Kit Vulpe shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Kit, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What battle are you avoiding?
The Service Dog Community. I have always kept my distance throughout my years with my former service dog, Archer.
Now, 3 years later, I am even more removed from the convoluted and toxic community. Though, nonetheless, I am made aware by its constant supply of hypocritical handlers, abusive trainers, and poorly trained dogs put on a pedestal.
There are many opinions that I keep to myself and my clients due to this never ending cycle of unethical choices, such as the repeated “washing” of service dog prospects (rehoming or pulling a dog from servicework), using aversive tools on “fully trained” service dogs, parading unvaccinated puppies in highly public places, and more.
It is difficult to continue to swallow my tongue for many years in fear of being dogpiled on social media or worse, blacklisted.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Kit from K9sBlossom and I offer quality, affordable dog training for LA & Orange County, but to me, it is much more than just dog training.
I am community care focused, leading with my heart instead of my pockets like many other trainers or companies. I proudly serve my local community in my day to day life. I distribute donated collars, leashes, harnesses, and other pet care products to those I see on my path.
As for training, I offer sliding scale pricing, virtual options, Scholarships, as well as free advice to make training more accessible to everyone.
I am responsible for consistently providing a safe, understanding space for you to learn about your dog and learn with your dog. This does not exclude the BIPOC, Latinx, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ communities.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
I was raised by a single parent who also was a small business owner. I watched them choose between their dream job and their “necessity” job throughout my life. The stress, the uncertainty, the exhaustion.
Of course, I was encouraged to make a lot of money as a child. Get a good job, work hard, “Know your worth, then charge double.”… But in a world run by money, greed, and need, I will not be like the others in my industry. Because that’s not what will actually cause positive change. It isn’t what I need either.
There is such a lack of camaraderie and reciprocal support in my field. People charging thousands and hundreds just because they can. I hate being encouraged to do the same.
My work is not work to me. I love what I do. Every hour session once a week feels like a continuation of just one long, great day together with my clients. I don’t mind being paid minimum wage for that because I am fulfilled beyond what money could give me.
Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
When training, I try to be as unbiased as I can. I give my clients the ability to choose what method is best for their path via giving them the pros and cons of each approach.
Once in a Blue Moon, a client will appear that is just so open, understanding, and easy to work with. Logan, a pitbull mix, is a great example of this.
Logan was born in the shelter and when my client brought home, they knew their work was cut out for them. Managing their puppy drive, demand barking, and general rambunctiousness was a task for the whole family.
Teaching him foundational skills like Reactivity Prevention so young quickly blossomed into Obedience as he aged through the months. Logan is almost a year now and still has much more learning to do, but he is not only gigantic, he is also so very smart and skilled.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
In a way, yes. I have a couple clients that have worked with me for years and I feel that I am much more free and comfortable with them than a new client, but this does not mean I am unprofessional.
It is a part of my services to be honest about your dog and your handling of your dog, but not about anything in your personal lives. Even if it is shared with me. I do share my condolences or empathy when necessary, but our hour together is for training and usually my new clients can’t talk and train at the same time. I don’t mind the occasional friendly conversation to pass the time during settle practice or heelwork, as long as it doesn’t impact the quality of our session or make me uncomfortable.
It is extremely important to me to have a clear cut filter that separates what I would say to a friend or my partner, than to one of my clients.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What will you regret not doing?
Helping people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://k9sblossom.website3.me/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k9sblossom?igsh=d2Vlc2Jwc2prZHhk&utm_source=qr
Image Credits
Kit Vulpe
