Twenty two years ago, I happened upon a pet adoption fair. I knew I was in trouble within the first five minutes of walking in. When I walked out, I had adopted my first dog. I already had four cats at that time, but I had no idea how much my life would change from this point on. Within a month, I moved into a house with a yard for my dog, hired a personal dog trainer, and began to learn more about dogs. That first trainer taught me something that has remained my golden rule: “Never train a dog who hasn’t exercised first.” Priceless.

As I fell in love with my new pup, I also discovered my love for hiking from walking my dog.

She and I both got exercise, and best of all, I had a much calmer and happier dog. For the past twenty five years, I have been lucky enough to have adopted six dogs. Each dog has joined me on my daily hike, and each has kept me accountable when it comes to exercising every day. Today, I have two dogs – one that is extremely happy with a half hour trot around the neighborhood, and the other who needs a strenuous two to four-mile hike. From personal experience, I know that every dog has different exercise needs.

I have always hired dog walkers to care for my dogs when I needed to work long hours. Over the years, I was fortunate enough to have hired some great dog walkers. Unfortunately, not all were great, and it never failed that all of the really good ones moved away to pursue their dream career. When my last great dog walker announced her departure, I came to a huge realization. Dog walking is my dream job! After a successful twenty-plus year career in the entertainment industry, I started Paw-destrian.

– Beth Klein