We were lucky to catch up with Ashlie Sutton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashlie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

The idea of Bayside Service Dogs began in 2016 when I realized my passion for helping others could also include my love for dogs. Service Dogs are the best of both worlds – helping those in need while also working with dogs. While attending college the development phase of Bayside was put on hold, but was always the dream. I graduated in 2020 with a Recreation Therapy degree. After graduating, the planning process was still in limbo due to Covid, but I knew I would eventually be able to begin planning and developing my dream. I began working in the veterinary field beginning in 2021 to continue working with dogs. In 2022, I accepted a position at a local service dog organization as a Puppy Program Coordinator. I had conversations with the Executive Director about my passion and dream of one day having my own organization. Early 2023, I was provided with an opportunity I couldn’t pass up – Go public with Bayside. In February 2023, I sat down and researched for hours and hours on how to start a non-profit, the ins and outs of the non-profit industry, filing, legal terms, and the list goes on. Once I developed a plan for formation, now came the tricky part. What would I call my organization? I began compiling a list of names I really liked and knew I wanted to include “Service Dogs” in the title so anyone who heard the name would know what my non-profit was for. Riverside, Bayshore, Seaside, Sutton, Seashore, plus a few more were all contenders for the naming process. Bayside came to fruition when I combined my top choices of Riverside and Bayshore together. Now with a name of Bayside Service Dogs and the “how-to” guide I developed for myself on formation, I was finally ready. I spoke with my current employer about my plans and put in my notice for mid-April. In May of 2023, Bayside Service Dogs finally went public and my dreams have come true.

Ashlie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

For those who do not know me – my name is Ashlie Sutton and I am a 25-year-old pursuing my dream of having my non-profit service dog organization, Bayside Service Dogs. I am a Certified and Licensed Recreational Therapist and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Bayside Service Dogs provides service dogs to those in need at no cost to the client. We specialize in Psychiatric Service Dogs, Mobility Assistance Dogs, Autism Assistance Dogs, and Hearing Alert Service Dogs. Our mission is enriching lives through partnerships with individuals and specially trained service dogs. Our program allocates dogs from reputable breeders at 8 weeks old to begin their service dog training journey. The dogs are placed with our approved clients at around 2 years of age. Throughout their training journey, our program dogs stay in volunteer Training Foster homes and with staff. With our program just starting out, we are able to build strong connections with our fosters and with our upcoming clients which allows for us to stand out. We can tailor our program through this pilot stage with our established fosters and clients to ensure we are improving on every aspect as we continue to place our service dogs with those in need. This program has not even been public for a year and it has already changed my life in so many positive ways. I have been able to develop so many community relationships near and far and hope to continue on this journey of many successes. I cannot even begin to express my gratitude towards everyone involved with Bayside and our program’s development. I am so proud of Bayside’s growth in the last 7 months and cannot wait to continue to enrich lives – both human and (service) dog.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

As we are still developing our social media platforms, I find it especially important to genuinely engage with the social media community especially those in your niche. Ensuring Bayside’s content is high-quality allows for those coming across our social media pages to feel more inclined to continue watching and following. For those just starting out (similar to Bayside), know who your target audience is and have your content align with their needs. Uniformity with your posts makes your page aesthetic seem more developed, clear, and organized vs. clustered and potentially unappealing. The social media world has large potential for you and your business to grow and develop exponentially. Continue to learn what works best for you and don’t be afraid to try something new.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I am the sole founder of Bayside; however, my Lead Service Dog Trainer, Lorin, has helped Bayside truly begin by taking on one of our first puppies to enter the program. Our first puppies entered the program in July of 2023 and I fostered one while Lorin fostered the other for his first 3 months in the program. I was responsible for Bay – named after Bayside and Lorin was responsible for Fitz. Bay and Fitz are now 8 months old and are very sweet Golden Retrievers learning they will one day change someone’s life. I first met Lorin in August of 2021 as I was beginning to work in the veterinary field. Lorin was already an employee and we instantly connected when I began working. She has been by my side with my planning, development, and now execution. She has been one of the biggest supporters of Bayside and I am thankful she is apart of my life and Bayside.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.baysideservicedogs.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/baysideservicedogs
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/baysideservicedogs