Meet Your Happy Howler
Hi! I’m Sarah Edwards CDTK. I've been working professionally in the dog industry for over eight years now - although I've been embedded in the dog world since I was three years old!
We got our first family dog when I was three, the runt of the litter. Sophie was a German Shorthaired Pointer/Brown Labrador Retriever mix. When I was eight years old, we added another furry member to the family - a big ol' fuzzy Goldendoodle named Jack. In high school, my sister moved out on her venture off to college, and the primary caretaking duties for our pup fell to me. And let me tell you, I LOVED it.
Fast forward to junior year of high school and I was enrolled in a technical animal & plant science class, working at a pet store, and working at a local equestrian farm. I also had several family friends and a few word-of-mouth clients that I would offer dog-sitting for weekends and holidays. During my senior year I picked up my first regular dog walking client and branded my service, officially founding my dog walking business Zoomies Pet Services in 2016.
Halfway through my time at university, I realized that the dog walking industry was potentially a very profitable one. I had started out in a culinary major, switched to hospitality, and finally admitted to myself that I wasn't quite sure what I wanted, and landed in small business management. I absolutely loved my side job as a dog walker, but I hadn't realized it could actually be a real career for me. At this point though I had invested nearly two years into getting a degree, so I decided to finish up my Bachelor's before building up my business. I cut my time at Southern New Hampshire University by packing my semesters full of credits and took online classes over the summer, so I could finish in 3 years and dedicate myself to Zoomies. During this time, I continued walking my first regular dog walking client and had picked up one more off-leash hiking client. I planned my class schedule around these dogs, planning class times so I could either finish up early or have days off to tend to the pups.
I graduated in 2019 with a degree in Business Studies in Small Business Management. I immediately launched into a marketing campaign for Zoomies so I could support myself on dog walking alone. That same year I completed an online dog training certification program through CATCH Canine Trainer's Academy. In 2020 I completed a 6-week online course by professional dog trainer Rhonda Bilodeau that enabled me to offer a new off-leash hike-and-train service, Dog Camp. In 2021 I upgraded my training certification from CATCH to the Master's program and am now Certified in Dog Training and Knowledge (CDTK). I grew my little high school dog walking gig into a 250k+/year revenue business with a full scale team of 7, including an employee manager/office administrator.
2023 was a very exciting year - I brought home an adorable little Rottweiler puppy in May 2023, and got married June 3rd, 2023. I also founded Happy Howl Pros to help aspiring pet care professionals with the expertise I’ve gathered over the past nine years. In early 2024, I officially sold Zoomies Pet Services to a local business owner, merging into the Canine Academy of Berwick. I’m now on board as a full-time dog trainer, but have found I still have a passion for business and marketing. My mission is to help every dog pro flourish in their business!
Want to break into the dog industry?
Whatever your goals are, connect with me so I can help you reach them!
