Meet Abigail Wilcox

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abigail Wilcox.

Hi Abigail, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Growing up, I was never sure what I wanted to do in life! One thing that never changed was my love for animals so when I first got a job at a pet store in 2018 I was super excited! It was fantastic being able to care for a variety of pets! My partner, Daniel, started working at the store too and we enjoyed our time there! Unfortunately, the pet store closed down that location! It was devastating though we were offered the same positions in a different location! The thing about the new location was it also had a doggy daycare!

After working there for a while in 2019, it was certain we wanted to work with dogs! I left that store to work at a dog training facility while Danny stayed working at the daycare full time! The facility I worked at specialized in dog aggression and anxiety rehabilitation!

Watching these dogs transform was amazing and I knew at that point I wanted to be able to help dogs and their families! I began researching and learning anything and everything I could to become a dog trainer! With that, I left the training facility and started working as a server part time! I took all my chances and started offering daycare and boarding out of our home late 2019! We did a few walks, home visits, boarding, it was all great! Danny left the daycare for a new job and helped me out any time he could! At the start of 2020, everything came to a screeching halt due to COVID.

Everyone was home and wasn’t looking for dog services. I was unable to work as a server as restaurants were closed. It didn’t stop us for long though! I took COVID as an opportunity to dive fully into our business and officially name it DAWG Boarding! I set up an Instagram and Facebook page and was ready to put ourselves out there! It was a slow start but with restrictions dropping we started to pick up! We had a great first year and I was ready to start taking on training! My only dog to show off on our pages was my own but in the beginning of 2021, we were contacted for training! I started doing basic command and minor behavioral training! I am always looking to learn more and expand my knowledge of dogs! I was able to learn from other trainers at seminars in Rhode Island and Wisconsin!

With that, we got our website up and began offering more intensive behavioral training such as aggression and anxiety! Nothing makes me happier than working with these dogs and families! Watching the dogs come out of their shells and reach their true potential as well as empowering the owners is so beautiful! There is nothing else we would rather do!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road! It takes a while when you start from nothing to get started! Especially when you hit a roadblock such as COVID! Take those struggles and those moments and see what you can gain from them!

Not only has COVID been a struggle but you have to plan accordingly for what months will be busy and what ones won’t! For example, holidays will be great for business while June will be slower! Again, we are always looking for the positives! With that being said, when it is slower we are always looking for what we could improve on and what needs to be done!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a dog trainer who runs dog boarding and training out of my home! I work with dogs to set a foundation with training and work with owners to help communicate with their dogs/rebuild their relationships! Every dog learns differently and every owner has different goals for their dogs! I am here to find what will work best for your dog and how we can achieve those goals! I am proud of my clients! Training is a lifestyle change! It doesn’t end once the dog is done working with me! Training is 24/7/365! They are out there putting in the work for themselves and their dog!

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Good things take time! It may be slow now but keep going! Put yourself out there on socials and make some posts on what you do! I wish I would have dived fully into Dawg Boarding sooner! I love what I do and giving it my all is everything to me!

Contact Info:

• Email: Dawgboarding@gmail.com
• Website: Dawgboarding.com
• Instagram: Dawgboarding
• Facebook: DawgboardingMN