🚐🐾 Mobile dog fitness? Yes, it’s a thing—and it’s AMAZING. This week on Discussing Dogs in the D, we’re stepping inside the van with Megan, owner of K9 Cardio, to talk all things slat mills (dog-powered treadmills!), high-energy pups, and why this unique service is changing lives for dogs across Metro Detroit. From anxious and reactive dogs finding confidence, to working breeds hitting top speeds (we’re talking up to 15 mph 😳), Megan shares how this mobile setup gives dogs a safe, enriching outlet—right in their own driveway. We also dive into: ✨ Why some dogs hate traditional treadmills—but LOVE slat mills ✨ The surprising benefits for reactive and nervous dogs ✨ How mobile sessions add convenience for busy pet parents ✨ Real transformation stories (Groot might steal your heart 💛) ✨ The truth behind common misconceptions Whether your dog needs to burn energy, build confidence, or just try something new—this episode is packed with insight, heart, and a whole lot of tail-wagging joy. 📩 PLUS: We’re officially opening up listener mail! Send us your stories, feedback, or even a “hello” from your pet for a chance to be featured (and win some fun goodies!).
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Hey friends, welcome to Discussing Dogs in the De podcast where Detroit's dog lovers come together. Hi, I'm Christine and whether you're a rescue volunteer, a pet parent, a shelter supporter, or just someone who can't pass a dog on the street without saying hi, you're in the right place. Let's talk about all things dogs and how they change our lives and how we can possibly change theirs.
00:00:21 Speaker: Welcome back to the show today on the podcast, I have Megan, she is the owner operator of K9 cardio. I'm not even going to try to explain all the things that this is, we are actually meeting Megan in her van and I just want you to take it away. Tell us about your van, the slat mills, all the things that we're, you know, we're in right now. Yeah, yeah. So if you don't know what a slat mill is, it is pretty much a dog powered treadmill. So your dog can go as slow or as fast as they want. They can take breaks whenever they want. I do have the speedometers that are on them. So. Okay, one of the fun features is to, to track their speeds. but yeah, I mean, it's just a really great way to get some energy out. Oh yeah, get your dog exercise. So yeah, they're not electric. They're dog powered. Okay, so explain that a little bit like so a lot of people try to get their dog on like a, like a regular motor treadmill, a treadmill too, right? Yeah, yeah. And a lot of people are like, my dog hated it. It was awful. and I think that that is because the motor like the sound hear better than we do and it's like, oh, I don't like this. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So I feel like it's either the sound of the motor or like the, the tread of a regular treadmill is more like rubbery and sticky kind of. So I feel like it's probably both both of those things together. And it wasn't built for dogs, I know that there are treadmills specifically for dogs. smaller motors, whatever, but same thing. little bit different than what you've got here with this in its actual slats and it's, you know, when they're running though, I've seen your videos when they're actually running, you can't even see the slats. so fast. I know you have a couple of dogs that are really super fast too. And it's just like they're, they're going at it. So they completely power it themselves. Okay. And I would say also too that with a regular treadmill, the motorized ones, it's, it's definitely a little bit more dangerous to do it on one of those because they can go at such a fast speed. So obviously, like if you set it at a faster speed than your dog is willing to go, then it could, you know, pull them down. and even the ones that they have for dogs, you know, like the dog pacers, which are, are fantastic. but some dogs can go faster than what those motors are built for, Like I want to say, I've talked to some, training companies that have those and I want to say, don't quote me on this, but I think that they only go like maybe six to eight miles. Wow. Okay. And I definitely have some dogs that go faster. I was gonna say I could see some dogs getting frustrated because they want to go faster and like, this is all you got? Yeah. Or even some of the dogs when they're like, I'm done and you, you're not paying attention, you're not you seeing what they're and they're just like frustrated because they want to stop, you know, so they can stop whenever they want. They can go faster if they wanted to. Yeah, that's pretty incredible. So, you know, I've seen all sorts of dogs that you've worked with, but is there a certain type of dog that you're looking for or not looking for? Or is it I mean, is this something that only, you know, working dogs tell us about? Like how? Yeah, who you want on your slatmills Honestly, there's not really a single dog that I would say