I can't say that much brings me more satisfaction than being in the company of, and working with, our four-legged friends. I have known for several years that working with dogs was something I very much wanted to do. However, it wasn't until I met Stacy Alldredge of Who's Walking Who that the possibility of changing careers even became feasible.
In the spring of 1999, I was fostering a handsome, energetic, and charming, (but extremely difficult dog), named Lulu. Lulu was a Cane Corso Mastiff, and essentially taking over my life. Meetings with clients, (at the time, I was working for Conde Nast as an Associate Publisher), invariably turned to conversations around my dogs, (Boyfriend and Maxine Brown), and ultimately the foster devil dog, Lulu. When Lulu arrived, it appeared that if I didn't get some professional help, (for both of us), then Boyfriend and Maxine Brown were going to move out and find themselves new homes.
I agreed to foster Lulu because her owners were going to bring her to a garage lot and let her be a guard dog. (This they determined would be fine because then she would never be around people or other dogs). She was only three months old, and I really believed Lulu deserved a better life, one where her aggressive tendencies would not be nurtured. I wanted to know if Lulu could have a "fuller" life, but needed the advice and consultation of someone who understood Lulu better than I did. After 3 trainers, about a thousand dollars and months of frustration, Lulu and I met Stacy Alldredege. Stacy recommended a behavior modification program, and within 6 months, Lulu was living in D.C. with another Cane Corso, and a couple of lawyers who have given her a terrific life, filled with hiking, companionship, good food and yes, vacations! (They send pictures of Lulu swimming . . . a mastiff swimming)?
The joke with my clients was always that by the time I turned 40, I would be done with corporate America. After Lulu's adoption, I started to work part-time with Stacy at Who's Walking Who, studying dog behavior and learning training techniques. In the fall of 2001, I left Conde Nast one month before my 40th birthday to work full-time at Who's Walking Who as both General Manager and trainer. And yes, as my clients predicted,I couldn't be happier!
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