157: Passion and Compassion with Renee Neideigh
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Summary:
Renee Neideigh, owner of Day with Renee Dog Walking, dove into pet sitting to avoid burnout as a vet tech and better align her passion with her mission. She talks about how to care for pets (and their owners) after a cancer diagnosis and the importance of just being there for them. Renee shares what the transition into pet sitting has been like, and the importance of authenticity and honesty in pet care. We discuss how to build a better relationship with our clients and how pet sitters nurture a better bond between the pet and their owner.
Topics on this episode:
Lessons from a vet tech
Reiki in pet care and living it’s precepts
Passion and compassion
Securing confidence in your clients
Pets as teachers and healers
Main takeaway: Secure confidence in your clients through how you live and work out your core values.
About our guest:
I have a genuine love for all creatures and I was born knowing that my purpose in life was to be an advocate for animals. As far back as I can remember I had a deep love of nature. I have been pet sitting and walking dogs since I was an adolescent.
I am a licensed veterinary technician and I graduated from Harcum College in 2006. In 2013, I successfully obtained my veterinary technician specialty license in oncology, certified by the Academy of Internal Medicine for Veterinary Technicians (AIMVT). I also practice Reiki and I am initiated in the First Degree of the Usui Shiki Ryoho system of natural healing.
After devoting almost two decades in veterinary specialty medicine, I decided to follow my heart and Day With Renee was born. The human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial and spirited relationship that influences the health and well-being of both. I believe our animal companions are our teachers and healers. It is our duty to keep our pets happy, healthy and maintain the best quality of life possible.
Cultivating meaningful and trusting relationships with pet owners is of utmost importance to me. I am naturally empathetic and I am not only here for your cherished pet but you as well. Striving to exceed expectations, I will tailor my visits to meet the individual needs of you and your pet.
When I am not working you will find me embracing my love for the Pacific Northwest. I enjoy hiking, running, biking, traveling and tending to my plants. I live a healthy, holistic lifestyle and I feel the need for vigorous self-care, keeping my mind, body and spirit energetically balanced.
Links:
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Email us at: feedback@petsitterconfessional.com
A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
pet, clients, people, helped, animals, business, hear, pet sitters, oncology, life, reiki, dog, relationships, year, owner, veterinarians, energy, feel, reacting, home
SPEAKERS
Renee, Collin
Collin 00:17
Hi, I'm Megan I'm Collin. And this is pet sitter
00:20
confessional, and open and
00:22
honest discussion about life as a pet sitter
Collin 00:24
brought to you by time to pet and pet sitters International. Rene Neideigh, owner of de with Rene dog walking is all about the human animal connection, and bond. Today, she talks about the importance of the three words that drive her business, passion, patience, and compassion. We have a really good conversation focused around authenticity, what it means to be honest with our clients, and how we as pet sitters can help build a mutually beneficial relationship between the client and their pet. Let's get started.
Renee 01:02
It is a pleasure to be here today. My name is Renee Neideigh. I have always had a deep love for animals and nature ever since I was the little girl. So ever since I was a little girl, I just always knew that my purpose in life was to advocate for animals. And it was a field that I knew I wanted to go into. So I went to harcum College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and I got my license there as a veterinary technician. And that led me to a job at the University of Pennsylvania there veterinary hospital. And that's where I fell into oncology. And I now I'm, I have a specialty license in oncology. And it just has taken me many places. And now, you know, I moved to Seattle in 2015. And then, you know, after 17 years, I made a very difficult decision to leave. And I started my own pet care business a little over a year ago.
Collin 02:12
That's really exciting. That's a really big move after so many years in the vet side of things. Why did you make that transition?
Renee 02:19
Yeah, it was a hard decision. But I was suffering from burnout. And it was bad. It was a very dark time for me going through that. And I tried very hard to stay in the field, because at one time, it was my passion. But I had to walk away to save my health. I mean, it got to the point that I was having physical symptoms, I was so burned out. You know, we went to Europe six months before I made the decision to start my business. And we were there for three weeks. And when we got back and I had to go back to work. I was bad. I, the day before I had to go back to work, I actually went into like an animal lactic reaction. I think I was that stressed, there wasn't that much going on. I just got back from vacation, I was in a good place. But I was that stressed that I really, my tire body was reacting to it. And I think that was a turning point. For me. I was like, Okay, I need to figure out my new path. So I'm a very spiritual person. And I always go inward when I'm in these times of crisis. And literally, it took a couple months, but I had a dream. And I woke up in the middle of the night, I sat up and I whispered to myself, you are going to start your own pet care business. And that was and that was that there was no stopping me. You know, a lot of people were like, you know, overnight, this might not be a good idea. And I said, Nope, this is where I'm at. It was my path. And I'm so glad I took this path because it changed my life.
Collin 04:12
I love hearing that about, you know how you were still had this passion for animals and that you were still able to continue doing with that. So So what is it like now running, running a pet business? And how are you handling burnout now maybe differently than you were before? What kind of things are you setting up in place to prevent that down the road?