that I don't want to work with because, I would say that the ones that enjoy it the most and probably are most confident with it would be your working breeds. Okay. I just ran a German shorthaired pointer who goes about thirteen miles an hour. your malinows go really fast. so yeah, the working breeds are definitely the most confident on it, I would say. I always really like to see the anxious dogs because I feel like that is the most rewarding because I know that it calms down their brain. that's the most rewarding. And then also you're nervous scared dogs. Like I always tell clients that the first time your dog gets on, they're more than likely not going to full out sprint because they don't really understand what's going on under their feet. but most dogs their second time around do fantastic because they kind of know what they're supposed to be doing. I gotcha, So I would say, the dogs that are scared. It's very rewarding to see them come back a second time with tail wagging, ready to jump in the van. just seeing their behaviors change because they, they know what they're doing because you're making this a positive experience for them. Yeah. you're cheering them on or rewarding them and they get, maybe a snack in between, but you're trying to get them to come to the snack or the, the toy or the ball. Sometimes balls, they're like, yeah, that gets that dog running, right? Yeah. And they are excited about it. Yes. And I feel like I've been finding too, that even just verbal praise is probably one of the biggest motivators. I've been joking around with some of my clients lately. Like my, my label should be a professional cheerleader because literally, like you do have to have so much energy for this job. I okay, I see a meme coming eventually. Yeah. your your dog's cheerleader of the day. I feel like this is not anything I've ever seen in Michigan. Yeah. And even when I have seen it other places, it's not mobile. So what got you into this? Yeah. so I would say my dog Leila. So she is dog reactive. So it's, it's fantastic for dog reactive dogs, and even human reactive dogs. Yes. I know that it's hard to get reactive dogs out in the public. And I worked at a training facility for about six years and they had one at their training facility. And I saw how beneficial that it was for other dogs using it and such, and even just getting them on the slat mill for, five or ten minutes before we start training. It just, it seemed like it made them kind of soak in the training information a little bit easier because they were calmer. Oh, yeah. Yeah. so yeah, Leila got me started into it. and then just the experience of being at a training facility with one for quite a few. Oh yeah. So, so why mobile versus why not have like, so why not set this up? I know that there are places that want you in their stores and want you in their facilities. Like come have a slatmill here and do these here. So why van? Why mobile? Honestly, I think it's purely just convenience. Okay. so there was a two month period of time where I had to give my van to the shop because something with the power steering. Oh, I remember that. Yes. Yeah. It was awful. They, like, just didn't have the part for it. So fortunately, scrubbers was able to host me at one of their locations. So I was able to get the slat mills out of the van and into their shop And I definitely gained a few customers from that. But I will say I was not near as busy as I am when I'm on the road because People just really like the convenience of it. Okay. Plus, a lot of my clients use me for not only exercise midday, but if they aren't home, then that means that their dog gets a potty break as well. Oh my gosh, I didn't even. it's convenient for your clients because they're working and you're drop in and visit too. Yeah. So you're going to their home, letting their dog out, pottying them, getting them on the slat mill, and then you potty them again and put them back in the house. So they're getting a twofer. Yeah. So they're getting that. I can see where yes, your clients want you there. Oh that's incredible. So for those that are not watching on YouTube and I don't have a lot of. I'm just gonna say this. I don't know a lot of people watching on YouTube yet, but, for those that are just listening on podcasts can explain the setup in your van. so we basically have here. Yeah, there's a lot, a lot going on, in a very tiny space. Yes. On a big van though. And it's a, it's a big van, but especially like when you have a whole family that wants to watch their dogs first, it can get cramped It's temperature controlled. So we're recording this on a really cold day, but I am feeling warm and toasty in here. Like I feel pretty good. It's not too hot, but it's enough for, like, to keep it warm. Absolutely. And honestly, like my heat is not at full max right now and it is sixty eight degrees. Oh that's perfect. I'll start with the slat mills. So the small slat mill has a seventy pound limit. So that's typically