Reading all the many wonderful entries we received was a pleasure; choosing just one from among them a chore. The essays ranged from funny to poignant to insightful, and all made an excellent case for why the writers’ day jobs should go to the dogs. In the end, this was the one that we couldn’t get out of our heads. Enjoy. We know we’ll enjoy having Kait with us for the Dog Walking Academy in DC.

Why My Day Job Should Go To The Dogs
By Kait Howard

Main Entry: Dog Butt

Part of Speech: noun

Definition: When your pants have collected so much fur that your posterior starts to resemble that of your dog.  

Use in a Sentence:  Honey, don’t forget to use the lint roller to get rid of your dog butt. 

I grew up in a “pet friendly” house where we were regular sufferers of dog butt.  My mother bought her sweatpants to match the dog’s fur, birthday cards were often signed by the cats, and when our first dog was sick my father showed him a kind of loyalty that made my brother and I wonder if the dog hadn’t moved ahead of us on the food chain.  Knowing this, it should not be terribly surprising to find that as I write this essay I am sitting on the floor with my pooch so that he’ll cuddle with me instead of sitting at my desk.  It’s just the way I was raised.  

When I left for school it was an ongoing joke that I always knew it was time to come home when I had removed the last tuft of fur from every tee shirt, pair of jeans, and sock (and it does get on your socks which is always kind of amazing to me.)  It was at school that I started a casual dog walking business.  I put up fliers at local pet shops and had a few core clients that kept me busy.  It never occurred to me to take the business any farther than that.

However, now that I’m done with school, I can’t imagine giving up my business.  Walking dogs has never felt like work and isn’t that the best kind of job? As important as customer service and marketing are to a dog walker, there is such satisfaction in a canine relationship.  I was lucky to be able to run my own business as a student, but now I’d like to take my part time work to career level. I know that part of improving my business is training for me.  Education is a priority and I know this would be a great opportunity. 

Uh-oh, the dog is getting restless, time for a walk.  He’s been pretty picky lately; keeps saying he wants to be walked by a professional.  I tell him to cool his jets, I’m working on it.