Your Pet Your Way

09/04/2025

50% of bear-attacks are due to off leash dogs. Bring an airhorn or bear mace

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08/27/2025

08/27/2025

https://www.tiktok.com//video/7539165915334724886?referer_url=www.msn.com%2Fen-ca%2Fnews%2Foffbeat%2Fdog-s-response-to-hearing-a-song-in-his-language-melts-hearts%2Far-AA1Lkvt0%3Focid%3Dhpmsn%26cvid%3D0d1c1288232340fbee46e580e472532b%26ei%3D51&refer=embed&embed_source=121374463%2C121468991%2C121439635%2C121749182%2C121433650%2C121404359%2C121497414%2C121477481%2C121351166%2C121811500%2C121487028%2C121331973%2C120811592%2C120810756%2C121819198%3Bnull%3Bembed_pause_share&referer_video_id=7539165915334724886

597.6K likes, 2265 comments. “I think we figured it out, folks 🥸”

08/15/2025

Hi friends and supporters,
I just wanted to send a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to help get *Confessions of an Ottawa Valley Dog Walker* published! Your generosity means the world to me and keeps this project moving forward.
Quick update: I’ve decided to go back to the original title — *Confessions of an Ottawa Valley Dog Walker* — because it truly captures the spirit of the stories I’m telling and the local settings where they happened, many of which will be familiar to those who know the area.
Here’s a little teaser from the book:
*✍️I named the business Your Pet, Your Way because it suggested personalized, flexible care. I still think it was a great name—though, in hindsight, it occasionally opened the door to clients who took the “your way” part to interesting extremes, like asking me to sleep WITH their dogs in their beds. I’ve heard of people “sleeping with their clients,” but THIS was never on my BINGO card. Then there were the crafty clients who wanted three daily visits but only wanted to pay for one. They’d rely on neighborhood kids for the other two visits—neighbourhood kids who bravely navigated intermittent blindness to avoid cleaning up messes. And when things went sideways (and they always did), I became the sitter to both the animals and the neighbourhood kids. Then there was the realtor who asked for a discount because she had three small dogs who didn’t need long walks. She explained that business was slow, she was fighting cancer, and couldn’t afford my rates. The next day, she...*
If you know any animal lovers, small business owners or entrepreneurs, bookworms, book clubs, folks dealing with complicated family dynamics, or anyone curious about what to watch for when hiring dog walkers or even will and estate lawyers, I’d be so grateful if you’d share this email and my GoFundMe link with them.
Also, if you have friends who love hearing about the Ottawa Valley—its history, its quirks, and some of the wild stories from around here, some about the dogs and some about the people I’ve encountered over my 56 years here in the valley—I think they’ll get a real kick out of this memoir. (I'm presently visiting Kemptville from Calgary)
And for those who want to say *“I helped publish a book”*—I’ll be including the names of supporters like you in the foreword or at the end of the book as a special thank-you!
👉 https://www.gofundme.com/u/dawna-llyn-marshall
Thanks again for being part of this journey with me. Your support keeps the stories alive!
Warmly,
DL Marshall
P.S. The book cover may change as time goes on—because even the cover gets to have its own story.

Find out what Dawna-Llyn Marshall is supporting. Check out the fundraisers, nonprofits, and causes that Dawna-Llyn Marshall is supporting today.

08/04/2025

I'm having a hard time sticking to a title for my book. Its back to Confessions Of An Ottawa Valley Dog Walker again but I don't think GoFundMe will let me change the name in certain places. https://www.gofundme.com/manage/IncorrigiblyOptimistic/edit

07/21/2025

https://www.gofundme.com/u/dawna-llyn-marshall

Find out what Dawna-Llyn Marshall is supporting. Check out the fundraisers, nonprofits, and causes that Dawna-Llyn Marshall is supporting today.

07/11/2025

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ioVdu8-nGKc