for your smaller dogs. Okay. The larger slat mill is one hundred and seventy pound limit. it's not always just about the poundage of the dog. It's also about their length. Oh okay. I always want the dog to be able to get a full sprint on it. Okay, so if the dog is longer then this small slat mill, I will typically put them on the larger one. but it's also too about how much weight that they can work as well. So a small dog, you know, like I've had four pound that didn't get on the small slat mill. so they can be really small. They can be very small. Yeah. But those tiny. Okay. Yeah. And especially like the, like the, the four pounders. Sometimes I have to like get it moving for them just to get the momentum going. but also the, the incline and the decline on them. So the only battery that there is to the slab mill is to raise the front. hydraulic lift. For any minor declines. especially when a dog first starts on a slab mill, I don't always put the incline on right away because I don't want them to get nervous about it and go too fast. Oh, gotcha. But also, if I incline it just a little bit, it does help them kind of pull it back behind and push harder. Exactly, exactly. So small and big. have you ever had to turn someone away because their dog is too big? No, I have not. Oh, good. I was gonna say I've heard of some really big dogs. Yeah, I mean one hundred and seventy pounds. I'm thinking that's huge. Yeah. You know, I have actually just today I ran a cane Corso who is probably around one ten, one twenty. but I also have another mastiff who, does more pop ups, I would say than like individual sessions, but that mastiff is probably close to one hundred and forty. Let's bookmark pop ups too. We'll talk about that in a minute. that's incredible that you have okay, these large dogs and you have a slat mill that fits just about. that covers a lot of breeds of dogs right there. So you have the slat mills and I see in the back corner you have harnesses too. So you have all these different sized harnesses that you you fit them. So they're going to be comfortable. Absolutely. Yeah. So you don't want too big, too small. You want it to fit just right. And you adjust it for them. And I will say, you know, during the consultation, I always have, you know, the consultation means that the owner is going to be there. I always ask them if their dog has a harness that they wear on the regular. And if it works with the slat mill and they're comfortable with it, I don't need to use mine. But obviously I do have a plethora. Oh, I was going to say you have a lot of items like that for them to fit into. And then I see well behind you involves in squeaky toys. Yep. They're welcome to bring their own though, right? Absolutely. But you have all the fun stuff here would say like a Belgian Malinois, they're going to want that Frisbee or that ball, right? Yep. He's got noisemakers of all different kinds. Kind of like I do with photography. You want to make if one noise isn't pulling them and then you create that other noise. Sometimes that's what gets them going. Or even I've seen you have what is it live I have my coyote tales. Okay. And it's in. It's like real stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. I have my coyote tales. I have raccoon tales. I have, rabbit ears. I have, like, these, like, fur covered squeakers with rabbit. so yeah, I do try to get some some pretty high priority stuff that is, high value for them, right? So if a plastic squeaker or a ball doesn't work, you're gonna try something else? Yeah. Because maybe it's not that they're nervous. It's like I'm, I don't even care about whatever you've got there. Then you got to give me something else, right? it's easier to if you can find their motivation. easier to get them to ignore what's going on under them and focus on getting something. Yeah. And then rewarding at the end. I do have treats and stuff in here too, but I do try to use those sparingly just because I don't want the dog to get sick or have bloat. But if treats are what motivates them, I will use a few treats. I so I'm with you when I'm doing pet photos. I actually don't even offer treats anymore. Try not to because I have had so many weird experiences. Because dogs, just like humans, have, treat allergies. Yeah, yeah. So if I am, I'm going to offer like something like, like Angela's treat stash where it's like that one meat product and it's not like a biscuit. I'm trying not to do this anymore anyway. I say that and it still always happens where you don't have any treats for, you know? But anyway, the fact that I'm with you, let's try and motivate them some other way before we give them snacks because one, they can get sick. We don't know their treat allergies. You know, we don't want you throwing up that kind of thing. Well, I will say on my intake forms, I always ask if if their dogs do have allergies. I typically do not ever bring chicken into the van? Just because I know that that's one of the biggest