryan.  Bryan was aging out of special education services within his school district.   SURPRISE – their dog Friday led them to the pawfect solution.  Together Bryan and Anne (with help of Friday) founded Pawfectly Delicious dog treats.  Not only are their treats tasty – Savannah and Daisy gave them an enthusiastic PawsUP – Pawfectly Delicious is a not for profit that provides employment opportunities to young adults with disabilities while allowing them to give back to the community! 

Anne and Bryan’s awesome treats are available nationwide through their website -- https://www.pawfectlydelicious.org/

Do you know a trio like Anne, Bryan and Friday that deserves a PawsGo shout out?  If so, send us a DM or tag us through Instagram @pawsgo.  If we feature your idea – YOU get a cool PawsGo t-shirt – see them all at www.pawsgo.com

From Naval officer to Reiki Master to Animal Communicator, Maribeth Decker has had a very interesting career.  And as if taking care of her own dog and cats isn’t enough, Maribeth helps countless other humans communicate with their animals.  Jean and Karen chat with Maribeth about her gift as a communicator.  Maribeth helps adopted animals settle in their new home, humans understand their pet’s behaviors, and ease the passing of a best friend.  That’s how Karen met Maribeth and shares her heartfelt experience of loosing her sweet dog Kacey – and yes, there are tears.

https://sacredgrove.com/

https://www.pawsgo.com/2018/05/13/the-long-good-bye/

Jean’s PawsDown

Jean’s PawsUp

Karen’s PawsDown -- https://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/117-dogs-removed-from-home-in-largest-rescue-on-record-for-animal-friends/985352045 

Karen’s PawsUP –     https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2019/10/04/ross-township-dogs-ready-for-adoption/    Including CJ, she’s now in ARPH’s (www.Aussierescue.org) Foster program in MD 

Did you know that the federal government spending $15 billion annually on antiquated animal experimentation? White Coat Waste, a not for profit with a mission to end taxpayer-funded animal testing, is determined to expose this practice and end it.

Board member Julie Germany and Vice President of Public Affairs, Justin Goodman stop by to share their victories, challenges, and expose some shocking government practices. The story Julie’s laboratory recue dog, Violet, opens the conversation.

You can see photos of Violet here. You can read more about their work here www.whitecoatwaste.org. Jean, Karen, Justin and Julie all share their PawsUp and PawsDown.

Sandy Modell, the founder of Wholistic Hound Academy, stops by to chat about training – it’s not just for problem dogs -  it’s the foundation of dog ownership.  Sandy’s training is based on positive reinforcement.  She, Jean and Karen discuss the evolution of training and how research is driving changes in training techniques – here’s a hint, yelling at your dog won’t work!    Jean, Karen and Sandy all share their PawsUPs and a few PawsDOWNS.  Learn more about the Wholistic Hound approach here – www.wholistichound.com