How Dogs Saved My Life

Dogs are incredible beings that have always been part of my life, long before I founded Pooch & Zen.  Most of my family either have dogs or had them at some point in their lives.

Dogs are loyal companions that provide unconditional love and bring instant joy. They have a way of teaching us how to live in the present and not take things too seriously.

I recently found some old albums from when my dad lived in Rhode Island. He had taken photos of the dogs in his life, including a Cocker Spaniel named Mitzy and a Border Collie. On my mom’s side, they had a hound dog in Taiwan named Motzu. My other brother had three dogs too.

The Extended Family Pack

My sister-in-law had the sweetest and happiest dog, Scooby. He was a three-legged Terrier mix who loved going on walks when I lived in Portland, OR. That boy made a huge impression on me and we shared a strong bond.

After Scooby passed away, they adopted another dog, Selkie, from a local rescue. She has a gorgeous marble coat and loves chasing balls and squirrels. Belly rubs are a daily staple for this sweet pooch.

Finding My Path Through Dogs

Dogs played a pivotal role in my life in 2021, when I went through severe depression for about a year. At that time, I had been running a graphic design business for 20 years. Toward the end, I was burnt out and wanted to quit everything.

I stopped working and didn’t want to do anything except sleep all day. I was constantly in my head, worrying about things I couldn’t control. I stayed in this loop until one day, something changed.

My partner started to board dogs through Rover at our home to make additional income. Before I fell into depression, I used to love walking in our neighborhood, so I focused on walking our dog clients every day.

Over the course of a few weeks, as I took the dogs on walks, I started to come out of my depression. I woke up and remembered what used to make me happy in life: walking.

Dogs didn’t judge me for what I was going through. And I fell in love with them for that simple reason.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had been putting other people before myself when what I really needed was the opposite. I was trying hard to provide for my family but somewhere along the way I forgot about self-love.

The Birth of A New Adventure

While we were using Rover to supplement our income, I started noticing a pattern. Our client base was mostly rescue, anxious, and senior dogs that needed to be walked.

That inspired me to join the platform and focus on walking dogs. From there, we started boarding additional dogs at our home.

During the summer, my client base grew dramatically and I took over all of the boarding. I started a professional dog business called Pooch Patrol. By September, I left Rover and went all in on this new direction in life.

I had finally found a new path that was incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. The dogs gave me purpose and there was a strong demand for the specialty we offered in our Portland neighborhood.

Today, the business is thriving and the client base continues to grow. My son runs it with my former partner, and they still work with many of the same clients I served, so there’s a happy ending to that chapter of the story.

Chilling Out With the Pooches

Two years after launching that business, I started another one to help our clients. Most of our dog clients had some form of anxiety.

To help them, I created a business called Pooch Chill, where I sold high-quality CBD (cannabidiol) for dogs. It’s powerful for helping with reducing anxiety, easing inflammation, and supporting dogs dealing with more serious health issues.

It transformed one of my Golden Retriever clients who could barely walk before the CBD. And it chilled out one of our severely anxious Shiba Inu clients who was sensitive to loud noises.

From the Coast to Zen

The story of Pooch & Zen began while I was living on the Oregon coast for six months. In that area, everything moves at a relaxed pace and work opportunities are limited.

I was renting a room in Brookings and needed a flexible source of income that could grow with my changing lifestyle. I wanted it to be remarkable and unexpected. That’s when I came up with the idea to blend my love for dogs, the coast, and Zen wisdom with a product line.

The rental didn’t work out and nothing else was available nearby. The next best option was camping at the local state park, Harris Beach. I was surrounded by trees, the ocean, and dogs. What more could I ask for?

That’s how dogs saved my life and helped me discover a new purpose. This is the first chapter of Pooch & Zen’s story and there's more to share.

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