Everyone needs someone. Even introverts like me have a few people that they love to hang out with regularly. People need each other, and not just because we like to have others around. People need people because they need support. They need love. They need to be able to exercise their own talents and skills without having to fill in all the gaps they were not designed to fill. People need to be part of something (a quality we seem to share with many animals). Being from a relatively large family, I have learned the value of having a support system and being part of something bigger than myself. My family has taught me so much about what it means to be there for those around us. Part one of my story was learning how to communicate and understand others, both animals and people. Though we all have family, I feel that family becomes something else, something…extraordinary, when, through communication, understanding is sought out by each individual, even our pets. That is why family is part two of my story.
My Support System
As I said above, I come from a relatively large family. My mother was a country gospel musician and homeschooled all five of her children until they graduated high school (a total of 31 years of teaching!). My father works at a successful financial planning company and has helped countless people for the past 35 years! Both of my parents are two of the hardest working people I know!
I have four siblings, one of which is younger than me. My older brother and my younger brother both serve our country in the armed forces. One of my older sisters lives on a farm and helps her husband (a police officer) run a real-estate business while raising three children (two, with one on the way). My other older sister is a professionally trained chef. She used to work in catering but is now starting an in-home bakery business while raising her daughter with her husband, who started his own software business. I also have many extended family members, many of whom have been, or currently are, teachers! Between all of them there are many areas of expertise covered, including marine biology, math, and teaching children with autism, just to name a few! This is not to mention my many other extended family members and honorary family members who have played a big role in my story and the development of H.A.T.S.
But these short summaries are not to make light of what all these people do. Not at all. If I were to explain what each of these people do for a living, how they have impacted the world, my story, and the development of H.A.T.S., I could fill many articles and a large collection of funny story books! All the people I have mentioned are pioneers and entrepreneurs. They are talented and influential; and most of all, they are family.
Being A Part of Something
So why did I tell you this part of my story? I shared this part of my story because family is part of who I am, part of what H.A.T.S. is becoming, and a part of what your pet wants to be. People and their pets need support; they need family. When I was young, my family (and the life we led) played a huge part in the development of my animal and people skills (see Part 1 of this article here). Even as I grew up, my family was still playing a major role in my life and career. Around the age of sixteen, my mom informed me that a friend of hers was a dog breeder! Shortly thereafter, I started putting my skills to use. I worked for almost five years training puppies for Shedless in Seattle Labradoodles. It was there that I gained important hands-on experience translating what I had learned as a child and applying that to puppy training (and people training). We all need family. If it were not for the way I grew up, my family, and the support and connections they offered me, I would not have had the tools to succeed! My desire to find a way to pass on the information I had acquired throughout my life, in reference to both animals and people, resulted in the founding of an animal training company…voila! My new addition to the family, Happy Animalz Training Service (H.A.T.S.) was born!
Whether we have it or are still searching for it, family is part of all of us. It is part of our lives, and the lives of our pets. Family impacts us, even when we are miles apart. Family supports us, even when we disagree. Family cares for each other, even when we are frustrated with each other and make mistakes. Because of family, I had enough support and encouragement to learn about animals when I didn’t have a dog or a horse. I had people around me who encouraged me and helped me get an education that resulted in becoming a professionally certified dog trainer, and a university graduate with a degree in general psychology. Because of family, I was able to start a business when I had no idea how to do so. Because of family, I have people who will help me when I get off track or make a mistake, guide and support me on those days I feel like I will fail, and celebrate with me on those days when I succeed. H.A.T.S. was started because I know that not every person and animal have this family support. Life can be tough, especially when we don’t communicate and work to understand each other. Life can be tough, especially when we don’t feel supported or part of something. And the same can be said for our pets. That is why I call H.A.T.S. a family! The H.A.T.S. Family is here for you! It is here to give pets and their human family members, and those whose lives they all touch, the support they need. From someone who deeply understands and has experienced the value of family, when you and your pet need support, the H.A.T.S. Family is here for you!
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