Renee 04:32
Absolutely. And it's something I think about all the time and that I worry about. The thing that is different from veterinary medicine and pet care is what I'm finding my job previously, there was a lot of high emotion and I did oncology. So I was dealing with a lot of, you know, end of life care, which I do now, but it is different. I was in the veterinary setting. I consider myself an empath. So I'm fieri I'm sensitive to energies around me and stressful situations, I pick up on that energy and I kind of take it on as my own. And I think what got to me after it was 17 years was the cumulative effect of all of this stuff from 17 years, it just was too much. So now, I, you know, I have not felt any sense of burnout yet, but I am thinking about it. So what I'm trying to do is, make sure I'm taking the time off that I need to be taking off, make sure that the relationships I'm cultivating with owners are trusting relationships, and they're healthy. And in a lot of the pets I see now are healthy, they're not, they're not sick, it's fun for me, I'm on my own, I'm not interacting with as many people as I was previously. So it's less energy, it's all me in the pets. If that makes sense,
Collin 05:59
it does. You're really you're meeting them at a very different stage in life. Most times, I know, you still deal with end of life patients, but the vast majority of pets that are coming in that you're encountering aren't, you know, at the end of life every single time. And so it's not just what I'm hearing is it wasn't just the stress of the schedule or anything like that, but just this emotional, being emotionally empty every single day, because of the kind of pets that you were interacting with.
Renee 06:30
Absolutely. And there's so much about veterinary medicine that a lot of people don't know about, you know, there's just a lot going on there. It's stressful. Another thing that I think that really was a factor was veterinarians are paid on a commission base. And I don't know if a lot of people know that.
Collin 06:53
No, and I didn't.
Renee 06:55
Yeah, so, you know, and most veterinarians, you know, 95% are veterinarians are not going to use that to make alter their decisions that they make. But there have been a few instances for me, where veterinarians are commission based. So they use that to push things that maybe necessarily aren't required or needed. And when you see something like this happening in the vendor Neri world, where it's filled with empathetic people who are all there for their love of animals, it really eats away at you, you see these things, and you try to do what's best. And sometimes you don't win in that battle. And you have to live with that. And it eats away at you. And I just couldn't be a part of it. I just felt like, I wasn't giving back to animals as best as I could. And I can't change external factors. But one thing I could change was myself and remove myself from a situation. So I did.
Collin 07:58
Yeah, no, that's huge. Just taking on that personal agency going, Okay, like, what what, what do I have control over right now? Well, it's me. And now on my own right, I can make these calls, I can make these decisions, I can do things, the way that I have always wanted to maybe or you know, in a new and different way than I was doing it before to give the kind of care that you really want them to have.
08:22
100%
Collin 08:24
so after 17 years in being on the veterinary side, how is that how is being a licensed vet tech to help you in your business?
Renee 08:33
You know, it really has, and I have a story I'd like to share about how it has helped me. It wasn't a it's not a story with a happy ending. But it made a horrible situation better. I had a pet staying with me who I knew very well. And she was with me for about four days. And on the day that she was supposed to go home. She just seemed a little off something she ate her breakfast, she went out potty. She just seemed off to me. And I couldn't figure it out. So I checked her heart rate and her heart and she was a larger dog medium sized to larger breed dog. And her heart rate was 160 maybe 151 60. Now for a dog her size and how kind of doll she was her heart rate I would have figured would have been anywhere between 60 and 80. Maybe a resting heart rate. So when I felt that heart rate, I knew immediately something was really wrong. So her owner was due to come back in a few hours. I was supposed to drop her off at her house and leave and then her owner was going to be back and I struggled like I need to take her in so I did I got her to the veterinarian her temperature was 104 point two which is very high for a dog it should be about one or one to one 100 to about one to 1.5 she was very sick. And just the night before I had her at the park, she was running around chasing ball, I was even sending her mom pictures of her like look at her. And in that short amount of time she plummeted Well, it turns out she had what we call a parrot, we think was a period net neoplastic disease, which is a fancy way to say we think she had cancer in her bone marrow. And now that wasn't confirmed, because her owner ultimately ended up deciding to euthanize. But because I got her to the veterinarian, her mom was able to get home and be with her to say her final goodbye. Now, this haunts me. And it's something that this is the first time I'm talking about this, because this has haunted me because I keep thinking if had I just taken her home, I left her at home, there's a good possibility her owner could have came home to her pet dead. And I checked her heart rate. That's what I did. All her other vitals seemed okay. So that's why I'm like, I am so fortunate for my degree. And that this, my degree in my vet tech history, lead has led me to this moment. That's why
Collin 11:19
you sit there and you think about all the what ifs and what could have happened. But knowing it turned out the reason it did, because of your background. And because of how attentive you were in the queues that you were looking into. And yeah, it is, it is crazy to think of just how quickly that turned. And it's a reminder that when we're taking care of pets, is really much more than just coming in throwing food, letting them go out to pee and then leaving, right, it's paying attention to all these little things. And, and, and being very attentive to them. Because one of the things you started off with that I love this word, it's being an advocate for them is is that's what we are when we're in their midst, when we are taking care of them, we need to advocate for their health for what they want to do. Because they can't they can't really tell you how they're feeling. And so being attentive and looking for these little signs helps you be a better advocate.
