In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill sits down with the multi-talented Allison Ruiz Shafer, the strategic mastermind behind the Dam Dog House and a seasoned professional in the veterinary field and animal behavior. Together, they pull back the curtain on the confusing world of pet care and explore how a basic plan of calm can transform a chaotic, high-stress environment into a highly manageable roadmap for rehabilitating and socializing our four-legged family members.

The discussion dives deep into the high-stakes world of modern business operations—from starting a local mobile service right before a global pandemic to adapting to massive operational changes like moving into a permanent storefront. Allison also breaks down the eye-opening results of her unique training methods, sharing how she balances advanced energy work and sound healing with helping beloved family pets and vulnerable senior dogs thrive right here in Boulder City.

DISCUSSION

• The Evolution from Walkers to Brick and Mortar: Allison explains how a business born out of a desire to work around homeschooling her kids quickly scaled from a high-mileage dog walking routine into a fully realized, permit-approved physical facility to safely meet the community's growing demands.

• The Core Philosophy of a Base of Calm: Rather than allowing dogs to run in an endless pit of anxiety and overstimulation, the facility operates on a strict blueprint of controlled variables, allowing reactive or frightened dogs to establish a foundational sense of peace before moving forward.

• The Veterinary and Emergency Medicine Advantage: Drawing on her extensive background running a veterinary clinic and working in high-stress emergency environments, Allison brings a deep understanding of animal anatomy, safety protocols, and rapid behavioral evaluation to her daily operations.

• The Two-Second Likability Reality Check: Unlike humans who evaluate new connections over a ten-second window, dogs read energy patterns instantly. Allison highlights how reading a dog's full body language—from their ears to their eyebrows—dictates successful handler interaction.

• Integrating Energy Work and Sound Healing: To break down behavioral barriers, Allison utilizes her certifications as a Reiki Master, a 200-hour yoga instructor, and a certified sound healer to introduce therapeutic frequencies and sound baths that actively level out the pack's energy.

• The Structured Play-Rest Routine: Warning against the trap of sending home an overstimulated or completely exhausted pup, the daycare handlers facilitate a strict cyclical routine of active movement followed by dedicated, deep-breathing downtime.

• The Mentorship Power of the Pack: Allison points out a heartwarming shift in pack dynamics where senior dogs and rescued former mama dogs naturally step in to teach boundaries, sleep alongside, and calm overly hyperactive puppies in a real-world environment.

• High-Stress Rehabilitation via Treadmill Training: For highly anxious dogs that cannot safely enter public spaces or large groups immediately, Allison implements specialized treadmill workouts to effectively redirect their nervous energy into productive, stabilizing focus.

• The 4-Hour Temperament Test Standard: To ensure every animal is a right fit and completely safe, the facility conducts exhaustive four-hour evaluations to figure out each dog's baseline comfort level and design a positive path toward healthy socialization.

• Navigating Strict Service Standards: Allison fiercely maintains a high standard of care, choosing to limit her current services exclusively to dogs until she can build a dedicated, elements-controlled cattery that honors the highly sensitive environmental needs of cats.

• Collaborative Main Street Alliances: Emphasizing that there is no true competition among local pet professionals, Allison highlights her seamless, on-the-ground collaborations with neighboring businesses like Jill Bunch's Turf Magic, The Paw Queen, and local CPR classes.



• The Unbeatable Value of Community Trust: Jill and Allison highlight how vital earning and maintaining the trust of devoted pet owners is to the community, reinforcing that when individual local businesses adapt and support one another, the entire town elevates together.

LEARN MORE

• Dam Dog House: Explore their full lineup of customized daycare, behavior training, and 365-day boarding options. https://damdoghouse.com/
• Linder Wellness: Discover the science behind the brass bowls, sound therapies, and holistic mind-body education that inspired Allison to incorporate sound healing into canine rehabilitation. https://damdoghouse.com/sound-healing-for-dogs/
• The Paw Queen & Local Partners: Stop by the bustling hub on Boulder City Parkway to experience the highly collaborative, dog-friendly environment built by local pet service experts. https://thepawqueen.com/
• Boulder City Chamber of Commerce: Head over to the Chamber website or stop by the office to discover how joining the local network can help jumpstart your business marketing and connect you with trusted industry experts. https://www.bouldercitychamber.com/

EVENTS

Get ready for Woof Stock 2026 in Boulder City, on Sunday November 8, hosted by Dam Dog House at Bicentennial Park. The annual outdoor dog festival and fundriaser is family and pet-friendly.

KEYWORDS

Allison Shafer, The Dam Dog House, The Dam Dog Walkers, Dog Translation, Sound Healing for Pets, Canine Behavior Training, Dog Daycare Boarding, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#AllisonShafer #TheDamDogHouse #DogBehavior #SoundHealingForPets #PetCareExpert #BoulderCityBusiness #SmallBusinessSupport #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript

Jill: All right. Super excited to get to visit with Ms. Allison Ruiz Shafer. You are just a neat lady, and I am grateful to have such an asset as The Dam Dog House here in Boulder City. So many people talk about it. You have left such an impression, and so many people really, really need you.

So this is not just a luxury thing. This is truly a need. So welcome, and thank you for sharing.

Allison: Thank you for having me.

Jill: I'm gonna call you Allie, 'cause that's how I knew you. 

Allison: Yeah. 

Jill: And so I am so glad to have you, and I have just spoken a little bit about the fact that I have a strong family tie with your family.

I think the world of them and Ms. Jessica was my, tap instructor and or my tap assistant when I was a tap instructor at Dance Etc. I just love our history, and I have thought the world of your mom for so many years. What a talented family.

Allison: Thank you.