proteins that dogs. Whenever I ask, what is your dog allergic to anything? Oh, poultry. Oh, poultry. It's a yes. You're right. Chicken is very common for an allergen for dogs. Yeah. Is there anything else in this van that you'd like want to tell people about? I'm going to share like what? What are we looking at? You know, I would say, it's just a lot of preparedness. I would say. So the scale here too. Yeah. Wait, you're gonna. Yeah. So starting from like the, I guess the left side of the van going right. over here, I keep track of the stats. We have all of these. Oh my gosh, Kenan cardio friends. Oliver. Winston, sweetie. Oh my gosh. I think I might know some of these, but this is really cool. You're keeping their stats on your your board here. Yeah. So I have their name, their age, their max speed, their average speed. And once I have their max speed and average speed, I can kind of calculate their distance. Okay. Um, so yeah, those are my stats. I love that. And then I have water and water bowls if needed, just in case I will never have a dog drink an entire bowl of water because again, I don't want them to get bloat or get sick. then I have my toys service agreement for when I do pop ups, my carrots. I do have a first aid kit that I have never used. knock on wood, I know you never have to use it. Right? And then I have cleaning supplies, harnesses, extra leashes. and then yeah, down here I have my scale. So for like the dogs that are trying to lose weight. I do, weigh them every week. Oh, wow. Yeah. So the, the humans can check in and be like, oh, so we're down a half a pound. I was just having a conversation with someone. They have a dachshund and, and just three pounds overweight. But for a little dog, that's a, it's a lot. And they were, they were celebrating that she was down a half a pound. So just that little bit for a little dog is so much. you mentioned cleaning supplies. I know that just to keep it clean in here, but I'm. Tell me about your funny stories. when I checked in with you. You've had some like, oh, this just happened. Oh, yeah. Tell me about some of the stuff where you've had to, like, really clean up. Yeah. So I've only and again, knock on wood that is not in here. I've only had one dog pee on the low, which I would one hundred percent rather have a dog poop on on the mil rather than P, because P gets everywhere. And when it gets into all the grooves. Okay. Yeah. It happens. Oh. Definitely happened. Yeah, I know it's we my stuff gets peed on as a photographer too. And I'm just like, it is what it is. Yeah. Yep. I went into this job knowing that messes are a thing, you know? So I don't, I don't get upset about it at all. so I've had plenty of dogs poop on the slab. I will say not to get too grainy here, but the, I would much rather have a solid poop than, than a loose poop because a solid poop is obviously a lot easier to clean up. it can definitely get messy. And I did experience this winter, especially that, you know, if a dog doesn't want to go outside in the cold and poop, This is kind of the closest thing that they can get to kind of like that. Oh, it's warm in here. I'm loosened up and I just ran out of it and yeah, we're gonna let it loose. Okay. I can see that happening. Yeah. You know, it is what it is. And then you got the dogs that, you know, will have an anxious poop, which. Oh, there's that too. Yeah. I mean, again, you can't control. it's important to walk your dog probably a little bit before. Yes. It's so nice in here, especially when it's cold outside and they're gonna do their thing. Yeah. So you've been doing this a while now. you jumped all in outfitted this van, and you're so busy. I just feel like every time I see you, you're popping up at Premier pet supplies, scrubbers, you're going to events And then I've even seen where you come to the photo events at Premier Pet Supply feel good stories. I know a lot of your clients, but are there any where like you've seen a transformation where this is like this saved or helped or did something incredible for these dogs? Yeah, absolutely. actually one of my good friends, Sarah, her dog Groot, he's a silver lab and it was, I started to get him on the slat mill before I even had the van. Like I literally had the slat mills in my garage. and then I got the van and we started him on the slat mill. I harnessed him up and he came right out of the harness like was. Oh, absolutely not. Like he did not want to do this. we kept at it because he's such a high energy dog. so we kept at it and it was probably three or four full sessions until he started to like get used to it and run on his own. Okay. And now I go to their house every week and he's one of my highest running dogs. So if you look at the board, Groot over here goes fifteen miles an hour. He's one of the fastest dogs. It's incredible. And he gets so pumped to see me. Like I can literally hear him barking at the window when I pull up with the van. So I would say that that's definitely one of the most rewarding stories. I absolutely love that. I'm seeing a fifteen point two and that down to eleven. I mean even that's he's no slouch even at eleven point eight. That's crazy. Wow. Yeah. I mean just that feel good of like, okay, so he took a few times you know, like, I don't like this. I'm not sure about this too. Oh my gosh, here's my best friend with my, I get my running in today. Yeah. Oh my gosh. So it might take a few sessions. