How I Got Started
About Me
Hi there! My name is Paige and I own and run Paige’s Pet Services. I have been in love with animals (especially dogs) for as long as I can remember. I am currently based out of Simcoe County. Here, I provide board and train services for dogs and families who need help with a variety of issues. Some common problems that I help pet owners with are reactivity, aggression, separation anxiety, obedience, recall, house manners, on and off leash skills, loose-leash walking and SO. MUCH. MORE. I have successfully boarded hundreds of dogs, all who have happily gone home to their families with more confident and obedient manner. In addition to specialized board and train programs, I also offer one-on-one training and pet setting services. I have been professionally training dogs since 2018 and passionately believe that training can make the world of a difference in a dog’s life, as well as their owner’s. A trained pup means a happier, more enjoyable life with your dog! Don’t underestimate the power of training in growing your bond with your dog. Dog ownership is not an easy job but I’m here to help make it easier for you!!
My love for animals began at a very young age. As a child, I would spend hours at zoo exhibits just watching the animals. I particularly loved observing the monkeys and otters! Petting zoos, they were just my heaven on earth! Even on car rides, I couldn’t pass by any farm animals without excitedly pointing them out to my family, just so they wouldn’t miss them! Being around any animal brought me so much joy. One year, I got to bring the class fish home and I was ecstatic! My family and I always knew that I was a natural with animals.
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I was around 12 when I started pet sitting. I would bug my neighbours to walk their dogs just so that I could spend time with them!
Anytime we visited someone, you could always find me with me with the house pet. My passion for animals led me to the opportunity to do my co-operative education placement in high school, at a doggy daycare and grooming facility. It was my first experience working with animals in a professional setting and it opened my eyes to what a career with animals might look like for me.
Ever since I can remember, I expressed interest in becoming a veterinarian. In my final year of high school, I was placed at a vet clinic where I worked as a kennel staff member. There was one specific dog that is worth mentioning, an aggressive Dutch Shepherd that I had come to be responsible for. This dog would lunge and try to attack anyone that came close to him…except for me. I spent hours patiently creating a bond with this pup, through the kennel door. It was a rewarding experience to say the least. After my time at this clinic, I decided to go to school to become a Veterinary Technician. I knew that wherever life took me, I wanted to help animals.
So, I followed that path and attended Fleming College from 2012 to 2013. While in college, I did some volunteering at a horse-riding facility and continued volunteering at the Orillia SPCA when I later attended Georgian college. Ultimately, after learning about the Vet Tech profession, I realized it wasn’t for me and that there were other ways that I could touch animal’s lives.
It was time I got a pet of my own – my first crested gecko “Blaze” came home with me in 2015. It was also in 2015, that I started fostering dogs! This would be the beginning of something incredible, fostering led me to a job at a boarding kennel in 2017, I learned about a new kind of approach to dog training that I instantly fell in love and immediately started doing my own research into the dog training profession and most of all the balanced/relationship building approach. It was mind-blowing to me that people could make a career out of dog training! I was determined to educate myself on the techniques and learn more about how to help dogs and their owners, through training. I watched videos online, read articles, followed educated and experienced dog trainers on social media platforms, and attended my first dog training seminar in 2018. I started using the training techniques I had learned, on my foster dogs. Once I grew more confident, I took on my first official dog training client and the rest is history!
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