Jill: You guys are all very skilled. So I'm so glad to have you and get to learn a little bit more about The Dam Dog House.

Allison: Thank you. Yeah.

Jill: Why did you start The Dam Dog House? What was this passion project of yours?

Allison: So originally it was, we started as The Dam Dog Walkers. And it was really just something that I could do it around homeschooling the kids, and, I started it March 1st, 2020, which was the funniest thing ever because the whole world shut down about 15 days later. But I was able to get up at 4:00 in the morning, and I had my morning walks, and then I would check in on any of the house sittings that I was doing, and then I would have evening walks, depending on the time of year. So I worked my work around the kids, and then it got to a point where people would ask, "Is, do you offer anything else?"

I would integrate my dog training in with the walks. We would do special exercise programs with the dogs, depending on their capability of exercise. So some dogs needed more sprinting, some more training. Other dogs, I mean, I was averaging 9 to 12 miles a day.

Jill: Oh, my gosh.

Allison: So just, in the mornings with some 'cause we would, if I had three dogs, yeah, three dogs, they average about three miles. you're looking at nine, nine miles a day. So

Jill: You're covering a lot of territory. You need to be doing a shoe commercial.

Allison: Yeah, well, I mean, dog walking, there's a lot more to, that goes into it. 

Jill: Yeah. 

Allison: And, you have to plan out your walk and your route depending on the dog. There were times where I would go past houses that I knew there were reactive dogs. Because I was working with a dog that was scared, and so we would create a program around that dog. And so I went from, I would take on conventional training. I would go to the clients' houses, and I would do the conventional training.

Jill: Interesting.

Allison: The beauty of the work that I do is there truly is no competition. Every dog trainer in Boulder City has something beautiful to offer, something that makes that trainer special. All we do is translate. The, we're dog translators, and 

Jill: You're dog whisperers because I have heard many things said about you that they can, people can take their dogs to you and that you just have some way with them that they just respond and react to you more so than they do as their owner.

Allison: It's, a lot of it has to do with, again, it's just when you work that closely with these animals, you tend to learn these energy patterns of the dogs.

Jill: Right. Right, right.

Allison: And I think when you start to talk about things like energy, there's, this, people kind of clam up a bit. They're like, "Oh, no, that's, it, she's that type of a person." No, I, my background is veterinary medicine.

Allison: I worked for Dr. Flannery here in town 

Jill: Oh, great. Yeah

Allison: for a while.

And, and I ran a veterinary clinic in the Reno area for several years. Worked emergency, specialty. And coming from that background, having to train teams in high-stress situations

Jill: Yeah 

Allison: has really developed the type of work that I do. Understanding how to read a dog quickly, and that 10-second likability that you have, like, when people, when you're working with a person 

Jill: Yes, yes, yes

Allison: there's a 10-second likability, right?

Jill: Yes.

Allison: With a dog, it's, two seconds, 'Cause they sit and they evaluate more than just you. When you're working with a dog You have to watch the whole dog. You have to pay attention to their body. What type of triggers? Where are their ears?

What breed is this dog? because different breeds speak differently.

Some breeds speak with their tails, some breeds speak with their ears, some with just their eyebrows. Oh. And so when you start to work with these dogs,I think you have to crave that puzzle. That constant puzzle of being able to be in front of this animal, have enough faith in your own skill, but also- enough humility to say, "Let's get to work."

Jill: Yeah. You speak with so much passion and compassion. It's awesome. I love it. So I would imagine that there was something that motivated you to take this from the walkers to an actual brick and mortar, and I was very privileged to be in the meeting that we had with the City of Boulder City SCORE and the Chamber, and you were there, and it was in the, just after COVID and we're all like, "What the heck?" Or no, actually I think it was in the midst of it.

Allison: Yeah, it was

Jill: In the middle of it. We're trying to figure out what the heck, or where are we going next. Walkers is one thing. You're outside, right?

Allison: Yeah. 

Jill: And these, individuals still need to have their pets walked.

Allison: Yeah.

Jill: But now you're talking about a brick and mortar, and how you had the courage and the bravery to do this in the middle of COVID, I'll never know, but I was so impressed with you.

Allison: I thank you. you know what's crazy, is I'm not the first.

I'm not the first person to try to open a dog daycare in Boulder City. I think I may be the most stubborn. 

Jill: Ah 

Allison: Which is how it ended up happening, because there were so many meetings, there were so many, "How do I get here? How do I get here?" And a lot of people who are dog oriented like me, it's a lot to learn how to become people and business oriented as well.

Jill: Yes. That's a

Allison: So making that leap was not necessarily for me. I saw the need.

And, a dog daycare in my house was not safe for I can't get the permits for that. 

Jill: Oh, okay. 

Allison: And it's not fair to my neighbors having a dog daycare or having overnights in my home. So creating the daycare was seeing this need and needing to fill it, knowing that there was more potential having a place of my own. And I think what makes dog walking so complicated is the fact that you have variables everywhere, and that's why you need to plan your routes. You need to pay attention to the location. You are constantly head on a swivel making sure that you are in control of as many variables as possible 

Jill: Yeah

Allison: so that you can give the dog a positive experience to get them past any anxiety that they might have. So that work started to develop this thought process of, "If I could just reach a base of calm with them." "If I could control more variables and have my own space to give them that calm, we might be able to move forward.

We may be able to, work with more highly reactive dogs and rehabilitate."

Jill: Oh.

Allison: So that's where the location became sort of a necessity, and thank God for Jill taking- 

Jill: Yes 

Allison: the risk with me because there were she was not the first location. In fact, she was the sixth.

Jill: Oh, my gosh.

Allison: And there were so many times where I thought, "Yes, okay, we've got this location," and then the neighbors did not, the people around there didn't want me there.