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. To not give up on it. Right. He's, he's one story that I always tell a lot of the clients about when their dogs are nervous because again, it could take, they could take to it right away. It could take three to four sessions. It really just all depends on the dog. Gotcha. So you one van, one woman, two medals. Yeah. Do you feel like you could be expanding soon? Yes. You do that busy? I do. Yeah. So last month I had. probably one hundred and thirty five ish sessions in one month. That sounds exhausting. Just even thinking about that. Yeah. And I want to say that when I like when it was its oldest, I probably had around one hundred and fifty sessions in one. So it's cold. People don't want their dogs walking outside. So they're calling you. you also do parties. Yeah. So tell me about your parties. Yeah. So the parties are for people who have not even, you know, just in one house, six to eight dog. Okay. But like if they have a bunch of friends that want to just try it out. Oh, if you have at least six dogs for me to run, I will break my service area to come and, and run your dogs and, and the dogs don't even necessarily have to interact. I've had it where people host a party, quote unquote, party in their driveway. And some people, especially if their dog is reactive or whatnot, they'll just stay in their car until I'm like, hey, I'm free. Like, let's, you know, get your dog running for twenty minutes for a dog party. What is the minimum that you want for something like that? Like how many dogs? the minimum I would say would be six. Okay, so you want at least six dogs for a dog party and you and you run them all. It's like half hour increments. Is that what it is? So twenty minutes, twenty minutes has always been my max because I don't want to overdo it with them. Okay, so you're doing twenty minutes at a time and they can, and it could be a dog party where their dogs are all in the backyard playing and you take one at a time and you're, you're running them or they're waiting in their vehicles You mentioned service area. Yeah. So right now you're currently in metro Detroit, but for our southeast, you know, where where's your service area? Yeah. So I will go as far east as Saint Clair Shores. Well, I mean, that's almost as far as east as you can get, right? Yeah. It's save for Canada. Right? my service area is pretty big, which has also again, kind of why I know that I need to expand I will go as far west as Livonia. Redford. Okay. Actually, even I even have some clients that are in like Northville, Novi, and then I will go as far north as Rochester Hills, Troy area. I've seen your van in Troy. Mhm. I even have one client that's in Washington Township. but the, the clients that are further away, I just ask that they're flexible so that I can schedule them during times that it makes sense for. So I'm not going from, you know, Rochester Hills all the way to, Northville in the same day. Yeah, exactly. I got you, that is a big service. Yeah, it's pretty big. So there's the potential to expand here, like soon. Yeah. Quickly. Yeah. Okay. And you, I've seen you at the pet expo. You've done talks about this and people are genuinely you bring up the slab mill and people ask questions. And what is the biggest question that people have when they are they're jumping into this and getting their dog into it. What is their concerns or, you know, how do they approach you? So, you know, it's funny. I've had some people come at me, fairly hot. I know that at the, Farmers Market. You know, some guy came up to me and he was like, well, why can't I just walk my dog? And I'm like, well, you can walk your dog and it's great for you, right? Yeah. And that's fantastic. I never want to promote not walking your dog because there's, there's a difference between this and that. he also has the, the privilege of being able to walk his dog. Some people don't. I can see where this is going. Yeah. If you, if you aren't able to watch, you're either gonna hire a dog walker. what is the difference between this and just hiring a dog walker to, you know, you could write this. They get to, you know, I climate controlled, you know, so if you have a dog that can't do really super hot days. Yeah, they're in an air conditioned van. But you're right though. Yeah, yeah. Why not? If you like, you said it's it's a privilege and an honor to be able to be able to do that. If you can't hear, you've got this. