Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to make a living being a Dog Mom? Tori Mistick is here to tell us how she turned her blog Wear Wag Repeat from a creative outlet into her full-time job – including all the pivots along the way.

Are all of us communicating with our animals and we just don’t realize it?  This is one of the questions we explore today with Animal Communicator Shannon Cutts.

While Shannon grew up loving nature and always wanting a pet bird, it took many years for Shannon to follow her intuitive calling to work as an animal communicator.  Shannon shares her long and winding journey with us, including the many ways animals have been healers in her life.

Does Shannon think we all have the ability to be animal communicators?  We discuss our intuition, how to quiet our minds and demystify the woo-woo.

How did Ruby Balaram go from being a reluctant dog mom to pet industry CEO? You don’t want to miss this episode.

Like me, Ruby grew up in a house where she wasn’t allowed to have pets. So when Ruby met her partner, Turk, he came with a dog and she wasn’t so sure about jumping into the Dog Mom Life.

But when Turk’s dog got a second cancer diagnosis, Ruby witnesses the power of feeding fresh real food to dogs when the grumpy old Doberman started running around with puppy-like energy. Ruby & Turk were so amazed that they wanted to start a company to make fresh real food accessible to all dog owners.

Ruby shares their early entrepreneurial journey with us and all the pivots they made along the way to form Real Dog Box in 2015. No matter what diet you feed your dog, Real Dog Box is an easy and affordable way to add fun and healthy variety to your dog’s bowl.

By day, Jen Danna is a scientist studying infectious diseases. But at night, Jen has immersed herself in creating the world of FBI K9 Handler Meg Jennings and her dog Hawk. 

From domestic terrorism to human trafficking, the FBI K9 series follows Meg & Hawk as part of the FBI’s Human Scent Detection Team.  From page one, these books had me hooked and it felt like I was along for the ride as Meg & Hawk are tasked with locating the missing, lost, escaped or dead.

We’re diving into an age-old question today: do dog trainers train dogs … or people?  As a dog trainer and pet health coach, Jessica Fisher has a lot to share on this topic.

Despite having some “not so great” experiences with pets when she was growing up, Jessica was on her way to becoming a bit of a crazy cat lady when she met the man who would become her husband … and his chihuahua.

But it took her dog Kimberly, a rescue who came with separation anxiety, for Jessica to find her calling as a dog trainer.

We see these memes online everyday joking that all of our dogs are freelance emotional support dogs.  But what if it’s your dog’s behavior that’s causing you anxiety?

When Layla the Australian Shepherd began showing fear, reactivity and even some fear aggression, Karoline found that her dog’s anxiety was giving her anxiety!  So now what was she going to do?

Over the past 3 years Karoline has embarked on a journey of Growing & Heeling – working on her own mental and emotional health, as well as Layla’s behavioral challenges.

Who is caring for your pets when you’re traveling?  That’s the question today’s guest, Isabel Alvarez Arata, is going to help us answer.

 Isabel describes herself an advocate for in-home  pet sitting and shares with us everything we should know before hiring a pet sitter.

When she had trouble finding a dog walker for her newly adopted dog Titan, Isabel saw a career changing opportunity and spent the next 15 years running a highly in-demand pet sitting business in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC.

First we’ll meet Michelle Dumont who created a series of children’s books based on Phoebe Cakes, the tiny special needs bulldog who spent 4 amazing years with Michelle & her family.

From rides to Starbucks to her Mardi Gras Barkus Parade “float,” Phoebe lived and loved to the fullest.  Michelle’s books continue to spread Phoebe’s zest for life to children with her fun interactive books. 

 Next we’ll meet young entrepreneur Ari Minkus, the founder of Always Happy Pets.

As a middle schooler, Ari created his company to provide high-quality sustainable gift baskets for dogs filled with treats and toys. Ari shares what inspired him to start this venture, how he sources the products and why he stopped using actual baskets and what he uses instead.

6 years ago Mindy merged her passions to create her pet photography company: Dogs I Meet. From family photo shoots to working with pet brands, Mindy is dedicated to using photography to create connection through visual storytelling.

Mindy generously shares her best tips & tricks with us so we can all take better photos of our dogs with our phones. (I was doing one of these things right!)  

Did you know a good photo can even save a dog’s life? Mindy also shares with us about her experiences volunteering with animal shelters and rescues to take photos of dogs looking to be adopted.

Steph Evans is a Physiotherapist (UK term for Physical Therapist) for both people and animals.  She shares with us everything we should know to not only rehab our dogs after an injury – but also how to prevent injuries in the first place with Prehab.  We’ll also learn signs of pain to look for in our dogs and thoughts about how to choose a harness versus a collar for your dog.

Steph is also the creator of the Ultimutt Bootcamp for Pet Parents and their pups to exercise together.  Not only is this a great way to keep our bodies moving but it’s an amazing way to bond with our dogs!

After wanting a dog her whole life, 3 years ago Steph finally became a Dog Mom to Teddy the Golden Retriever – who has NOT been an easy dog. Steph is incredibly honest about her struggles with Teddy and all that she’s learned along the way. From how to select a dog trainer to motivating a dog who’s not interested in food, Steph shares invaluable insights.