About Us

I often get asked about how I ended up in this industry. In 2002 I got my first dog, Patch (seen as the About Us banner). Through no fault of his own, Patch had a rough year or two before I adopted him. He began his life as a bait dog, with scars on his face and one behind his ear from where it was stitched up. He was pulled out of that awful situation by an "angel" -- a woman who climbed over a privacy fence to take him out of the yard where he was chained to a tree. He came into my life in early April 2002. I remember the first time I saw him. He was so nervous: head down, ears back, tail tucked, and shaking. He lacked confidence, stability, and a good home. Thankfully that didn't last. I picked him up on the Friday before Easter, and the rescue was closed the weekend through that Monday. When I left, his rescuer gave me her number and told me to call her if I wanted to bring him back. I got him home and instantly knew I was keeping him. The next day I called and let her know he found his forever home. Patch went on to live a great life. He was the informal mayor of the town we lived in. He would greet everyone with a smile and a wave. He loved everyone and everything. Those closest to me saw the changes he had undergone. It took time, love, structure, and dedication.

A few years after I adopted Patch, I was given the opportunity to care for a few friends' and family members' pets. A ferret here, a dog there, and several cats to care for. I quickly found myself spending a lot of time pet sitting and walking dogs. Pet sitting became my side hustle. I had a full-time career, and I had no intention of leaving it -- until I realized I was taking on more pet sitting clients and had lost interest in my career. I love being around animals, so my passion grew.

Enter Roux. He is my adopted pit bull mix (as seen on Home page). Roux was a fear-aggressive dog who changed my life. He was out of control. He didn't do well with other dogs and he'd lunge at people. You name the issue, he had it. I didn't know what to do. I got to a point of deciding if this was something that could be corrected, or did I need to re-home him. I decided to give him the chance. I hired a dog trainer and put the time into it. I began to build a partnership with him. I worked on building his confidence, provided him with structure, and formed positive associations to things that ounce caused him stress. I had always thought that loving my dog was enough, giving him all the treats, toys, and affection he could ever want. I have since learned that they need more than that. During my training, I learned that it wasn't about Roux's issues as much as it was about about my reactions and how I was handling the situations. I learned what I needed to do to make things better for him.

I left the career I was in and dedicated my time to learning how I can make life better for Roux and animals like him. In January 2019 I took a position as Veterinary Assistant at Creature Comforts Veterinary Hospital in Eagleville. During my time there, I got to see how many companion animals deal with issues like anxiety and stress. I wanted to help to reduce their stress while they were there. I quickly confirmed that my true passion is not in veterinary care, but in how I can help others that have animals like Roux.

I've taken the Companion Animal Low-stress Management (CALM) program at University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Hospital, where I learned how to manage animals that are highly stressed and deal with anxiety. I continue my education by having hands-on learning with my dog trainer. When I'm not out in the field, I am at home taking online courses for dog training. The instructors of these courses are some of the top trainers in the world (Michael Ellis, Tyler Muto, and others). I have a passion for learning and a desire to share what I have learned with my clients. It has been an exciting adventure.

This is the beginning of a new chapter in my life, and I hope to make you and your pets part of that story.

Geoff

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Roger Caras