Renee 12:14
Absolutely. 100% it's, you know, and they are stoic animals. I mean, I've seen animals coming into the veterinary hospital that should be in so much pain, and you can't tell because they're just such stoic animals. And you like you said they can't verbal and verbally communicate to us. So we kind of have to rely on the nonverbal communication, which even in humans, I think that they say nonverbal communication is like 85% of our communication, even with humans. So yeah, it's a very, it's very interesting thing.
Collin 12:57
You mentioned there about your background in oncology, I was curious how you how you came into that field and started learning about that in the on the vet side?
Renee 13:06
Yeah, you know, it's interesting, because I, I, it found me, I had, I had no intention of going into oncology, but I did, um, like an internship at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, after my schooling, we're required to do this through that college. And I went through the oncology department there, and they just kind of were like, we're hiring. And we really want you would you can and I was just coming out of school, I didn't have a job. So I was like, absolutely, it was always my dream to work at a university. So I took the job, no problem, but it just, it really opened my doors, and I just fell in love with oncology. I just, I love building relationships with people. You know, I'm not very, I'm a very deep person. So dealing with deeper issues really fulfills me. And it just took off from there. And I spent from 2006 to 2000, when I left about a year ago, all in oncology, and before that, I did emergency medicine.
Collin 14:14
Now, one thing that I kind of want to pick your brain and get your take on was when an owner gets a cancer diagnosis for their pet, you know, in particular, what makes that kind of diagnosis. So, so impactful, versus another kind of diagnosis.
Renee 14:32
Cuz it changes everything. In animal oncology. It's rare that we can cure something. You know, our main focus is on quality of life and most cancers are systemic, meaning they're throughout the entire body. Now, unless they have a localized tumor that can be removed, and then they can go home and be done with it. But most of the time it's internal. It's we have to give chemotherapy or radiation And the life expectancy in animals with cancer is a lot less than in humans. And so immediately when they hear that, they're already thinking, Okay, my time is limited, that you start to think about death, you know, I'm going, chances are, I'm going to lose my pet. Within the next week, couple weeks, months, or less than a year. It changes everything. I mean, just the day before life was great, and now, it's not, it's your main focus. And it's so impactful. I mean, animals more and more, there are children, people, a lot of people don't aren't having human children these days, so that your pets become your child. They're everything. They're a part of the family, how do
Collin 15:47
you walk with a client or a pet owner through that kind of diagnosis, maybe understanding what's going on and the options that they have?
Renee 15:56
Yeah, it's a lot. Because, you know, when they first hear this, they're, they're in a fog. And there's a lot of unknowns. So I think the best way to walk with your owner through the journey, I call it the journey, because it is a journey from start to finish, it is a journey filled with a lot of emotions, and a lot, a lot of grief. And they're questioning all their decisions. So the best way to be there for them is to demonstrate empathy. And I think empathy and listening to them is what they really need. You know, and for me, personally, when I'm walking through my clients with this journey, just because of my history, I'm there for them emotionally. But I also have a knowledge base that I can help them, you know, decipher through. And even financially, they're given a lot of times, they're given, you know, 234 options, and they have these estimates. And it's expensive, so I help them guide them financially too. And I try to be a voice of reason to them. Because a lot of times, like I said, they have this feeling of guilt, if they do something and it doesn't turn out, or they just there's a lot of guilt. So you have to just let them know, they're doing the best they can with what they have just always being there. And listening
Collin 17:23
to say it sounds like doing an awful lot of listening and, and advice whenever you can give it or you feel comfortable, but really letting them then process and supporting them as best you can.
Renee 17:36
Yeah. And the other thing I do is if I notice a subtle change in a pattern I'm caring for that has cancer, every subtle change, I noticed I communicate with the client, because something very subtle can be very important, or detrimental to the pet. So even just, you know, I'm very attentive to the pets with cancer more so than the other because things can change in a second.
Collin 18:02
Well, just like that story that you had told earlier about how how drastically that changed. So to really paint paying as close attention as you possibly can. Do you find that you work with a lot of dogs who have a cancer diagnosis? Do you try and do that specifically? Or do people find you because of the background that you have?
Renee 18:24
Yes, I do have a lot of pets with cancer. And I do have a lot of people that refer to me for that reason. Even some of the hospitals in the area refer to me specifically to help their clients with emotional support. Because at the veterinary hospital, as much as they want to be there for their clients and give them that extra emotional support. Sometimes they can because they're busy. You know, if they're seeing 10 to 15 cases a day plus all their other tasks, they don't have time to sit on the phone for 30 minutes to an hour to discuss these things. So that's where I come in. And that's the part of my job that I've always loved. I wish at my old job I could have sat there all day on the phone and talk to me and but I couldn't I had a million other things to do so it kind of it was hard I wasn't able to give to my clients as much but now I can I can go sit with them in their home well with COVID it's changed things a little bit but we do the best we can but you know I can really be there for them now. Yeah, so
Collin 19:36
yeah, that sounds like a big a big shift for you and being able to do something that you've always wanted to do and now you have a better opportunity to do it.