That's fair. That's fine.

Okay, we'll go somewhere else. 

Jill: You wanna be where you fit.

Allison: Yes. Yeah. I wanna be where my neighbors like me.

Jill: Right. No kidding.

Allison: So I don't wanna be 

Jill: You don't need confrontation.

Allison: No, I don't wanna be, I don't wanna be someone's frustration at any time.

Jill: Right. Right. Well, and Jill, you found the right person- 

Allison: I did

Jill: because she's such a dog lover.

Allison: I did.

Jill: So maybe, say the address of where you're at so for anybody that doesn't know who we're at Jill is 

Allison: we're at 1656 Boulder City Parkway. We are in the Chili Jillies parking lot next to The Paw Queen and The Smog Vets.

Jill: And such a perfect location, and you were there before Paw Queen got there.

Allison: Yes.

Jill: But what a perfect, partnership. Yeah. that's a great collaboration. You guys are awesome together.

Allison: Well, that's what the benefit of working with Jill Bunch is she's so small, but she's like dynamite. she's always got, a plan.

Jill: Yes.

Allison: And, and honestly, as someone who my brain is constantly working, having someone who is

Jill: Matches your energy

Allison: and, but she's, super calm on the outside, I'm like, "Oh, there's hope for me."

Jill: Yes. And then she

Allison: but she had that plan a long time ago. 

Jill: And she had Turf Magic on the end. 

Allison: Yeah. 

Allison: So you guys are a natural fit. 

Allison: Yeah. 

Allison: That's become a very dog friendly environment.

Allison: Yep. Yeah. Yep, yep.

Jill: I love it. Well, that's great.

So, I liked a statement that you said, base of calm. So you're seeing, you see The Damn Dog House as that base, that foundation, that, home away from home

Allison: Yes 

Allison: Where the dogs I mean, I have visited you a couple times, so those dogs do not seem concerned, upset, you know, scampering to get out. Those dogs are all very happy.

They're laying on their little mini couches. I think they've got a better life than me. it just was a very calm environment, so I think you're right. That base of calm is what you finally established, 'cause you could see that you could control those variables.

Allison: Our handlers work a little differently than most dog daycares. They are constantly working and training with the dogs. A lot of my program that, the training program that we've developed is based on actual energy work. 

Jill: Oh. 

Allison: So I'm a certified Reiki master.

Jill: Interesting.

Allison: And I'm certified through Linder Wellness as a sound healer as well.

Jill: Oh, my favorite.

Allison: I'm certified

Jill: I have a story. We'll talk about that in a sec.

Allison: I'm certified through the studio, here in town with Mikel as a 200-hour yoga instructor. These are all things that I had to go kind of roundabout. So I wanted to learn how to teach people to breathe. Because again, as a dog trainer, you are a translator.

Jill: Yes.

Allison: And so I was having trouble explaining to my clients, "I just need you to calm down." 

Yes. "Be aware of where your shoulders are at. Be aware of where your breath is. You need to be that calm for your dog." And so being able to change that language and kind of step into a field that I never thought I would be a part of, teaching yoga- I was like, "Okay, so now I can teach you how to properly breathe."

And I can, and we do have a program where we're going to be working with people breathing and actually doing a form of yoga, so mostly standing positions to relax the handler. Our daycare handlers do these processes, and it's not so much just watching the dogs.

Jill: Yeah.

Allison: We are constantly adjusting the groups. They have sound baths throughout the day to adjust the energy levels. We do a play, rest routine with these dogs. Okay. If we do have those pups that are a little on the anxious side, we spend a lot of time letting them be in their space for a minute.

And then we'll offer them a different frequency, meaning, like, we might put them on a lanyard and walk them outside.

Give them that space outside and see, can we find you a little calm here? Let's move you around this way. Let's move you around that way. Our temperament tests are four hours long- 

Jill: Oh my gosh 

Allison: for a reason. We work with that dog the entire time. We wanna see, where is your dog's base? Where can we, where are they comfortable so we can meet them there, give them more positive experiences towards being more social.

Jill: I'm starting to think that the dogs in your program are gonna have better mental health than the rest of us on the outside.

Allison: Well, I mean, there I had one lady knock on our door and she was like, "I just keep hearing all these dogs barking." And I said, "Yep, it's a dog daycare." "Well, why are they barking?"

"They're dogs."

Jill: Yeah.

Allison: And I'm sorry, it my dog is not allowed to bark her head off at my home, so when they come to the daycare, that's their house.

Jill: You're right.

Allison: You guys wanna bark? I'm gonna try and shush you a little bit. Like, if you were to stand outside my door, you're gonna hear me, "Hey, hey." You know, like, "Hey, let's bring it down.

Let's bring it down." But we have days where sometimes they just need to let it all out, so we'll bark along with them and

Jill: And that's 

Allison: somebody starts a howl, we go right along with it.

Jill: They... That's their communication.

Allison: Yeah and sometimes they just need to get it all out.

Jill: I guess maybe she was worried that somebody, something was hurt or something.

I think so. But, yeah. Yeah. I think it's awesome. 

Allison: Yeah. 

Jill: And, I'm in that parking lot all the time and I have yet to hear any issues whatsoever. So I'm not sure. But, I am just grateful that we have such an awesome program. So will you talk a little bit about your services? So you have, What are your hours? What programs do you offer? And, is it an overnight service?

Allison: Yes. Okay. So the daycare is open from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM, seven days a week. We originally started with six days, but there were too many clients that needed us on Sunday every now and then. 

Jill: Oh. 

Allison: So we are here to fill a need for our city. And so sometimes you just have to do a full overhaul clean of your house. Drop off the dog.

Jill: Right.

