I’m passionate about pups, adventures, and balance.
Hi there! I’m Sydney, and I’m so glad you’re here!
When my perfect child Muhanga the GSD entered my reality, I had a clear vision for our life together: magical adventures, daily excursions, easy, relaxed hikes, limitless energy - let’s just say reality was a little bit different.
In fact, I was absolutely overwhelmed from day one. Was he perfect and magical and a total bundle of joy? Of course! But did I also quickly find out that managing a young dog while also being responsible for all of the other elements of my life? Absolutely.
At the time I was working as a teacher and we were fully remote because of COVID. Within a couple of months after Mu’s arrival, we were transitioning to being back in person. Some of the challenges I began experiencing were:
Work: Managing a full-time in-person job with a pup at home, and as a single person with no partner to lean on
Location: Living in a city in an apartment - with a young dog. Also, I didn’t know how to find places to take him, especially when he was young and I didn’t want him in places with tons of dogs and owners who would allow him to be rushed by on-leash greetings
Mental Health: Supporting my mental health and taking care of myself with now much more limited time
Support: Figuring out trustworthy vets and dog walkers, and getting burned by incredibly bad ones (for real, I had a $2000+ emergency vet bill after a terrible dog walker gave my five-month-old puppy heat stroke)
Community: Knowing literally no one else in my city who had a dog, and having no community to ask questions of or lean on
Mindset: I constantly felt guilty and stressed, stuck in a cycle of failure and negativity (Ex: I’m going to take Mu to the park after work today! Then after having an incredibly stressful day at work I’d cancel and feel like a failure with no self-discipline)
Finances: Struggling with finances, because turns out having a dog was not quite the super-cheap and simple experience I’d been promised by friends and family
Training: Turns out my tiny puppy was also a tiny monster who was quickly growing into a nippy and rather intense teenager, and I needed someone local because I was quickly becoming overwhelmed with contradictory dog training advice online
Education and Information: I was following so many dog training and adventure accounts online, and while I loved them and was inspired, I was also so overwhelmed and didn’t know who to believe or how to figure out what my specific dog needed versus other random dogs on the internet
Time Management: It felt like I couldn’t find the time or energy needed to make sure Mu’s needs were met, especially with living in an apartment on the fourth floor. I felt constantly behind the curve trying to keep up between work and cooking and seeing friends and doing laundry and the million other things on my plate, and even overwhelmed by trying to find time - or muster up the physical strength - to consistently train
It took me years to figure out the strategies and mindset necessary to work smarter and not harder when it came to my dog while prioritizing my own self-care and mental health.
I’m here to tell you that everything you want is possible for you! The freedom to manage your responsibilities, spend all the time you want adventuring with your pup, give them a great life no matter your location or budget or mental health, and peace that comes with letting go of the guilt and stress.