Renee 19:44
Yeah, and I do do a lot of pets with special needs as well without cancer or pets with other issues that they have I you know I help with or even you know, I have pets that have anxiety. It things like that I just I really am drawn to pets with special needs, I just really I just understand them. And I like to work with them and build relationships and see them progress. It's just very fulfilling.
Collin 20:15
Yeah, especially if you have that, you know, the background that you have, and that desire that you've had for this long to be able to, to be able to go, Okay, now I can help in new in different ways. And I can tackle these on like in their home and deal with environmental things and deal with behavioral issues and concerns that pet parents may have. And look at this a little bit more holistically, maybe, as you as you want.
Renee 20:40
Yes, that's that's exactly what a good point, the holistic approach is where I'd like to come in.
Collin 20:47
Now, if someone's listening to this, and maybe they have a client that has a cancer diagnosis, or maybe they don't have one yet, but they might, what is something that everyone can do to give better care to their clients that have cancer?
Renee 21:02
Yeah, I would say, allow your client to be vulnerable, and allow yourself to be vulnerable, and show your support. And, also, I think it's important when people are going through difficult experiences, they're not themselves. So sometimes, clients may react to things, or they may react to things that they wouldn't normally react, they're emotional. So I think it's important to not take things personally, which is so hard to do. It is so hard to do to not, you know, understand that their the way they react really has nothing to do with you. And that if they do overreact, I don't like that word. But if they do, most of the time, they'll come back, they'll look they'll notice it and they'll come back, and they'll apologize. And you just have to understand that, you know, they're in a fog, they're in a rough time, they are allowed to have emotions.
Collin 22:01
Yeah, yeah, they're gonna have good days, and they're gonna have really, really bad days. And they might even they might not even know know, what they're experiencing might not be, as you mentioned, that, you know, they're in a fog, they're not going to know really what emotion they're experiencing it at, at some days because of all of the the stress and the fears and anxieties that they have around around that their pet and that diagnosis. So just being able being completely gracious and not mentioned, you know, as you said, don't take that personally just go. Okay, and move on. Because, you know, they're going through an awful lot. And we need to recognize that that yes, the pet needs care, too. But the owner is also needing a lot of grace and a lot of leeway because they're hurting as well.
Renee 22:46
Yes, absolutely.
Collin 22:50
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Renee 23:35
Yes. So before I get into the Reiki because even that is something newer to me. I, I have been working with like natural healing energy work my whole life. I didn't even realize it. It's just something I've always I've thought I've it's like I ever since I was a little girl, I was always able to go into a room and just pick up on energies or, you know, see two people interacting. And I can tell if there's tension or you can just feel it. It's like when you have you ever entered a room after there's been an argument. They're not arguing anymore, but you enter and you can feel it. You're like that tension. That's the energy I'm talking about. And I think we all know what we're talking about. It's and you see it in nature too. Even when you're out in nature with the trees blowing. It's this universal life force that exists everywhere. pets have it, you can feel an energy from them. So I always had this since I was a little girl and I just always kind of felt like a weirdo. Because I try to talk about it to people and they're like, No, we don't really understand what you're talking about. And I'm like, okay, so I kind of learned to suppress this about myself this sensitive side of myself. I suppressed it because I do just wasn't really people weren't reacting to it, like I'd hoped or I didn't really find many people like me out there. So I suppressed it. But then as I got older, and I started to become more into myself, and you know, loving myself, I now I embrace it, it's like actually my superpower. It's, it's gotten me to where I am, you know, I'm an empathetic person. And then moving out to Seattle, I found there were a lot more people out here like me. It's just kind of the culture here. There's that kind of culture just already existed here. So when I got out here, I took a Reiki class, I think it was about a year and a half or two ago. And I'm like, so basically, Reiki is this universal life force. It's an energy healing. It's living in a way that promotes harmony with others. So basically, you're offering energy for the body to heal. And the best way that I can explain it to you is how it was explained to me by my teacher was, you know, when you're you stub your toe, or you hit your knee, and you're like, ow, and something hurts. And then the first thing you do is you put your hand on the spot that hurts, right? So that's Reiki. And that's exactly what it is. It's just this transfer of energy to the patient. It's more about being versus doing. Now, if that makes any sense to you.
Collin 26:33
Yeah, but but what I you know, but putting in that terms, I have never heard it described as, because it is it's instinctual, you you grab your own injured toe, like, I stub my toe all the time. I am very clumsy. Just as anybody who's been around me, I'm constantly stubbing and bumping into things, that's a very natural reaction is to grab it, hold it, massage it, and to hear that that's actually maybe the beginnings of this and then to take that next step and then be, you know, being with somebody else in that same way. Or in this case, pets, and how you're implementing it in your in your practice.
Renee 27:10
Yeah, absolutely. The the kind of behind it is, have you ever heard the chakras and the body? Have you ever heard of those? The they're like the chakras that lie in the body?
Collin 27:21
Yes, yeah, I don't know a whole lot about them. But I have heard of them.
