This is the first entry for blog posts. It’s so exciting, I don’t know what to say exactly. Let me start by saying thank you for visiting, and I hope to build this into something that you’ll want to return to, or at least take something away.
My vision is not just to be a place that offers services, but also provides information that visitors can use: pet-related topics, stories, tips, and a place to connect for the community and animal lovers looking for things to help them be better pet parents. I’m still learning, and that loveable brown scrunched face resting on my favorite leather sofa in the picture above is the one who teaches me the most.
I was attending an entrepreneurship program before starting my business, and I had to give a business pitch to a room full of seasoned entrepreneurs, peers, and business people whose job it was to scrutinize every detail of the business idea and give honest feedback. When putting my pitch together, I struggled to find a message that spoke from the heart. I was searching for flashy visuals and templates that would make my presentation look impressive. I was so caught up in trying to make things perfect that I wasn’t connecting with the reason I wanted to do pet services in the first place. If I couldn’t connect, I couldn’t get my audience to connect.
It was only after I stopped myself and asked myself why that I began to have a genuine dialogue about the passion behind the business.
“Because of Charlie.”
Charlie has taught our family so much that we wouldn’t have learned without him. We brought him home from a rescue shelter when he was five years old. He’s now 12. He was old enough to not be a puppy; young enough to still have plenty of years to go. He wasn’t malnourished or abused. He was well-cared for and was well behaved. But with abandonment comes anxiety, and we learned that leaving him alone for any period of time often resulted in his acting out — getting in the trash and leaving it everywhere, pottying in the corners. And it was obvious that he didn’t do it out of necessity rather than him being upset. We got lucky that he wasn’t one for making everything a chew toy.
It took some time, but he eventually stopped acting out. He’d still occasionally get into things he wasn’t supposed to, and with each one we’d scramble to look up what to do or if something was safe. What to do when he’d eat spongy material that threatens being clogged in their stomach. What to do when he would eat an entire Christmas stocking of Hershey kisses. What kinds of chocolate are safest. Is that fatty lump cancer or just fat? Why does he do that thing he does?
As Charlie got older, we’d also have to face physical issues — painful joints and systemic issues that started to make him unable to stand or walk until we got him on the medications he needed. Between homeopathic remedies and vet-prescribed medicines, he had the most creative concoction for breakfast than anyone else in the family. But he’s healthy. And it’s been a journey of living, learning, and loving our favorite furry family member.
And there are plenty more pet parents out there who have gone through the same journey we have. Taking care of our pets is the first thing we do in the morning, ongoing throughout the day, and part of the daily routine of feeding the family in the evening.
When I presented my business idea to the entrepreneurship audience, I told them what lessons I have learned from Charlie as far as how to care for him, how to work with him with his emotional issues and his physical ailments. I then told them that beyond all the issues and ailments, what kind of personality he has: he loves everything and everyone. So he’s taught us so much, but the most important lesson we’ve learned from him is love. They say we humanize our pets, but I believe they teach us to be more human.
That is why I do this.