08/08/2025
This content is different from my usual posts, but I think it's something that needs to be out there. I wanted to make this post after much reflection on recent events and inspirations within our industry and my own journey within my career. Being a dog trainer, it is an absolute privilege to be able to help others with their beloved pets. When I was new to the industry, I was very optimistic but unfortunately also blinded by my own ambition. "To be the best dog trainer I can be" was the dream I pursued from the moment I landed my first dog trainer job. It was innocent, I thought, to aim and attempt to achieve the best you can. That vision propelled me into local success but also blinded me to mistakes I was making and unaware of until everything shattered. To be fair, I did not have to take myself so strictly serious, but I held the weight that my work was saving the lives of dogs and keeping families together. I wanted to take on more responsibility than I was capable of shouldering.
Even tho I made a positive difference in some, I also have had my fair share of failure and heartbreak within my career and personal life. I've worked 12 hours and 7 days a week. Drove myself into the ground. Lost many friends and even one of my own dogs due to my own shortcomings and learned the hard way that people I thought were on my side weren't after all. Through the losses, I bring forward lessons I hope people will take to heart. Social media highlights so many ideals that, at one point, I held as truth. I hope this post can help guide others and maybe even help others understand that they aren't alone in their journey to be "better." I think I've finally found my place in the community, and I feel more relaxed with the boundaries and truths I now find evident. Talk to me again in another 8 years, though, and who knows what I'll think then. (ESPECIALLY now that I'm a mom!)
I hope you enjoyed roasting my old beliefs, I hope this helps others recognize their blind spots before its too late.