Renee 27:24
Well, there's this other, you know, according to this, they're Shockers along the body and they hold energy. And so basically, what you're doing is helping release that stored up energy and helping balance it of Reiki, which is basically a code of conduct. So it's not only the practice of Reiki that I was drawn to, but it's kind of the lifestyle of it. It's it's a healthy way of living a balance, so you're better equipped to handle life. So we have five precepts there. Do not for today only. So it's kind of living in the moment you only focus on today. Don't worry about tomorrow, don't worry about the past. For today only. Do not anger, do not worry. Be humble, be honest, in your work, be compassionate to yourself and others. So it's just kind of this good mantra of a better way of living, and it helps you get through the day.
Collin 28:25
Yeah, as you said, like, it's, it's this this way of living that is to prepare yourself and your body and the energy that you have to better cope and be prepared for things that may happen in the future when imbalances come along.
28:40
Yes.
28:42
Now, how do you incorporate that into petsitting?
Renee 28:47
Well, actually, the way I incorporate in the petsitting is by focusing on myself, because I am such a strong believer and that our energy is felt by the pets we deal with I have to make sure that I'm in a balanced place while working with these pets. If I'm not balanced, because they pick up on our energy so easily they that's how they respond to it. I mean, I have a pet that I work with and I don't even speak with I can just look at her and she knows she's so in tune. They're so intuitive animals they know. And so I have to make sure I'm balanced because if I'm not they pick up on that and then it affects their quality of life. So I do it by working on myself can making sure I'm balanced and I'm not always balanced. I'm not perfect. I have bad days. You know, I have moments but I do my best every day. I really do. And and sometimes I have a bad day. And then I go be with a pet and I'm instantly feeling better. So it's it's working back and forth. Their energy helps me to
Collin 29:55
Yeah, I think we've all had those days where something's off like we You know, that phrase, you know, woke up on the wrong side of the bed, or we're out in some way, and nothing goes right, none of the dogs behave, they're all reacting differently and kind of crazy and, but they're reacting to us and I love you know, that's a great reminder of the dogs are going to pets that you're taking care of are reacting to what we're bringing into their environment into their world. And to be really super mindful of that. Because that's going to set how that sit goes, that's going to set how that walk goes. And to really make sure that, you know, we're taking care of ourselves, so that we can give them the best care possible.
Renee 30:38
Yeah, and you know, it's funny, you know, you know, how you said you're clumsy? Yes. I, I am very clumsy as well. And I actually just broke my toe the other week, for the second time this year. by stopping it, and you know, as a dog walker, I mean, we really need to be able to walk. Yeah, but it was interesting. When I broke my toe, I was in pain. And I noticed that a lot of the animals I was caring for that week, I took one day off just so I could rest. But the rest of the week, I noticed when I enter a home, I take off my shoes, and I noticed all of the pets were coming up to my toe. I I think that they knew the one pet that was staying with me was constantly trying to lick my toe, the broken toe. And I was like, wow, they know, they know when we're in pain. They pick up on it. It's so it's very cool. Yeah,
Collin 31:35
yeah, that speaks to that that two sided relationship and trust that you're building as a pet sitter as a dog walker, is that, yes, some days It feels like all we're doing is pouring into them and making sure that they're loved and secured and cared for. But it really is happening on both sides, they really are giving back so much whether we notice it or not. And in particular, when you're injured. Yeah, they do come up. And sometimes they're like, again, really? I'm like, Yes, I stubbed my toe.
Renee 32:04
That's exactly how I feel.
Collin 32:09
So this, you know, you mentioned that Reiki is a little bit more like a lifestyle. Is that something anybody can get into or learn more about? Or? Or do you have to have always had these feelings of being a little bit more connected and empathetic growing up?
Renee 32:27
No, anyone can do it, I do think there has to be some form of an interest there or a belief. It's not it's not a religious thing at all. It can be you can have any religion. And be into this, it's more of a spiritual thing. But yes, it is connectedness to nature and animals. But anyone can do it who's interested, I just recommend that if you it's something you'd like to try at least taking, you know, Reiki level one course. And they're offered, you know, all over. But I would also do research to just make sure you're doing, you know, taking a class with a qualified person,
Collin 33:06
I noticed that you had these three words on your website over and over, and I absolutely love them. So I want to ask you about them. You have the word, passion, patience, and compassion. How do those play into how you run your business?
Renee 33:21
Yeah, so when I first started my business, I wanted to come up with my core values at that time, which have since changed, it can there be a maximum amount of core values you can. Because I've since added a few, but at that time, at that time, it's I those are the ones that meant the most to me, and they still do. But I chose passion because for the first time in a long time, I had passion back in my life. And I really wanted to give that back to my clients and the pets that I care for. and patience was something that I had lost in my career I because I was so overworked and overwhelmed. And I wasn't in a good place. I didn't have nearly as much patience as I did. So it's something that I really wanted to incorporate and not only give to people but work on myself. And I have done that I've succeeded. I have way more patience than I did before. And so I'm really proud of that. And compassion is just I wanted to I've never lost my compassion or empathy and I wanted to be able to continue that.
