Hi I'm back!! I hope the last few weeks have been great!
The last time I wrote it was about being aware of how you use your time! The idea was that not many people can just jump off the cliff from career path to life path lol BUT there IS time to get something started... HOLY CRAP lol I just got distracted by the first XMAS ad for kmart layaway!! I don't care how many hours there are in the week!! This is too soon hahahaha ANYWAY...well I had planned to start writing again last week but I ended up using my free portions of the 168 hrs a week to work on my side project (with my friend sheila) Clio&Matty. Baby blankies, burpies, drool bandannas, and bibs- half cut, sewn, and stacked ALL over the place hahahaha! (check it on facebook sometime.) I realized though, that writing this blog is something I enjoy so I need to back in the swing!!
After the BIG salon closed and I was working at the small salon in Powell I started my first side project! I designed my own reusable grocery tote and started sewing! It was fun but ultimately not much money was made and much money was needed! ;-) So my friend Lynne had listened to me talk(whine) about my career/money problems and started talking to me about dog walking! She owned a dog walking & pet sitting biz and I... owned a dog! I was desperate and she was really wanting to go back to school to finish prerecs for nursing school! We both found ourselves on the brink of change. At the time, I wasn't as aware of how big this was for her but I was terrified to lose everything I had worked for! I've written before about my state of identity crisis at this point. I was embarrassed to not be able to make enough money on my career path!!
Well, I took her up on her offer. * side note* I have a personal saying "every new experience is a new wardrobing opportunity" hahaha the thing is- I really believe this! I was in Chicago at a work trade show and bought a super cute pair of white flats onatsuka tigers at Nordstrom (clearly I hadn't adjusted to broke girl status yet lol) that look like little golf shoes. I envisioned myself as this bouncy cute dogwalker. HAHAHAHAHA!! if there is something more emphatic than TOTAL OPPOSITE than that would have been the reality of me as a dog walker.
Lynne started my training with me shadowing her and meeting the dogs; but it was so much more than I realized!! People had to trust me to have their house keys, alarm codes, parking passes and their precious baby dog!One thing that really helped me was the time issue. When each appointment is 20 or 30 mins and then you have to get to the next dog and they ALL have to be done between 10:30ish and 4ish you HAVE to stay on sched!! Just like a busy HAIRSTYLIST! Also I was already very familiar with the area where I would have most of my dogs! I can and will go on to tell you lots of funny stories about this adventure but for now...
My friend Lynne had the nerve to buy the dog walking biz after she had career changes that were out of her control. I realize now that we had alot in common careerwise. Then she had the nerve to hire her hair stylist to work for her! hahaha ridiculous! She was alittle desperate;-)
Eventually I was working almost the entire schedule 2 or 3 days a week and sometimes petsitting in my house. Now THATS fertile ground for blog stories lol.
She paid me fairly. I worked hard. We became even better friends, especially since we lived in the same neighborhood!Lynne busted ass to get great grades AND she also started dating a guy whose dog had spent the night at her house before he did ;-) His dog Foster was also the first dog that my dog would walk with and not freak out!!
Im not kidding when I say that we ALL grew exponentially during those few years! I was hired back with the new owner of the dog business and, oh yea, Lynne sold it! Shes quite happy in FL with her former client- owner of Foster the dog! ;-) She took a chance to change her career path because an amazing life path opened up!!
I still love walking my 5 or 6 dog walk clients but I only petsit Lulu and Bronx. Its one thing to not do something because you're afraid. Its another to try your best and realize you DON'T LIKE IT! Petsitting random dogs- not for me lol
So I really didn't expect to tell someone elses story tonight but I realized as I wrote that Lynne was at the same crossroads as me! I think I mentioned in a previous post, I have some REALLY interesting and brave friends!!;-)
** so tonight I don't really have a totally random story. Im just going to hit ya with random phrases about my experience as a dog walker. Maybe I'll elaborate later hahaha
* pee on foot* screaming house alarm* walking on paper towels*tire blowout* knocked over* talkin to homeless dudes* bird dog chasing an airplane* empty poop bags in every pocket of every article of clothing* losing keys*THE FLU* show must go on* cats scaring dogs* two hands to pick up st bernard poop*writing funny notes to people ive never met*learning to carry wet wipes because some bags have holes...* talkin to cops* becoming a regular in my fav neighborhood* ;-)