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Also anxious dogs, people ask about like how my dog will never do this. Oh my gosh. So I will tell you, that is the one thing that I would say ninety to ninety five percent of people come up to the van or to me at expos and stuff and says, I don't think that my dog's gonna do this. And my response is always, well, you can always try it. Yeah, give it a try. You never know if you don't try. Right? so yeah, I would say most people are just nervous that their dog won't do it. And I feel like once someone sees another dog on the slat mill, they all come running because they're like, oh, that's how it works. That's, you know, it doesn't look like they're being forced to do it. Right. Oh, right. I would say typically once I know it's incredible get one dog. They, they all kind of come flying, especially at expos and festivals and stuff. They want to see what you're doing, this new thing. I'm telling you, it's something that I've never seen. Yeah. I mean I went in animal welfare. We have seen slat mills. Unfortunately they're used in dog fighting cases. So there's this negative, association with them. but this is not that at all. This is not what you're, you're not trying to condition for, fighting or racing or, you know, all those kinds of things. This is pure fun. It's fun. And yeah, getting them that like release of energy, especially if they're living a sedentary life and their owners can't get them out or can't, some people are disabled, they just literally can't walk their dog. So they have to find other avenues. Yeah, this is it. And that's also another reason why I limit it to twenty minutes. Oh, because, you know, I feel like when slat mills were used and they still are used in, in dogfighting cases. but that's an episode coming soon that we're gonna talk about animal welfare Yeah, we'll get into that. Yeah. And why this is very different from they're very different. in cases like that, you know, they, they run the dog ragged, you know, so that's why I always tell people twenty minutes max. Gotcha. Yeah. And especially sometimes the high driven dogs like Malinows, sometimes they don't know when to quit. Exactly. And so you have to limit them. So they, they take that break and they're because their brain ticks a little bit differently. And you need them to like, let's refocus here. Yeah, absolutely. That's incredible. Tell me about your fastest dog. I know you mentioned Groot. He's pretty fast. Yep. So I know there's a couple other ones that are like they kill it So tell me about your you know, not that this is a competition. so there is a pup named Tessa who is a Malinois Oh. Of course. Oh, she goes absolutely buckwild on this. her mom typically just, like, lets her out of the garage. She comes right to the van, and sometimes it takes me a minute to, like, catch her and actually get her onto the slab mill because like, her brain is already just like, how do I get it going? And to you, Megan, I'm letting go. Let's go, let's go. Yeah. Um, so yeah, Tessa goes pretty fast. I want to say she's probably like, around twelve, thirteen miles per hour. Okay. And then I also have this tiny little, thirty five pound pit bull named tally. Okay. Who absolutely kills it? Yeah. And I think I've seen her videos too. Yeah. She goes pretty. She looks like she's smiling. Oh my God, she loves it. Like so happy when she's running and just like, that's incredible. Yeah. Do you know how old they are? Are they younger dogs or are they older dogs? Not necessarily. Groot, who we mentioned earlier, he's maybe six or seven. So, that's middle aged, Tessa, I want to say is three. Okay, so it's young still and then tally is ten Typekit and she's killing it. That's incredible. Yeah. So you have all ages, too? Absolutely. Wow. Yep. It doesn't really matter. And they can go at their own pace. So if they're just slow, slow going and they're moving. Yeah. And moving keeps you moving. Yeah. So that's so cool. So I want to close with, I, I know you mentioned Leila. Mhm. Uh, I love Leila. She's just the sweetest and she's lean and she's this, you know, very spirited dog. Right? But you also have. Tell me about your personal dogs. Okay. So, yeah, Leila is my lamb collie mix. She is, I want to say going on six. Okay. that sounds crazy, because it feels like just yesterday that I got her right. she's my dog. Reactive dog, obviously, in the house. I do have one other dog, and I, through training, I have gotten them to be, you know, copacetic with each other. They're totally neutral. They absolutely love each other. that's incredible that you were. That took time though, didn't it? Oh, it took a lot. Yeah, it took a lot of time. And even still, you know, I have to to just watch, you know? You know, she has her moments. Yeah, she definitely has her moments. And then I have Ty, who is my classic American Bulldog. He's a little squishy. Oh my God, I absolutely love the Bulldogs. I know that they are not bred the greatest. But I will say with Ty being a classic American bulldog, he does