Collin 34:35
Now those first two, you know, you talk about your core values, how many can you have? I don't think there's a limit. I don't add sometimes it feels like everything's a core value. I must be you know, but right but, but you know, what I love about what you did there is you went I just found my new passion. I want that to be at the center of my business I just found and I'm working towards more patients. I want to put that I want to put purposefully and mindfully make that at the core of this new thing that I'm doing, because I didn't have it before, or it wasn't as easily accessible as it was previously. And so you're taking these things that you know, you want that you want to have, and building from there.
Renee 35:18
Yes, that's exactly right. And since then, I've added a few if you'd like to hear them.
Collin 35:25
Absolutely.
Renee 35:27
I think you know, and this is all stuff that I've learned just from being in a pet care, business, trust, trust is huge. Authenticity, transparency, loyalty, and honesty, those, those, you know, I look at those words every day, because I just want to do my best every day and make sure that I'm as a person, and as a business owner, staying true to those as best as I possibly can. And, you know, I do expect it from my clients as well. And it just really, it it really helps me personally.
Collin 36:06
Yeah, when the when the core of your business, you know, I heard recently of this phrase, you know, we run personal businesses, so make them personal, right, like, so this is who you are, make your business the same way. So it's easier to run because it aligns with your beliefs and what you want out at the end of the day.
36:25
Yeah, yeah.
Collin 36:27
You also talk about cultivating relationship with pet owners? How do you do that?
Renee 36:33
Yeah, so, you know, it takes time to secure confidence, it doesn't happen overnight. And I think the biggest thing is communication, I am always communicating with my clients and being as authentic as I can be. And understanding that it takes time, energy, and attention to get to this place. And relationships, they're not always good. They're not and it's about working through the hard times, and coming out on the other side, together, and doing it for the best interest of the pet. And that I think is so meaningful. And it's what I love about my job, or I don't even like calling it my job anymore, because it just doesn't feel as good a job. Just, it's my way of living. And you know, it's just, it's really special.
Collin 37:31
Well, and you use the word, a term there, too, of, of, of securing confidence in your client, I, I really, really like the way that phrase, a lot of times we say we need to build trust, but this phrase of securing the confidence of your clients in you in your abilities in the expectation that they have on you securing that in your actions in this open communication, in how you operate every single day.
Renee 38:02
Yeah, I don't want my my clients to ever think I'm not a flawed human, because I am and I will make mistakes. And I don't want anyone to think I'm perfect, but I want them to know that in any given amount, any situation, I will always do what's best for the pet. And I'll you know, use my intuition and my guidance to do that. And to hear my clients say to me, I trust you. It's it just fills my heart to hear those words. It's not something I've, you know, I've heard very often in the vet world, you know, and it's just, it's I love hearing that I trust you. It's I just feel like it's such an accomplishment as a pet care provider.
Collin 38:47
It is it is absolutely a huge accomplishment when somebody who you know, just moments before or maybe a week or two before was complete, a complete stranger contacts you out of the blue to take care of their pet, you go through your process, and then you do this, you cultivate these relationships, secure their confidence and build the trust. Two months down the road. They're saying, Yeah, I trust you. I am I implicitly trust you like, yeah, that is one of the biggest compliments I think anybody can ever give you as a person is when they say I trust you. And to do that through taking care of their pets is just, it just it blows my mind every single time. That is that. Is that cultivating and building relationships. Is that something you find easy or have you had to work at that over the years?
Renee 39:36
Well, I That's a hard question. Because it is I have found it easy personally for me. But that does not mean it's void of hard work. You know is it's I find it easy, but it is it's hard work and but that's kind of the person I am I don't I've never really been someone who likes it. things that come easy to me. I like, I don't know if it's how I was raised, but I just I really like to work hard at something and see the progress that has been made. It's I think that is the most fulfilling part.
Collin 40:15
Well, I know I hear this phrase many times from competitors from dog walkers, they say, I'm not a people person. I'm a person, I'm a dog person, right? So I write, what advice would you give to people who struggled to connect with their clients?
Renee 40:33
That's a good question. Because I kind of feel like you have to be a people person. Because a lot of times our work with the animals may be easier. But we're also working with the clients. We're working for them. But they're a huge part of it. So you know, I think that maybe, if you're not a peep, you don't have to be like I'm I consider myself an introvert, although I'm an introvert extrovert. But it's just part of what we have to do. So you have to figure out the best way possible to make it work. Otherwise, you won't have any clients. You know,
41:16
I don't think that I need them.
Collin 41:19
The dogs as soon as the dogs figure out how to dial the phone, we may have it, we may have an inroad, but until then,
41:26
yeah.
Collin 41:28
But it is. So it is so true, in that you need to be at least a little bit of a people person so that you can have them on your team. And you can be part of their team to care for their pet, especially, especially, you know, thinking back to what we started out talking about, when those when those diagnoses come in, diagnoses come in, that they don't want to hear about. When Yeah, have these bad news come in, if you're not a people person, like those are really hard to navigate, navigate, and that trust and those relationships are hard to build at that point. So taking some time to at least have a conversation, not necessarily about their dog, you know, or something else. And, and just letting them know that you're there. And you're you're human too.
