Our Team

Marc and I have come a long way from where we started. Together, we have experienced just about as much as you can think of two people going through together including running a business together.

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We have the classic story of one partner deciding they want a dog with the other feeling extremely hesitant about the idea, but instantly falling in love as soon as they meet the newest addition to the family. In our case: Milo.

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Marc has always been the more practical thinker while I am the more passionate dreamer. Together, we have always made a fantastic team as we are two very balanced people with the drive to learn as much as possible and turn dreams into realities. Our different characteristics make for an interesting and exciting duo, knowledgeable in multiple areas.

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The reason I am sticking with my business name: "Kate's Doggy Services" instead of changing it to a more inclusive title is simply because Marc has another career path at the forefront of his future - his dream to become a food scientist. He works for an oil packing company where he ensures all oils are up to snuff; tasting and smelling the way they should, as well as made 100% safe to consume. He dreams of one day inventing the newest food such as a cake flavor you've never heard of before. As it goes, he enjoys creating new ideas and diving into problem-solving topics.

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Raising Milo together can be stressful, as puppies are, but I wouldn't want to do this with any other person. Milo is easily the smartest dog we have ever met. Even being non-bias, Milo is truly such an intelligent dog. While I tend to focus more on obedience training, Marc has always been very passionate about trick training... and he is absolutely amazing at it. I used to come home from work to a Milo who knew 3 or more new tricks on a weekly basis. To this day, he consistently tries to find new tricks to teach Milo and goes out of his way to teach clients' dogs new tricks.

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We have experience with potty training, crate training, loose-leash walking, food /object aggression, puppy teething, separation anxiety, and more. Marc and I mainly work together through dog training and house-sitting. All of the other services are mainly only offered by me as Marc is primarily committed to his food science career. However, he is always open to working around his schedule for clients in need.

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When it comes to Milo and pet sitting, we always like to attempt to bring him with us as it creates more time spent with our fur baby as well as a chance to socialize Milo with other dogs. Milo is currently working on his socialization skills due to us making the mistake of not bringing him around new people and dogs when he was 8-12 weeks old.

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When I first adopted Milo, I asked the vet about socialization: "When is it safe to bring Milo around other dogs and people?" I was met with: "Due to the possibility of Milo catching or spreading a deadly dog disease, I would only bring him around dogs and  people you can absolutely trust until he is fully vaccinated." I want to educate new dog owners when it comes to this debate because it is the one and only huge mistake I made as a new dog owner and have come to regret.

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Dogs have what's referred to as: "The Critical Socialization Period" which is from 8-12 weeks old. This is the period of time where they are most impressionable and whatever experiences they have during that time will heavily shape how they behave as adult dogs. What I didn't know back then was that the statistics of a dog dying due to disease is far less than a dog being put down for behavioral issues. Where do behavioral issues stem from? Primarily, lack of socialization during the critical stages of puppyhood. If I had introduced Milo to as many dogs and people as possible when he was a puppy, he wouldn't be so scared of new people and dogs today. He would be able to normally greet others with sniffs rather than hysteric barking, lunging, and air snapping. He has what is labeled as: "ritualized aggression" meaning he goes through the motions of fighting without actually fighting due to fear. It is a bad habit we have been working on. Lots of positive introductions go a long way.

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Marc and I always start the introductions with walks around the neighborhood. Once both dogs are calmed down, that's when we try to introduce them indoors. Keep in mind that anything the dogs may be territorial over needs to be put away where they cannot get to as that could lead to fights. Milo has been more successful as of late with introductions and we hope to see more and more success. Not all dogs will be friends, but our main goal is simply to get Milo to greet other dogs normally. If Milo is not able to join me during a pet-sitting job, he stays with Marc at his house.