What’s in a name?

I’ve been preparing to get my business license and launch my dog training business.  But I am finding myself stumped when it comes to choosing a name.  It should be easy, right?  Some people said just use my name (Jane Smith’s* Dog Training.)  Not only is that kinda boring, but I have other reasons for not wanting to do so.  I have, however, been advised not to choose anything to generic or general (a friend of mine who is also a trainer is constantly having to threaten other people who “come up with” and try to use her business’s name because it is so obvious.  For this reason, I have considered including just my initials in the name.  I have come up with some possibilities– one that may appeal to my area’s demographic in terms of southern appeal (Downhome Dog Training), and some that sound very high brow, albeit still rather generic, (Excel Dog Training), some designed to elicit a sort of emotional connection with the increasing desire for more progressive dog trainers over traditional compulsion based training, while also implying a manageable basic level training (KinderTrain (Is it Kinder with a short vowel or long?)) and even some that are supposed to appeal mainly to people’s sense of whimsy (Hot Diggity Dawg Training.)

Maybe I should just call it Cujo Academy.  Can I get sued for that?

XD

This dog is ready to learn!

Service to Animals, Service to People

So today I took the first concrete step towards my future.  Hubs and I invested in my future, and put a down payment on my continued education.  Only it has little to do with the degrees I already have.  But it is for something I’ve always enjoyed, and that is working with animals.  As soon as the enrollment process is completed, I’ll be starting coursework with the Animal Behavior College to become a certified dog trainer.  But I don’t want to work at the local Pet Smart teaching people’s ill-mannered pets to behave (though no disrespect if that’s your passion!)  I’d eventually like to work with animals that help people– chiefly service dogs or police dogs.

Service animals are no longer just seeing eye dogs.  Animals of all species are now being utilized for all types of disabilities, both physical and mental.  Cats, dogs, monkeys, ferrets, goats, and even pigs are being used as companions to physically disabled people, people with agoraphobia and other anxiety disorders, and even bipolar disorder.  To me this exemplifies a more holistic and harmonious turn in the treatment of many severe and often debilitating health problems.  Simply put, I love how animals and the bonds they forge with their humans can help surmount even the toughest challenges and just make people happier.  

Then there are the police dogs, the bomb sniffing dogs, the cadaver sniffing dogs, the war dogs…   These dogs truly are service dogs, and they are heroes!

And I definitely want to be a part of this.  I love animals…   People, meh…  I don’t care for people as a whole, although I do generally like being around people on a more individual level.  I have a lot of interests in my life– art, writing, music, forensics, sports, horseback riding, my family…  It’s hard to give time to everything in my life that I enjoy, and even harder– for me– to settle on a career path, but I think this is something that can make me happy…

Which in the end is more important to me at the end of the day than any other considerations like money or prestige.

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