Allison: Like, you can drop 'em off with me. So seven days a week for daycare. we are closed three days out of the year, so Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and my birthday.

Jill: Oh, good for you.

Allison: So I really don't wanna work on my birthday. But we are open 365 days a year for boarding.

Jill: Oh.

Allison: So any day that we're closed, those three days that we're closed, we have staff members that come in and do three-hour check-ins. So they come in the morning. To check on the pups. We move 'em around. Everybody plays. We go energy, energy, energy. And then instead of having a natural downtime, everybody goes back to their spaces and calms.

That's three days a week, Or three days a week, three days a year. 

Jill: Three days a year. Yeah.

Allison: And 

Jill: It's minimal 

Allison: Yeah. But for the rest of the time we follow that play, rest, play, rest, play, rest

Jill: Got it 

Allison: throughout the day for daycare. 'Cause we don't wanna send home an overstimulated dog.

Jill: Right.

Allison: We also don't wanna send home a dog that has been sleeping all day.

So our staff is very well trained on this method- Keeping them of making sure that we get up, we move, and then we rest. So the morning crew is more responsible for making sure that we have the downtime, which is crazy, 'cause then you end up having this, like cause you have to be up, up, up, up, up.

Your energy is like up, up, up, up, up.

And then you start breathing and you bring everyone down and you calm everyone down. And then they're like, "Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go." And you're like, "Okay, go, go, go, go." And now we're down again.

Jill: And so now you're doing your own energy work along with the dogs.

Allison: Yeah. So then in our evening crew is more about they're getting their cleaning done, and then they're like, "Oh, yeah, we need to get you guys up and moving." And so they have to, pick these pups up and they're like, "Oh, gosh. Okay, yes, we're gonna go, we're gonna go." The pups are, like, ready to play and they're like

Jill: Right

Allison: "But we're so tired."

Jill: And they're ready for the night.

Allison: Yeah.

Jill: So then, what are... I would imagine you have some concerns. So a dog can't come if it's at some level of being sick, right? 

Allison: Yes. 

Jill: So how do you determine this?

Allison: we've been very blessed. We have it in our bylaws that- 'cause there's paperwork that the owners will sign, liabilities.

We wanna make sure they understand we are working with live animals here. 

Jill: Right. 

Allison: We are going to do our best to use these methods, to make sure that the dogs are safe.

These are live animals, though.

Jill: Right.

Allison: they are dogs. And, so there's liability. When it comes to, Sorry, your question, again, originally was 

Jill: So if they're sick or, I mean 

Allison: Yeah

Jill: diarrhea or we've- ... coughing or 

Allison: we've had such clients will read all of the requirements for the dog being healthy.

And I have yet to have an issue where 'cause I don't penalize if the owner says, "Hey, you know what? They had a cough yesterday," or, "They vomited this morning," or- ... they just, their tummy's not feeling quite right.

I don't penalize any of that. We trust our clients the same way that they trust us, and so we just make sure that the pups are as safe and as clean and healthy as possible when they come in. But that's, a lot of that comes from 

Jill: From the owner 

Allison: the ... I just have great clients. I guess I'm just spoiled.

Jill: and they wouldn't want anybody else to bring their dog sick, so why would they take their, you know 

Allison: Exactly.

Jill: Yeah.

Allison: That's the thing. That makes sense. It's like we, we just don't have clients like that. We just don't have that.

Jill: Oh, that's great.

Yeah. I, my youngest daughter worked for a doggie daycare, back in Savannah, Georgia.

And she said that for the most part, most people were just really good about that, that they knew that or if their, they were boarding the dog and the dog got sick while it was being boarded

Allison: Yeah 

Jill: that was something that they always had to pay attention to, too.

Allison: Yeah.

Jill: And I, it was just, I had got to visit that facility, and I was impressed.

The things that people ... People have to be so grateful for that service, because it takes such a huge burden off of them.

Allison: Yeah. Well, I mean, so we have, we do overnights. Yes, we do overnights, and part of our program is we want the dogs to do, be able to do daycare.

Jill: Yeah.

Allison: So that the dogs understand we're just a part-time pack. Mom's gonna be back at some point.

Jill: Right.

Allison: And so when we have dogs that come in regularly for daycare and then they stay for overnights, it's a super smooth transition.

We have had more seniors in this last year, older dogs that are seniors coming in

Jill: Really? 

Allison: to watch. Yeah, a lot of people don't understand why this is such a positive thing for their seniors.

But how many people do you know that have an older dog that got a puppy

Jill: Yes.

Allison: Yes ... and they're like, "Oh, yeah, this dog, he's just ... All of a sudden our senior is a puppy again." It's you don't have to get the puppy. I'll give you the puppies. I have all the puppies. And part of my handlers' jobs is to make sure that everybody's playing nicely. This is behavioral training. This is social training. And I have the pack to work with.

Jill: I love that.

Allison: So we have a trainer on staff that focuses only on the behavior of the dogs. If we have a puppy that is ignoring body language from an older dog, the older dog is saying, "Hey 

Jill: Leave me alone

Allison: go fluff yourself. Yeah. I don't want to be bothered right now."

Jill: Yes.

Allison: And that puppy's not quite getting it, the handler will come over, redirect the puppy to maybe a dog that is a little bit more, playful.

Jill: Oh.

Allison: Or that's an opportunity to work with that puppy on being still and being calm. Let's say they've been playing all morning, and now they're overtired.

We're gonna have to make that pup stay long enough so that they can understand, oh-

Jill: I need

Allison: to calm down ... I need to calm down. Just like a toddler who gets overstimulated overtired, these pups don't understand. If they're having so much fun, they're gonna keep trying to have so much fun.

