Hey There! 💜

I first discovered my passion for doggy services when I shadowed my pet sitter and realized that no matter what dog I saw, I was instantly charged with excitement, drive, and passion. Even with other pets such as lizards, rats, guinea pigs, goats... you name it, I will instantly fall in love and become excited at the opportunity to work with you and your pet(s).

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Growing up, I had the opportunity to experience owning a few different kinds of pets: dogs, guinea pigs, lizards, and a rabbit. Right now, I have 1 miniature-dachshund named, Milo, and 2 guinea pigs named, Umaru-chan and Nezuko. Is it obvious that I love anime? 💜

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Even though I have always loved animals and dreamed of being surrounded by them in my future home, I never considered the possibility of becoming a full-time pet sitter. I went back and forth between deciding to

become a teacher or a therapist. I wanted to help others who are struggling the way I did and still do, to prevent other people from going through what I went through or worse. In high school, I decided to become a teacher. I felt that I could make a difference from the inside rather than the outside, but after a few more life experiences, I concluded that I wouldn't be able to achieve my goal as a teacher. Plus, homework was never my strong suit, admittedly.

 

Fresh out of high school and into community college, my dream career was to become a therapist primarily for

the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I watched, "Switched at Birth" in 10th grade and fell in love with American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Culture. I wanted to learn so much more, be a part of the Deaf community, and help in any way that I could. It broke my heart to learn that so many Deaf individuals grow up never learning ASL until college, that troubled individuals go to jail unjustly because they can't communicate, and have to speak to therapists through a third person, an interpreter, when it's difficult enough to share personal information with one person, let alone two.

 

After one strong year of community college, COVID hit. I wasn't able to keep up with the online learning

curriculums. Learning ASL through video chats was next to impossible with all of the lagging and blurry screens, Biology was my worst enemy, tutoring was practically non-existent, and staying awake sitting in bed at 9:00 AM was asking for failure. I had been working full-time since I was 18 years old and during COVID was when I first became a server in the restaurant industry. I pay for all of my bills, including my insurance, groceries, vehicle loans, rent, etc. To afford all of these bills, I had to work 35-45 hours, sometimes more as a host. Becoming a server made finances a little easier, but anyone who has worked in this industry knows how stressful it can become.

 

At the age of 21, I got a job as a server at Legal Sea Foods which calls for 5-8 hour single shifts and 10-12

hour double shifts. I was working mostly doubles, putting in 40-50 hours a week, and making just enough to get by. Now, if it weren't for a huge silly mistake I made in the year 2022, I would not be struggling the way I am right now as of April 2023.

 

Last year, I came across bus life - skoolie life - and decided that it would be a grand idea to buy, convert, and live in a school bus as I travel the world and save up money for a house. The first bus I bought, I had taken a $20,000 loan out to get it to a drivable, living state. However, $20,000 later, it went to the scrap yard. While I did experience living in that bus for a week or two, I was never able to drive it, build anything in it, or fix any of the issues it had mechanically. I was officially homeless. My partner at the time, was gracious enough to allow me to move some of my things in and stay with him, but when he had his kids every other weekend, I had to find somewhere else to sleep. For a little while, I was living out of my car which, I truthfully didn't mind, but it is scary to not always know where to park overnight, to not know if you'll hear a knock on your window by a police officer, or worse, some random person looking to rob a nearby vehicle.

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When winter arrived and it was getting painfully cold, Milo's dad allowed me to sleep at his house on the

nights I had nowhere else to go. Despite our history, he is and always will be one of my bestest friends. He has always been there to support me in everything that I do and I could not appreciate him more.

 

During this rough time in my life, I felt that going back to college wasn't in the cards for me anymore as my

community college was too far away from my job and I needed to continue working to support myself financially. I began looking into other options, but it needed to be a job I was truly passionate about, a job that would only add to my happiness rather than take what I had left away. That's when it hit me, why not cut back on one of my biggest expenses? Dog sitting. When Milo's dad and I were together, we could afford for Milo's dog sitter to care for him 5 days a week, but now that I was $20,000 in debt without a space of my own, I no longer could afford the dog sitting, so why not dog sit other people's dogs along with Milo? I would get to spend more time with my fur baby, socialize him with other dogs, and not worry about missing out on restaurant work hours. It seemed like a perfect fit, but would I have the energy to do it?

 

This brings me back to the beginning of my story, upon shadowing my pet sitter, I realized that I absolutely

had the energy to become a pet sitter myself. I wasn't sure if I could do this at first, and the transitioning has not been easy, but it sure has been worth it.

 

I have always thrived at researching on my own, so going through dog training classes online is never as

difficult as college was. I don't have expected deadlines, homework, attendance, or class communication scores that count toward my grades. The academy I chose, CATCH Canine Trainer's Academy, allows me to go at my own pace, never judges and is always there to answer any questions I have.

 

There are still times that I get anxious and worry that I am not good enough, but if this is where my heart is, I

just need to keep pushing and one day, I won't have to worry anymore because I will know and feel that I have found where I belong. I am only 22, so who knows where life will bring me ten, twenty years from now. I only know that this is what I enjoy most right now. Every experience is worth my time, and I will be forever thankful for the clients I meet and have the opportunity to work with as well as their lovely fur babies.

 

If this story resonates with you in any way, please support me and my business as I work hard to achieve my

dream: Kate's Doggy Services.