Renee 42:13
Yes. And you know, another piece of advice I like to give is, I think a lot of times, it's best to try to do your best to attract your ideal client problem before you've even met them by your social media, your web, your web page, I think you can, you know, people respond to authenticity, just be who you are, and you're gonna attract the people that you want in your life. And I really feel that's how it works with clients too. I, I am just blown away by how awesome my clients are, like, I have not had to turn one client down. Like I love them all. And I really wholeheartedly mean that and they're all different. And that's okay. And that's what I love about it. But I feel like I'm doing a an okay, job, it's just attracting the people that I'm looking for.
Collin 43:09
Yeah, well, yeah. And, you know, on that, like, as you are advertising as your marketing, as you're posting messages out there, you know, remembering that, you know, put yourself in that put, put your personality put your spin on those messages, so that the people that are going to connect with that are going to connect with that. And you can be so you know, as you said, like, wow, like, everyone around me is amazing. Like we Yeah, we all want that you all want the answer? Like you know, I imagine like if you're a Star Wars fan, put some Star Wars stuff in your marketing or you know, if you are a more holistic in health and in viewing of care, put that out there so that the clients who also enjoy that are also want that can find you easier and will have that instant connection.
Renee 44:00
Yeah, and you know, the clients who don't want that are turned off by that won't come to me, and that's okay. You know, that is absolutely fine. I you know, that's fine with me. If we're if you think we're not a good fit, I'd rather you realize that in the beginning, before you even contact me.
Collin 44:21
You really do you really do. You know, many people will say I don't want to miss out on a single client, like, actually you do you do? Yeah, you don't want to take on everybody one, because you don't have that many hours in a day into some clients just are not going to be a good fit and that that's okay. And so using that messaging that you have out there to pre filter them, let them filter themselves before they get to you and then have your own internal processes, but have that there so that you end of working with the most amazing clients every single day.
Renee 44:52
Yeah, and then affects everything and affects your happiness, their happiness, the care of the pet. And I think another important part part of this Is that my major goal and starting my business? I was not motivated by money at all. I mean, yeah, I need money to pay my bills and you know, get groceries. But it was not a motivating factor for me. And I think that played out in a huge part of making my business great because it wasn't a driving factor money. If you do what you love and you're not focused on, and you're not greedy, it will come to you naturally. And it has for me, it's come naturally, but it's just not a driving force.
Collin 45:38
Are you a member of pet sitters International, psi is the largest Educational Association for professional pet sitters and dog walkers with a mission to promote pet sitting excellence through education. After the tumultuous past year. Having the support of a strong community and direct access to educational resources and business tools is more important than ever before. As we rebuild our businesses in 2021. psi is here to help with a free monthly member toolkit, monthly bonus resources, online trainings private member group and more combined with group rates on insurance and background checks. psi is the one stop shop for everything we need for our pet sitting and dog walking businesses. As an Educational Association, psi believes that if you know better, you'll do better, and invites you to join 1000s of other like minded professionals who are committed to offering the best possible pet care services and elevating our industry. If that sounds like you visit pets.com to learn more. our listeners can also save $15 off your first year membership by using the promo code PSC 15 at checkout. You also have this other great quote on your website that I want to dive into a little bit here. I'll read it it says the human animal bond is a mutually beneficial and spirited relationship that influences the health and well being of both. I would love for you to tell us more about how pet sitters can help with that process and make that a better relationship.
Renee 47:06
Yes, so animals, we'll talk about how they help us because I do think that they help us more. You know, their needs are very simple. But our needs tend to be a little more complex. But pets enrich our lives. They really do. They help us emotionally, they help alleviate stress, they help with depression, they encourage us to be active. And they help with loneliness. So there's this physical aspect that they're helping us with spiritual, emotional, you know, you have a bad day you come home and you see your pet and you're instantly happy. I mean, they're healing us. And at the same time, you know, we heal them to by giving them the needs that they need, by feeding them, walking them, taking them places. So it is this mutual relationship that really helps both. And I really, I say this all the time, you'll see it all over my Instagram that pets truly are our teachers and healers. I know for me personally, they really helped me live a more simple life, because they're so simple. They're not, you know, polluted with all the things that we go through as humans, those complex emotions, money, greed, power, none of that they just live every day. So simple. And I really learned from that
Collin 48:36
it is it is a really good reminder of like, of what it ultimately is important in life and in this world, and to be surrounded and interacting with pets that are experiencing that and are living in the simplified, stripped down. Not necessarily basic. But I guess fundamental way of approaching the world is a great is a great way to be grounded in that. And so as pet sitters, how can we help the owners build that bond with their pet?