They go run, run, run, run, run, and crash.

The goal of this type of training is to teach them in a real live environment that you can play but remember how to rest. Remember what your tools are to make yourself a good dog.

Jill: And remember what it's like interacting with some of those dogs. Not everyone's gonna be your friend.

Allison: Yeah.

And I have more seniors that come in, like a lot of mama dogs that were adopted, maybe they- ... were used for breeding. and then, they're depressed at home. The mama dogs come in, and they are the ones that the pups love to sleep with.

Jill: Yes.

Allison: Because that energy of that 

Jill: They're drawn

Allison: mama dog. Yeah. And the mama dog is just so happy to have all those

Jill: Yeah 

Allison: babies around. Sometimes she'll get up and kind of saunter over.

Jill: Oh, how sweet.

Allison: Yeah. So I have a girlfriend who brings in her senior dog, Polly. I love little Polly Pocket. She's just this, she's super 

Jill: Polly Pocket?

Allison: Oh, I call her Polly Pocket.

Every loved dog should have at least 11 names.

Jill: Okay. yeah. There we go. 

Allison: Yeah. 

Jill: They have their 11 names. That's the number

Allison: their government name, and then you've got the names that we make up for you. Love it. but little Polly is a she's an older pit bull She's an only dog household, but when she comes in, she loves the babies.

She will put her paw down if everybody needs to be, you know, going to sleep. and again, it's that power of the pack.

They are teaching each other. They are working with each other 

Jill: Interesting 

Allison: which is just such a beautiful thing to watch. 

Jill: Yeah. 

Allison: Obviously, my handlers are there to make sure that there is a strong presence of a trainer.

Jill: Yes.

Allison: the dogs should not be governing themselves or each other, but it's communication. It's watching those calming signals that the dogs have, and trying to teach how for the puppies to recognize it.

Jill: Yeah.

Allison: and it's not always baby babies. It's sometimes it's a three, four-year-old dog that's gone to the dog park, that's gone to all of these other places, but never been told, "This is what this means."

Jill: Right.

Allison: That dog is giving, that dog has walked away from you multiple times. Let's go find somebody that wants to play with you.

Jill: Exactly.

Allison: Let's find somebody that wants, that's giving you what you need.

Jill: It's, socialization skills

Allison: Yes 

Jill: that we need as a human. 

Allison: Yeah. 

Jill: Why would we not think that a pet needs it too?

Allison: Yeah.

Jill: And they're probably way more instinctive at it than we are.

Allison: Yeah. Yeah, it depends. It depends. I think that there's so many different types of personalities and so many different breeds that it just depends on the kid. It really does.

Jill: That is very cool. I really appreciate that. So I would imagine in, your many years working with pets

Oh, wait. I have another question first.

Allison: Yeah.

Jill: Do you only do dogs, or do you have other pets that you take in as well?

Allison: So we only take dogs right now. I actually, little known fact, I started in animal behavior when I was working with my cat. 

Jill: Oh, interesting. 

Allison: So I was probably 13 or 14 years old, and I wanted to I, we weren't gonna have a dog. We weren't gonna have a dog, and so I started reading books on, animal behavior and started trying to train my cat,

Jill: That's so funny

Allison: took forever, and she still, or never really picked up on all of it, I felt like it was a form of communication.

Jill: Yeah.

Allison: And, and then we finally did get a dog, and that's how I started working on dog training. but to answer your question- Our, the goal is to eventually have a much larger span of availability,

Jill: Okay 

Allison: for other animals. We would like to have a full cattery. but again, that goes into, I have such a standard with what I would like to see.

I will not start something unless I can reach that standard.

Jill: Yeah. I appreciate that because then you don't get in over your head

Allison: Yeah 

Jill: and you don't, you aren't

Allison: Cats need something very different. They need water flow. They need all four elements within the same space. They need, they need quiet. And, because a cat- Dogs have GI upset when they're upset. But a cat, if you have a cat that is stressed out, a GI upset can be fatal.

Jill: Yeah.

Allison: And so it's super important to make sure that when we do finally get to the point where we have a full cattery, that has to be a whole element onto itself.

That energy has to be a very specific controlled space. 

Jill: Interesting. 

Allison: And I just don't have that space right now.

Jill: Yeah. That's very interesting. I had no idea.

Allison: Well, that's just, that's an animal lover saying absolutely not, I wouldn't put my animal in such and such a spot or

Jill: But it makes sense, right?

Because they are so much more mellow. They sleep all day. Yeah, I can see that.

Allison: And taking a cat out of their element is scary enough as it sits.

Jill: Yeah.

Allison: It would be really cool if we could create a situation where you could take your cat for daycare. I think that'd be really cool, but we're not there yet.

Jill: Eventually you will.

Allison: Yeah.

Jill: So with working with the dogs

Allison: Yeah

Jill: I would imagine you've had a funny experience. Can you think of or share something that, in your professional life that you have found to be a hysterical, you look back on it and you chuckle, and you're like, "Man, that silly dog," or 

Allison: I cannot, to pick one is hard.

Jill: I can imagine 

Allison: I can tell you that our day is hilarious. I know that a lot of people want us to, want us to send lots and lots of pictures, but we are working so in depth with these dogs that sometimes I have to put my phone down while

Jill: Yeah

Allison: I'm on the floor with these dogs.

We're rolling around. We're seeing. so I'm trying to think. My favorite is when the puppies, because they get so excited that they forget how to dog. And when they get so, so excited and they do the sort of the Scooby-Doo, roo-roo-roo-roo-roo-roo-roo-roo. 

Jill: Yeah. 

Allison: like they'll run. And, I'm like shouting at them, "More paw, less claw. More paw, less claw." "Get some traction, dude." and then they finally, their feet go the right way, and then all of a sudden they're just vroom.