have like a longer snout. Okay, so he does have a little bit more stamina. He doesn't have those breathing issues. He definitely has the allergies that a typical bulldog would have, unfortunately. But they are two very completely different dogs and you run them both Yes, I do. So Leila, literally, if you squeak a ball, she she's gonna go, oh yeah, absolutely. Ty. I have to have a treat up to his nose to get him going. Okay. Food in the the only motivator. Gotta have the food for me. I love that, but I think it's. It's amazing. you have worked with dogs, and you haven't always been this. You've been a trainer. You've been a dog au pair. Isn't that what you call it? Yeah, yeah. Okay, so you've done all these different things, And I'm not going to put words in your mouth, but me knowing you that it was the health of your dogs that motivated you to do this, you know? Or even Leila needing an outlet that's creative. I feel like because you've worked with them and you understand them, you also understand. I've seen you in analyzing dog body language and knowing like, oh, this is going to work. We'll be fine, you know? And it's like that they, they take right to it because you know how to assess that. Yeah. Because of your years and years of experience with them. So I think the huge part of why I wanted to have you on though, is this. This is new. It's creative. but also your love of animals is what brought you here, you know, and this is something for yourself, you know? Yeah. I've been working with dogs since I was twenty, twenty one, and now I'm thirty five. So it's, you know, I would like to say that I can read a dog fairly. Oh, I trust your judgment. If I, if I had to bring you a dog that I was worried about, I knew I could trust you. You understand that body language and, you know, like, hey, we gotta let's back up for a second and get some space, you know, well, and kind of coming back to that twenty minute maximum is, you know, especially a dog that runs fast, you know, like we're talking about. Tessa Groot tally. yes, twenty minutes is my max. But if a dog is going crazy fast like that, I'm always watching them. I'm watching their breathing. So if twenty minutes isn't what we do. Then twenty minutes isn't what we do. You know I will give them breaks. I will stop them at fifteen minutes. You know, if I have two dogs in the van at once. I will do ten minutes with one, twenty minutes with the other, and then another ten minutes. You know what I mean? So it's not always twenty minutes. It's not always cookie cutter. Good point. So you it might be seventeen minutes and this dog's tapping out and like I'm not in it anymore. So like we're done and especially on a first session. Oh, gotcha. Typically I won't do a full twenty minutes because I want to end it on a, on a good note where they're still excited about it and still happy. I don't again, I don't want to run them ragged. Right. You want them to want to come back as the dog, you know, like, oh, I want to enjoy this. That's perfect. Is there anything else you want to share with people about this? I feel like we have a story brewing with this. And like if you're going to expand and all the things that I think you're going to do, I mean, we're going to have to talk about it later. Yeah. But share, share with us. You know, I could literally talk about it all day today tells me that you love it. I do, I absolutely love this. It's it's a big passion. And even if I, if and when I do expand, I don't want to be the one that is just behind the marketing or just behind the socials, you know, I want to be the one that is actually running dogs because it just purely makes me you love seeing that joy on their faces and on that. And that's what brought you to this. That's amazing. Well, I really appreciate you being on the show for me today. And I just, I adore all the things that you are trying to make happen for people and their dogs in Metro Detroit. I just see that this is something that I, you know, it's going to go places and I just love it for you. So thank you, I appreciate you. Well, thank you for having me on. Absolutely.
00:34:07 Speaker: Hey friends, thank you so much for tuning into the show today. And before we wrap up, we want to hear from you. We've mentioned listener mail before, but so far we've only received one message and that's okay. We know you've got stories to share. We now have a new email address just for listener mail, and we'd absolutely love to hear from you. Send us your stories, your feedback, or even just a hello from your dog, cat, or any beloved pet that you have in your life. We want to share your voices and your pets with our community in a bonus if we read your message on the air. You could score some fun prizes and giveaways. You can reach us at dogsinthed@greatlakespet.org and we'll have the email in our show notes so you can find us there. Thanks for listening and we'll catch up next time. Stay kind, stay curious, and give your dog a cookie for me.