Once I got that first taste of understanding my dog's behavior, I became addicted! I read all the materials I could get my hands on and watched all the videos I could find. Suddenly, I had only one ambition in life: to do for someone else what Lara had done for me. I wanted to find all of those people who were thinking, "I love my dog, but I hate my life with my dog," and tell them they aren't alone and empower them to change their situation.

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While I studied and worked toward my goal of becoming a professional dog trainer, I was getting some practical experience in by volunteering with the dogs at my local shelter, walking and boarding dogs on Rover, and eventually hosting a doggy daycare out of my home. Seeing a wide range of dogs and having the opportunity to work with a variety of behaviors was so important to my learning!

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Once I had received my first certification, I began taking clients for personalized training under the business name Miss Lilly's Dogs. I worked in the Seattle area at a low cost and a beginner level, all the while continuing to build my skills, confidence, and experience.

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In May of 2019, my husband and I moved from Seattle to Grand Rapids, Michigan, carting along Moony and his three animal siblings for the three day journey in our Honda Pilot. Around this time, my brother and sister-in-law, who already lived in Grand Rapids, were getting their first family dog from Bunji Australian Labradoodles. (As a funny aside, I had tried to dissuade them from doing this, because at the time I had some very strong and not very well-rounded opinions about doodle breeding! They convinced me to take a better look at the breeder though, and needless to say I fell in love with the program.)

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Through my brother and sister-in-law, I met Jen, the owner of Bunji Australian Labradoodles, and as fate would have it, she was looking for a local dog trainer to help with Puppy Head Start. Jen and I clicked instantly, having not only a similar training style but also a similar way of working and communicating. I became the official Bunji trainer and took over the Puppy Head Start program in early 2020, and I am still doing that today!

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It was later that year that Lara and I decided to start a podcast as a pandemic hobby. We launched the podcast Dogaritaville together, and put out episodes regularly for a little over a year. Dogaritaville doesn't have any new episodes as of January 2022, but we don't consider this project to be ended, and we both hope to get back to it when we have the time! You can listen to Dogaritaville on most podcast streaming platforms.

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In the summer of 2022, I decided it was time for a re-brand. At the beginning of my career, one of my clients called me Miss Lilly and it just sort of stuck! I didn't love the name, though, and changing it has always been in the back of my mind. After brainstorming a little bit and talking it over with Jen, I decided to take on the name Bunji. I love the name because it means "friend," which is how I think about our pet dogs, and it also reflects my training relationship with Bunji Australian Labradoodles.

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And that's how Bunji Dog Training became what it is now! The journey is just beginning and I'm so excited to see what the future holds.