Jill: And now they're at the…

Allison: And those zoomies start to happen. Those are the best to watch.

Jill:. That is awesome

Allison: I wish I had a better, like a one situation for you. but, there's, they're just silly all day. Watching a dog be a dog is probably one of the best blessings that I have.

Jill: Oh, yeah. I would you're happy all the time.

Allison: there are days where, yeah, they are great and everything gets into the groove.

There are other times where we work with dogs that, have extreme anxiety.

Mom leaves, and they're, "Oh, my gosh." Getting, having that moment where they finally trust you and you can see that you earned that- That's amazing

Jill: Oh, that's an aha moment.

Allison: That's gotta be the coolest moment 

Jill: Yeah

Allison: because we work so hard with them and we have to become a second. You have to earn that trust, especially with cattle dogs.

Jill: Oh, I can imagine. They're smart ...

Allison: you have to be respectful to their space, but still have enough, confidence to be their trainer. So it's this really cool, it's this really cool, relationship building

With these dogs that every day it starts all over again.

Jill Yeah, I can imagine.

Allison: So it's a great, it's a great job, but I will give you, it's exhausting. 

Jill: I can imagine that too. And do you have your kids involved with this? Are they, do they get to come and play with the dogs and be so happy?

Allison: My youngest daughter is absolutely our dog whisperer in the family. when she was probably about four or five years old, she walked right up to one of the Great Danes that I was working with, and the Great Dane, they had their little nose to nose. Nose to nose. Which the Great Dane was looking down at her.

And she goes, puts her little finger up in the air and says, "Sit." And that dog's butt went boop. I was like, "Yep. She gonna work with me."

Jill: That is awesome. 

Allison: Yeah. 

Jill: How sweet.

Allison: So we call her our marketing director because Audrey is always out and about handing out flyers. And she works with me at the daycare every now and then.

Jill: Oh, sweet. 

Allison: So during the summer, anybody who stops by is probably gonna be seeing her with me.

Jill: Oh, very good.

Allison: And, my oldest daughter is not great with loud sounds, so that's sort of the person that I will be building a cattery with at some point.

Jill: Yeah, that's perfect, right?

Allison: Because she just needs a different form of energy.

Jill: That is perfect.

Allison: Yeah.

Jill: And where does Sophia fit into this?

Allison: My sweet Sophia.

Jill: Because Miss Sophia, she is Miss Boulder City. 

Allison: Yes, she is Miss Boulder City. 

Jill: So we want to make sure we point that out.

Allison: My sweet, sweet Sophia, she has not come to play with me at the, the dog house.

Jill: Okay.

Allison: But when COVID was happening and she was stuck in the house the whole time, I would make sure on several of my walks, I would find some of the really big dogs or the really small dogs, and I would make sure to come by the house so that she could come see the dogs. So much so that, I am not Auntie Ally, I'm Auntie Pup.

Jill: Oh.

Allison: So to some of her friends, to some of the, my, what we call my bonus kids, I'm Auntie Pup, because she was just like, "Oh, pup." So eventually it was

Jill: That was what Auntie Pup is here how you are known.

Allison: So yeah.

Jill: That is awesome. I treasure her. I think she's awesome.

Allison: She's perfect.

Jill: So can you share with us, let's learn a little bit more about Ally.

Allison: Yeah.

Jill: Share with us, what was your very first job?

Allison: My first job was where the Capriotti's is right now.

Jill: Yeah.

Allison: There was a Hoagi Yogi Teriyaki place.

Jill: That's right, I remember.

Allison: So I worked there when I turned 16.

Jill: Awesome.

Allison: Technically when I was 14, I would go around Art in the Park. No, 13. I would go around Art in the Park, and I would ask the vendors if they needed any extra help.

Jill: You are smart.

Allison: Jeff Coombs, who was a potter at the time.

He hired me at 13, and I worked for him for three years until I turned 16.

Jill: Wow. 

Allison: And I actually worked with him every year until I graduated,

Jill: Way to use a special event

Allison: Yeah That's awesome So I guess technically Jeff was first, the first job that I 

Jill: Yeah 

Allison: sort of had. but yeah, Hoagy Yogi was my first, like, big girl job.

Jill: Totally. And I completely remember. They had great sandwiches.

Allison: Yeah. Yeah.

Jill: They had great bread.

Allison: Yes, right?

Jill: It was the bread that made it.

Allison: And then the yogurt, like getting all those mix-ins and stuff

Jill: was so cool. Oh, man. I miss it. 

Allison: Yeah. We're- I started in the food industry, so yeah.

Jill: That is awesome. 

Allison: And I wanted to make sure that I mentioned to you, so one of the big things that we've got coming up right now

Jill: Oh, yeah

Allison: We are building a classroom.

So for the first time

Jill: Really? 

Allison: I will be inviting people to join my program. And I will be teaching my program on a larger scale.

Jill: And is that on site? Is that 

Allison: Yeah 

 Jill: Still Oh my gosh. 

 Allison: Yeah.

Jill: That is awesome. 

Allison: I'm really very excited about it. 

Jill: Are you expanding? 

Allison: No.

Jill: You're just gonna make it work.

Allison: We're gonna, we're gonna work with the space that we have.

The dogs still are going to have both sides.

But when we first originally opened, I had created a small dog space. A lot of people are they don't want their small dog around large dogs.

Jill: Right.

Allison: I remember a lot of what I would hear was, "I don't want my dog trampled." I think a lot of these small dogs are not given enough credit, to be honest.

They s- we have furniture in there

Jill: Yes, you do 

Allison: rather than, regular play equipment. So a lot of my smaller dogs will find spaces 

Jill: Perches 

Allison: perches. And that gives them, it gives them the feeling of seniority and superiority.

