We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eliza Peterson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Eliza, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned while working at a prior job?
When I first started hiking groups of dogs, I was an independent contractor for another pet service company. They were operating on an 80-acre shared property that was loosely fenced in. Some sections of this property were poorly fenced, other sections weren’t fenced at all and often times gates were left open. I learned quickly that even the most well-trained dogs will leave the property if given enough motivation. Reasons like, chasing after wild animals, or running from a loud, unfamiliar noise such as a gun shot or tractor. We were supposed to be the only people using certain sections during the afternoon hours but being a shared property that wasn’t always the case. I would find myself on the trails with people riding horses or I’d be just a few acres away from people hunting for deer. Hiking under these circumstances taught me that the dream hiking property would be a smaller, securely fenced property that would not be used by multiple organizations for varying purposes.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve been working with animals for most of my life. I grew up with dogs and cats and spent a lot of time with friends who lived on farms when I was a child. In adulthood I started taking jobs in the pet industry pretty early on. I did lots of pet sitting and dog walking and for a few years I also managed a pet supply store. There, I gained tons of knowledge about dog behavior, nutrition for pets, as well as how to run a successful store and manage a team. After the better part of ten years in the pet retail industry, I was offered a position to be a Pack Leader for the company I had been pet sitting through as an independent contractor.
Being a Pack Leader means you’re the alpha in a group of dogs. All the dogs in your pack are going to look to you for direction, they’re going to trust you and depend on you to keep them safe. Leading a pack of off-leash dogs while hiking in a natural setting means you have to know each individual canine. You have to be aware of their quirks and their needs. You have to know how they’re going to react in certain scenarios so that you can appropriately manage any situation that arises in a safe, calm, and timely fashion. I think to be a Pack Leader you have to be a little more than just a dog person. You have to stay a step ahead not just physically on the trails but mentally as well. It takes grit and passion, calmness and confidence, you have to be willing to endure all different types of elements. I think that’s what really sets me apart from some of the other hiking companies I’m familiar with. I don’t just go out hiking when it’s nice outside. I’m very consistent week to week, season to season. I go out in the rain, snow or sunshine. I mean, this is Wisconsin after all, it’s winter for like six months of the year!
I first started Pack Mentality Hiking after learning that I did have the skills to train and lead dogs in a group setting. I had taught multiple dogs that had zero recall, to come back to me every single time. I taught them to stay and wait at different thresholds and in different scenarios. I built trusting consistent relationships with each one of the dogs in my groups. After multiple nudges from my partner and also my therapist, I took a leap of faith and decided to leave the company I had started hiking with. I registered my LLC, put in my two weeks’ notice and jumped into ownership of my own dog hiking company. I probably would have given up if things hadn’t continued to fall into place the way that they did. As soon as I started doubting my decisions, another major factor to this business would come together. One by one all of the challenges were checked off the list: buy a van, make a website, get insurance, find a property, and build up clientele. I think my biggest challenge was finding an appropriate property to hike up to fifteen dogs on that met all of my requirements. I needed a property that had a few private acres that were fully fenced. It also needed to be away from any working farms, easily accessible, and within a thirty-minute drive from Madison. I must have cold-called 300 different property owners, ranches, orchards and stables before I finally found the perfect fit.
Our slogan at Pack Mentality Hiking is, “creating peace in your home, while leaving peace in your mind.” I can only do this if I feel confident and safe while I’m hiking. The biggest factor in that is knowing that when I bring a group of unleashed dogs onto our hiking trails, they’re going to stay within that fence line. The other major factor is making sure they’re going to engage with me and follow my direction, while getting along with each other and having fun. I help dog parents give their pup the exercise they need while also keeping them safe and providing a consistent schedule and routine, training and socialization. In doing this, the pet parents are able to continue their normal life flow without worrying if their dog is getting what they need. Parents get to return home from a day of work to a calm, well exercised pup that got to spend the day with all of their best friends.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Word of mouth has been my savior! I feel incredibly lucky to have clients that want me to succeed and support me and my business wholeheartedly. Without my most loyal clients talking to all of their dog-loving friends about how much they love me and my services, I never would have survived. Of course, getting our name out there on social media and in the pet industry has been helpful but if people weren’t talking to their peers about Pack Mentality Hiking, I never would have been able to give up my part-time jobs to hike with dogs out in the woods every day.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
This is a tough question. I thought about keeping it all business and answering this question by talking about how I learned to cut and remove downed trees or erect and mend fences, but I think I’d like to get a little more personal with this one.
Four years ago, I was a completely different person than I am today. I was a miserable alcoholic, and I was very overweight. I lacked confidence and I felt totally stuck in my abusive marriage and wasn’t sure I would ever get out of it. Slowly, I came to realize that I needed to change my life if I wanted to not only survive but thrive. Right around my 30th birthday I got the courage to leave my now ex-husband, I quit drinking and started a journey to a healthier life. I started going for walks regularly through the wooded trails near my house. I started eating healthier and paying attention to the way I was talking to myself. Fast forward four years, I’m clean and sober, I lost 120lbs, quit smoking cigarettes, and learned what a healthy, supportive relationship looks like. If I hadn’t taken those first steps of quitting drinking and leaving my marriage, there is no way I would be operating my dream business with the most wonderful partner. No matter how low your rock bottom is, no matter what curveballs life throws at you, you can always climb up and out and start anew. Nothing in this life is set in stone and you can change the path you’re on at any moment. It just takes a couple of sequential steps to start gaining momentum.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.packmentalityhiking.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/packmentalityhiking
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/packmentalityhiking
- Other: [email protected]
