Biography

I was born and mostly raised on the East Coast on the New Jersey shore. I moved to Cape Cod and then to San Francisco in 1987 where I found my true home. I started a house cleaning company here and after 11 years founded a small retail internet company in 1998. In 2007 I completed a 2 year life coach certification program at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto and also in 2007 completed certification as a peer counselor working with adults with substance abuse issues.

I worked partly from home allowing for some extra free time during my days. My friends who worked 8-10 hour days would ask if I would take their pups out for a pee break. I started taking 3 dogs to the park mid-day as a favor and realized it was the part of my day I liked the most. I decide to make a business out something I loved to do anyway and started BlackPawDog in 2005. I wanted a dog of my own and I found Sierra, a 4 month old pit/lab mix at the SPCA. She was my baby and my life revolved around her. You may have see her in her red Radio Flyer wagon on our way to Duboce Park years ago.

After Sierra we adopted another pitty mix and she is head honcho in the dog pack. In 2008 I completed the DogTec Dog Walking Academy certification program. This education allowed me even more confidence and knowledge when interacting with dogs. At that time I was also cerified with PetTec first aid certification. I took classes at the Marin Humane Society on dog interactions and play group behaviors. I constantly update and modify my education.

An average day with BlackPawDog service starts by picking up each dog, rain or shine, loading them into my suv and heading to one of the many dog play areas the city has to offer. After a good run chasing balls, squirrels and each other I take the tired pups home for a long nap. All in all the pups are out for at least 1.5hrs-2hrs, sometimes more on a nice day.

When I communicate with the dogs they listen and respond positively. Everything is done with postive reinforcement and love. Let your dog come out and play and be part of the pack!