And so they would, they just, they watch and they judge, and that's totally fine.

We had this, we had issues with this segregated area. The small dogs would, come up to the high area the fence where they could watch the larger dogs, and they wanted to get in.

Jill: Oh.

Allison: So they would try and squeeze themselves through the bars, and half of the time, I was trying to, like

Jill: Keep that 

Allison: keep them in a safe space. And so then I would just bring them in, or I would have to hear them cry until their owners would come to pick them up. And I'm like, "I, is there any way I could get you to just approve, let me bring them into the main area?"

And so we just, we had to develop into a daycare saying, "I'm sorry. if you're not wanting the dog to be in with the large group, we just won't be a we're just not the place for you.”

Jill: Not the right fit.

Allison: And there are larger facilities that can offer that.

So trying with as much love to let people know, you need to give your dog what you feel is necessary, but we just don't have that kind of space."

Jill: And trust your judgment.

Allison: Yeah, exactly. Which is hard. I'm a complete stranger to most of these people. They look online and they see what I do, but I think that you have to have a lot of trust for somebody to take care of your animal. and again, it's not just the dogs. I have to earn that trust with the owners as well.

Jill: Yeah.

Allison: And maintain that trust, and nobody is harder on that process than an owner who loves their dog.

Jill: Absolutely.

Allison: Some of these animals are all that this owner has. So when it came to developing these programs, I took a portion of the daycare that I thought, "Okay, I thought this was gonna be used for something else, but it's not being used."

Let's clear all this out." The dogs can still use the play area, when we're not having classes.

Jill: Okay.

Allison: but there is a whole pocket of people that need something that I can't give them. Like, we started doing treadmill training for

Jill: Really? 

Allison: Some of the high-stress dogs that 

Jill: Yeah 

Allison: I would hear a lot, my dog is an, highly anxious."

Highly, and we can't take them out in public, so we can't bring them to you. I always suggest, have you thought about treadmill training at all? And, "Well, I don't know what that is." 

Awesome. So what I do is I work with your dog, and I redirect that energy into training on a treadmill. And so we work out a workout program to help them to take that anxious energy and put it into the treadmill.

I have been able to rehabilitate dogs that were not able to be in a large dog environment, put them in smaller groups after treadmill. So then we work treadmill into the daycare

Jill: Really?

Allison: program. So these are just some of the tools that I use in addition to the sound healing.

Jill: Yes.

Allison: And the classes, I feel that the classes are gonna be a better way of me reaching out, 'cause the dogs develop these anxieties, and I feel like a lot of these owners take it so personally.

"I did this to my dog." No.

Jill: No.

Allison: Sometimes the environment is not something that you could've controlled,

Jill: Or how, what happened to them before that owner got them.

Allison: Sure.

Jill: There's a lot

Allison: Or maybe just how that dog was born. You have to train the dog you have, not the dog that you want.

Jill: Right.

Allison: You know, most trainers are gonna tell you that. You just train where your dog is and move forward.

Jill: Right.

Allison: And 

Jill: I love that concept 

Allison: So when it came to, 'cause there's, again, there's so many great trainers out here. the rec department has this fantastic program with Bill Salazar. Mm-hmm. Um, and I know there are so many more trainers out there.

He's just the first one that comes to mind.

Jill: Pops in your head, yeah.

Allison: Yeah. And I've taken his courses several times. Great course. And

Jill: he's so- He is quite the expert, 

Allison: he's so good at explaining, the basics of ... of dog training, and how much credit we need to take when it comes to working with these dogs.

Like, how much responsibility we need to take working with the dogs. That's so important. And it's hard to hear.

Jill: And some people don't wanna go, they don't wanna put that much effort into it.

Allison: Sure, sure. 

Jill: Yeah. 

Allison: My view on it is I use sound waves to reach the dogs on a different level.

So I go directly from, I go directly to the brain. I want to adjust where your head is. When you're stressed and you're, I know you can't see the hands on the podcast, Yeah. But like, when you're stressed and you're way up here, and you're like, "Ah, my gosh, oh my gosh," and your dog is, "Oh, my gosh, oh my gosh."

Jill: That's right.

Allison: What I wanna do as a trainer is grab the both of you, make you breathe, and just calm down. And then when we set into that space, that's when I wanna work with you. And then we've learned a little something, and then we're gonna work with you a little bit more, and we're gonna end this super-duper calm.

And I'm gonna send you home with that homework to just breathe. Have faith in each other, have faith in the relationship that you have, and do the work, but then be okay with the fact that it's not gonna look perfect.

Jill: I love that, and I love the whole idea that you get them to the point where their learning can take place.

Jill: Yes. 

Allison: Because it can't take place when either of them are stressed.

Allison: No.

Jill: But you get them to where they can learn, and then teach them a little bit, and then come back to that space multiple times.

Allison: Yeah.

Jill: And so share with me then how the classroom will work. So will that, will you be publishing online when your classes are?

Will they be just on Saturdays? Will they be during the week? Yeah. what are you, what's your plan?

Allison: I'm gonna, I'm going to run the classes the same way that I've developed all of my programs, with what my clients need, and that's where we're gonna start.

Jill: Okay.

Allison: we'll have a couple of classes during the week, most of them in the evening because I'm still building my team.

Jill: Yes.

Allison: And, so when we, so a lot of it's gonna be like when I close The Digger. 

that's when all the classes are gonna be.

And, and then a few classes on Saturdays and Sundays. Yeah, so we'll 

Jill: I love that 

Allison: we'll move them around. checking the website for the calendar is gonna be your best way to go.

