Dog walking! Dog training! Mentoring! It’s all just a part of a normal week for Whitney Duncan! ?
Like so many entrepreneurs, Whitney was inspired to start her dog training & walking business, Sit Play Stay in Jacksonville, FL, when she couldn’t find something she personally needed.
“I had adopted a puppy (Luke, a pit/lab mixed w/ Doberman/boxer) and couldn’t find any cognitive resource trainers in my area, so I looked into becoming a trainer myself and that’s where the snowball started rolling.”
Having worked as a vet tech at her local humane society, Whitney knew she loved working with dogs. Now, she spends her weeks walking dogs from 8-4 with help from a couple of contractors who she hopes to bring back to full time once COVID is over. And she spends weekends doing behavioral modification, basic obedience, and puppy training, mostly for rescue pets who are adjusting to their new homes.
“I get a lot of referrals from the humane society where I used to work. Most are shy, fearful dogs who don’t get socialized a whole lot. I’ll start with 1 on 1s in owners’ homes and gradually move on to outings and field trips and even meetups and group obedience classes in the park with other dogs I have trained in the past as the dogs get more comfortable.”
But it’s not only dogs that Whitney has trained, she also has experience training cats at the shelter. “I clicker trained them to come to the front of the cages when people approach to make them seem friendly and more adoptable.”
Always giving back, she is also a mentor trainer for Animal Behavior College and FETCH, working with students during the externship portion of their certification.
When it comes to running Sit Play Stay, Whitney relies on PetPocketbook. “PetPocketbook has made my business so much easier. I used to use a software for invoicing, a software for GPS tracking, and an old school calendar notebook for scheduling along with people texting me. It was a real pain. Now it’s all in one spot, it’s just so convenient.”
“Scheduling is super easy and user friendly. My clients tell me how easy it is to request appointments or cancel or add new information, which has been a real plus for everyone.”
Today we salute you Whitney, for turning a problem and a passion into a successful career. Cheers! ?