Hi, My name is Tom and I am your instructor today. A little bit about me. I have worked in TVFilm for over 13 years as a Camera Operator. When my daughter was born, my life changed, not immediately, but as she is growing up I have realized that working in TV/Film isn’t the right fit anymore.
I have always wanted to work with dogs, we were having trouble finding a quality daycare that wasn’t 20-30 minutes away for our dogs. We have a Labradoodle, that we purchased before knowing what puppy mills were, he is a great dog. We also adopted a Pit Bull Terrier from a local shelter. The dogs get along great with each other. You wouldn’t know they didn’t grow up together, they don’t fight over things. They did in the beginning, but they worked it out amongst themselves, while being supervised and we haven’t had any issues since. They are like a brother and sister, they keep their separate ways until it’s beneficial to be together.
Anyway, Being an entrepreneur, I started researching dog daycares, I found out a lot of good information, I also found out things that troubled me, like this being an unregulated industry. That got me thinking, how could I be different, set myself apart from the competition. Right now, I am a Dog Walker, Sitter and Transporter till I can get enough money to open my facility.
I checked out Volunteering at a local Humane Society and a local shelter. I did both and learned a lot about dogs being in cages and suites 0all day and what that does to them. Also learned how to deal with dogs who have too much energy and how to handle dogs who don’t like to be handled.
I then enrolled in Catch Canine Trainers Academy to learn even more about dogs, I don’t want to be a trainer, but I wanted to learn everything I could about why dogs do what they do. It has been invaluable, I have learned so much and it has helped me shape the way I want my facility run, which will be different than a lot of daycares out there.
I also joined the International Boarding and Pet Services Association or IBPSA. This organization offers training and certifications and tries to create a standard of care for caring for animals and started researching about Professional Animal Care Certification Council or PACCC. The PACCC is an organization that is also trying to create a standard of care, with the PACCC, you have to study and take tests to be able to join and stay accredited by them. Once I get my business up and running, I will be testing to join the PACCC.
The last step in my adventure was becoming a Pet Tech Certified Instructor in Pet CPR/First Aid. I chose this program because it’s the best and I want to help Pet Parents take better care of their pets while also teaching them what to do, in case there is an emergency.