See what works for you. We're gonna be doing, a couple of discounted classes to see how it works. we're hoping to start with a guided dog massage class, where you can just sit and bond with your dog

Jill: How cool

Allison: while having a sound bath. and then we'll do some basic training classes where, again, sound will be as you're coming in, so we bring you to a calm space.

We want everybody to level, and then we'll do some structured training, and then we'll end it with everybody calming and a quick sound bath at the end.

Jill: I love that. I think it's so cool that you're incorporating that aspect and allowing people to get in touch with themselves a little bit more, along with their dogs.

you mentioned Michelle Linder Wellness.

Allison: Yes.

Jill: I happen to just love her. We had she hosted a lunch and learn at 

Allison: Yeah 

Jill: her location, and I had the opportunity to stand in that big, the brass bowl that she has that

Allison: It's wild, right?

Jill: that you stand into. Oh, my gosh. Johnny and I both did it.

So John Barlow, we were talking about him just a second ago. 

Allison: Yeah. 

Jill: So Johnny and I both stood in it, and it was, I could feel, the tops of my hairs moving. 

Allison: Yeah. 

Jill: It was incredible. It... I don't know. I was just so impressed with it, and I just, I think the world of her. Talk about an entrepreneur with a vision and that is improving people's mind, body, and soul.

Allison: Yes.

Jill: She gets it. 

Allison: Yeah. 

Jill: And she's collaborated with all the right people that just make... Linder Wellness is fabulous, and it's got

Allison: Yeah 

Jill: so many aspects to it. The fact that it's tied now to Damn Dog House, it totally... it's a perfect fit. What a 

Allison: Yeah 

Jill: cool concept. I love it.

Allison: she was such a neat instructor because she understands my need for the information, but also understood that I'm looking at the science end of it. 

Jill: Yeah. 

Allison: I'm trying to read about how can I explain this to someone who doesn't do sound healing? How do I explain? How do I get people into the door?

Because you don't have to explain it when somebody experiences it. You experienced the sound and how it affects from top to tail, right? 

Jill: Oh, yes.

Allison: So, I mean, that's you don't need explanation. But when you're a business owner trying to start a new program, one... There is another and we haven't signed any, like, serious paperwork, but I'm sure Michelle will back me on this.

So we're bringing in, the Critter Sitters CPR classes. 

Jill: Yes. 

Allison: So she has a space during the week.

Jill: I love that. 

Allison: Yeah. See, again, another collaboration.

Allison: Because it's all just good information. 

Jill: Yeah.

Allison: It's all great information. We collab with The Paw Queen. Lila Jean, if you set up with her and the dog's got daycare, let me take care of that.

She and I will go back and forth, and we'll make sure that the kiddo, I'm gonna try to make sure they're not slobbery by the time that they get home. 

Jill: Yeah. 

Allison: Because if they come back to the daycare

Jill: They get slobbered on 

Allison: I make no promises. Yeah.

Allison: It's gonna happen. Somebody gonna get slimed.

Jill: But it's okay, 'cause now I know my dog had a safe environment and all is good. You know what? You have just been a total joy. I would imagine that, some of the, my favorite questions to ask people, I'm, I can already guess the type of books that you read, but is there a favorite book that you're reading right now?

Allison: I am constantly reading and rereading a lot about sound right now, 'cause that's sort of my obsession. but I read a lot of Eileen McKusick.

Jill: Oh, interesting.

Allison: And, so I'm on The Electric Body: Electric Mind

Jill: Yes 

Allison: right now, and she, the beauty of her is that all of her degrees are in physics. And so she explains the science end of it. It's not all about 

Jill: The transcendental nature feelings 

Allison: Yeah. 

Jill: Yeah

Allison: And the metaphysical stuff. She actually talks about the sound waves itself and how it affects the brain. how the delta waves can affect

Jill: Oh, yeah 

Allison: your brain, and how to create those waves, and that's, ultimately that's what I learn with working with a talented sound healer like Michelle Linder.

Jill: Michelle, yeah.

Allison: being able to learn from people and then read the books about it, and just be like, "Oh, this is all coming together." 

Jill: Isn't it neat? It's so cool.

Allison: And with a dog, when you work with the dogs, it's so natural. They have four points of contact with the Earth.

Most dogs do not wear booties for the most part, and even then they are constantly accepting and releasing energy accept and release. And you gotta figure the goal of the daycare is to siphon all of that from them and give them a place to breathe.

And give them a place to have that calm. So the expansion of the classes, and again, why I s- I go back to this is what I read this is what I breathe, this is what I'm doing right now, because the more I learn, the more dogs we can reach, the more people we can reach.

Jill: Oh, right. Right.

Allison: The more people we can help, the more dogs we can help.

Jill: And the more you are looked at as the expert that people need to go to for the information that they need and the help that they need.

Allison: that is absolutely the goal, but it is something that I take very seriously. Yeah. I have to earn that every single day, every dog that I work with. I have to have enough humility to, to remember that this is an ongoing thing.

This is going to be a lifelong a lifelong goal. yes, Eileen McKusick is who I'm obsessing about right now.

Jill: I love that.

Allison: But we'll see. maybe I need to do a fantasy series here pretty soon. 

Jill: Just to let it loose. Yeah. you need a beach read.

Allison: Yeah, yeah. I got

Jill: Just sit on some beach.

Allison: I gotta put it down at some point, but we'll see. We'll see how far that goes.

Jill: That is awesome. Well, Ally, I just think the world of you 

Allison: Thank you 

Jill: and your entire family, and I'm so proud of you for what you've accomplished. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you for being a true asset here in Boulder City, and, thank you for being on the Best Damn Podcast.

Allison: I thank you so much for having me. This was so much fun.