Renee 49:10
Yeah, so I actually spoke with some of my clients about this, because I I just it's a question that I was having trouble answering myself. So I asked some of my clients, you know, how does having a pet sitter or having me in your life, build on your bond with your pet and I received, I asked three people and I received three very different answers. And it was very enlightening for me because it was things I didn't expect. So my one client said explained it to me like he said, you know, growing up, he always admired his baseball coach. And he said, I kind of look at you as a coach to my pet. You teach him things that I can't you show him new perspectives. You bring a new energy to To our relationship by just being in our pack, and I really thought that was really, it was just a cool way to look at things. And then another person said that, you know, I help exercise her pets. So her, you know, she's busy, she works very long hours. So when she gets home, it's easier for her to bond with a pet who's been exercise because they're not, you know, causing trouble. And then a third client of mine said that I help being in her life with her pet, I actually help her with her own self care, because she has a pet with special needs. So I can take the dog out of her home, so she can work on herself during that time when I'm with her dog. So she's in a much calmer place to handle her pet that has special needs. Yeah, so
Collin 50:54
that is really cool. I love all of those. And I think it's, I'm standing here just in awe listening to people describe this because yeah, like, you don't think about that you don't really, as the pet sitter, many times we can get into the mindset of, yes, I know that I'm investing a lot into the pet, and I'm taking care of the client, but then thinking back to that connection between the pet and its owner and going, Yeah, what it what, what's going on there, and to hear that people are going, Yeah, I've got more time for self care, so that the time that I do spend with my pet, is much more enjoyable for both of us. And then my dog's not as energetic. So that I can, you know, we can we can, yeah, that way, right. And then this other one of you know, that first one going, I, I'm able to bond with my pet, because of all the work that you're doing and and teaching him and guiding him and he needs a better dog for that he's a better pet for that. So I can, I bet I have a better connection with that. And it's just, I really think that that that practice, you know, so listeners out there, if you haven't asked your clients, how you help them, do that, do that, especially for those bad days that come up was really tough days as a reminder, or just to see new ways that you can help them in the future. And I just, I'm blown away by those responses. And I love every single one of those.
Renee 52:17
Yeah, it's a very good question. And it really helped me as a pet care provider. And now because of asking these questions, I'm like, I want to do more of this. I want to, you know, get more input from them, because they're always very honest. And all you know, and, yeah, it really helps me better care for their pet. So again, it's just all of us working together for the best interest of the pet. And we kind of all become a little family in a way. You know, just yesterday I was with a client, and she, we were sitting, we were just, it was an emotional conversation we were having. And she just, you know, told me, she said, Renee, you were meant to be in our lives. And I just feel that way. And she was just wanted to let me know that that, you know, having me in her life has just helped her deal with a lot of stuff. And it was just so nice to hear that, you know, and it makes me want to do better and do what I keep doing what I doing. I feel like I have a purpose. And it's working. And I'm helping and I don't you can't ask for anything more than that.
Collin 53:27
No, you really, you really can't, you really can't ask for any more than to know your purpose and be working in your purpose every single day and to know and to hear get that feedback from clients going. I am making a difference, right? Like, they do see that they do recognize that like that, that is so uplifting and so wonderful to hear this. Yes, as a business, but also just as a parent at that personal level to get that kind of passion and compassion given to you knowing that you're giving that out every day to have it return. It's just it's it's it's mind. It's it's world changing. I guess
Renee 54:04
it is it really is it I agree. It's world changing.
54:10
Yeah,
Collin 54:11
yeah, it is. It is something that I think we can discount many times and can get lost in the mundane little things of running a business and making sure we're meeting things on schedule and you lose sight of some of these bigger picture.
Renee 54:25
Yes, I agree,
Collin 54:26
Renee, this has been a wonderful, wonderful conversation. I've really enjoyed hearing about your journey from the licensed veterinary tech side of things into the holistic approach and the compassion that you're bringing to your clients and their pets. I've really enjoyed this conversation. Thank you so much for coming on today. If people want to get connected and learn more and pick your brain on other topics, how best can they do that?
Renee 54:53
If you'd like to contact me the best way to contact me is through my Instagram which is With Rene, you can send me a direct message. Or you can email me at de with renee@gmail.com. And please feel free to check out my website www.de with rene.com.
Collin 55:19
Awesome, and I'll include links to those in the show notes, people can click right through those. And also on our website to Rene, this has been a real pleasure. Thank you so much.
Renee 55:28
Thank you, I really appreciate you and everything you do. And I'm very thankful for you allowing me to share my story today.
Collin 55:38
My conversation with Renee really helped me think about what are the core values that Megan and I hold dear, and stick to and live out in our business, it helped me see new ways of thinking through how exactly we can secure the confidence in our clients through those core values. And not just not just having them on some dusty old shelf, but actually living and working them out in our business and in our lives and how we interact with others. And the clients and the real importance of that role plays that phrase, secure with confidence has stuck with me ever since this conversation, not just building it, but securing it, locking it in place, and making it immovable through our actions. And because of that, not being afraid to ask them. How have I helped you? I know that sounds really corny. But there are days where we just don't feel like we're really making a difference, or we don't know exactly how we're helping other people. Trust and know that you are helping you are making a difference in people's lives. You are improving not just the pets life, but the owners life, and you're helping them have a better relationship with their pet. So ask them, ask them to be honest. And then take that feedback and incorporate it into how you operate in new services that you could offer or new connections that you can make in the community and help build people up. We want to thank our sponsors, time to pet and pet sitters International. Thank you so much for listening, and we really do wish you all the best and we'll be back again soon.
