STARING CONTEST 101 Demonstrated By: Ali Isaacson

Notice Ali's wide-eyed technique while demonstrating how to beat ANYONE at a staring contest. Way to keep your eye on the prize, Ali!!!!!

CDWC delivers 2 winners at the Charleston Dog Show!!!

Hoooraaaaaaaaaaay!!! Charleston Dog Walking Company is beyond thrilled to announce that 2 of our clients won awards in this year's Charleston Dog Show. Izzy Chanler (handled by her adoring mother Margaret) took home 4th place in the Toy Breed class while Abby Burnet brought home 2nd place in the Rescue Class. Pretty darn impressive for two pups who had never stepped foot in the ring before!!!!

Izzy Posing after a long day of smiling for the judges

Abby and me accepting the ribbon!

Me and the big winner!

Pretty sure the guy in the sweatpants and mandals walking to the left of us took home the "best dressed" ribbon, hehehe :)

WHO WORE IT BETTER??? Beatrice or Beyonce

Notice these similar styles below. Beatrice takes a more tousled bangs approach while Beyonce jazzes her do up with some hair flair. Personally, I think Beatrice's effortless look will carry her through the summer right into a fashionable fall, while Beyonce's look may, well... just fall short. Thoughts?

Moosy getting her tan on!

Little Moosy seems to REALLY be into her tan this year. I've busted her on multiple occasions shamelessly sunning herself in the backyard after breakfast...

Maggie and Mister!

I had such a fabulous time hanging out with these two Boxer siblings over the weekend. Maggie and Mister are as cute as they sound. 2 peas in a pod, these two loooooove playing chase, snuggling, exploring, and snuggling some more. Over the weekend I learned two new things about each of them. Maggie LOVES a good sprinkler system and Mister is NOT afraid to take a flying leap into a swimming pool, regardless if he knows how to swim or not...Luckily for me, he was a natural!

Mister caught deep in thought on a ride to the park!

Moments before Maggie discovered the sprinkler

Sprinkler:1 Maggie: 0

Mister getting the hang of this whole pool thing

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY IZZY CHANLER!

Last Friday was a very big day for a very small pup! Izzy turned 1! She had a fabulous birthday party with hats and goody bags for all. Check her out below hanging with her best buddy Willie!

1 Blonde Bear + 1 Hot Dog = Just another day at Rockville

Check out these great shots of Miss B and Henry kicking it pool and dockside at Rockville...

Miss B relaxing after taking the first dip of the season! When asked if it is too chilly, she responded with a loooooong yawn...not really sure what that means!

All that swimming really helped Miss B work up an appetite. Here she is enjoying a rawhide poolside.

After a while Miss B was joined by her Bestie, Henry!

Henry wasn't feeling as adventurous and chose to stay dry that day (it has nothing to do with his lil' swimming legs, I assure you). He must've had a long night before, because as you can see below, he can hardly keep his eyes open for a photo opp.


After his "sitting nap" he finally came over to say hello...

As you can see a BLONDE BEAR and a HOT DOG's job is never done....There they go, back up the dock to investigate what is happening next door!

Car Poolin' with the Pups!

Check out the "Beau sandwich" as Emily takes the pups for a ride to the dog park. Sophie on one side and The Queen on the other as Beau is happily escorted for an afternoon of fun!

Charleston Mercury Article!!!!

A very BIG thank you to Megan Chandler at the Charleston Mercury newspaper for such a flattering article in the recent edition. Thanks Megan!!!

Call of the Wild: Lauren Clawson and Charleston Dog Walking Company

Abby, the 3-year-old Redbone Coonhound/Doberman mix, is the pup of Hazel Burnet. This downtown dog and her family were some of Lauren’s very first clients, with whom she maintains a Monday through Friday walking regimen. photograph by Anne Jervey Rhett

I Want to Thrive

By Megan Abigail Chandler

Published:

Tuesday, April 19, 2011 4:49 PM EDT

If ever you’ve had a pup, you know how it goes. Pups wake you with a lick in the morning; they drench you with a good shake after bath time; they chew every last pair of your Kate Spades. They, in essence, find a way into your heart, and over time your affection for them turns them into members of your family. They are these little things with wet noses and soft eyes that wrap you in love without your even knowing it. Of course, as you would feel if you left your children all day at home or over the weekend, you want them tended to by the best, most loving caretaker.

Lauren Clawson, mother to three precious “girls,” as she calls her sweet dogs, worked 14-hour days in New York City at a hotshot marketing company, diving into a career without really knowing what she wanted to do when she started out in the working world. While she and her husband logged long hours away from their little family and their apartment, she knew the value of a quality dog walker. She’d get little picture text messages from her chosen pet care official of the girls on their walk, in the park and doing the zany things that dogs tend to do. It warmed her heart, and left her with the incentive to get through her workday, knowing she’d return to those dear things in no time flat.

So, when Lauren and Sam, her hubby, returned to Charleston three years ago, she took the first marketing job she could find. In the end, it just wasn’t right — not right at all; she was exhausted from the monotony. A determined New Jersey native, with a love for man’s best friend and guidance from her man best-friend (Sam), she researched every facet of starting a small business for two or three months. She literally Googled dog walking. She ordered books on it. She talked to others. She used her marketing experience. She armed herself with an arsenal of knowledge on the topic. In July 2010, she started Charleston Dog Walking Company.

Lauren is more than a dog walker, though. For her clients, she becomes part of the family. She has helped clients prepare for first dates, and she’s been there when they’ve lost loved ones. She often makes trips to their homes four times a day. She sends those fun little text messages of pets to owners, just like the ones she received once upon a time. She no longer lives in the burnt-out haze of a girl gliding down a path she never chose for herself but just flopped into. Lauren is now living life with a passion for what she does day in and day out.

With nearly 40 clients as part of her extended family, Lauren’s business is growing so that she had to hire an assistant. But, like any good business owner, she knows when to say “no” and when to say “yes.”

“I choose my clients as much as they choose me,” says this thoughtful and meticulous 27-year-old. Lauren is conservative about expanding her client base in an effort to create a tight-knit business family, because to her the relationships she fosters with her clients are more important than the number of clients she has. And while she adores making her own hours, working with dogs and having this business that is all hers, she cannot see five years ahead. One or two years are as far as she looks, and the prospect is promising. The floundering economy has not taken its toll on dog walking, and Lauren is grateful.

“You sign up with us, join our little family and that’s it,” she laughs over tea and coffee. Her face is washed with light from early April’s sunshine, and her eyes are filled with honesty. When it comes to those furry creatures that take our hearts, family is the key. After all, who better to trust than family?

Visit www.charlestondogwalkingco.com to read Lauren’s hysterical blog and learn more about the company.