Turning Failure in Real Estate into Success with Dogs - My Journey

In this blog, I want to share with you how my journey from a failed real estate investor led me to work with dogs and become a professional dog trainer.

Back in 2008, the real estate market crashed, and everything I had worked on came crashing down with it. I found myself in bankruptcy and feeling lost and depressed. During that difficult time, I made an impromptu decision to get a puppy, not knowing that it would change the course of my life.

I got my first dog, Butters, a pit-lab mix, and discovered how much joy and fun it was to teach him tricks and raise a well-behaved dog.

I started watching the Dog Whisperer TV show, and my interest in dog behavior and psychology grew immensely.

I read every book recommended by Cesar Milan and attended workshops, including one by trainer Chad Mackin.

My passion for dog training and behavior was ignited, and I decided to start a dog walking service. I posted an ad on Craigslist, offering dog walks for $6 per 30 minutes, hoping to get groups of dogs to walk together.

However, I quickly realized that I needed to charge more, and managing different dogs with varying behaviors in a group was quite challenging.

As the business grew, I hired dog walkers to help me and learned how to manage a team and train others in my methods.

The support and encouragement from my first customers, despite the cheap pricing and unprofessional setup, motivated me to keep going. I started to see that I had a knack for dog training, and my business grew steadily, even during the Great Recession.

Dogs pulled me out of a tough time in my life and gave me a new purpose. I found something that I was passionate about and good at, and it turned my life around.

Now, 15 years later, I am still passionate about working with dogs and providing positive training experiences.

I hope my story inspires you and shows you that sometimes life takes unexpected turns, and out of tough situations, beautiful opportunities can arise.

Dogs have given me so much joy, and I hope to share valuable and entertaining dog training tips and insights in my future blogs.

Remember, dogs can bring happiness and purpose to your life too.

Embrace their love, and you never know where it might lead you!