681: Mental Health, Safety, and Walking Reactive Dogs with Tanikka Spear
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How do you keep showing up for pets and their people when your mental health is hanging by a thread? Tanikka Spear, owner of Urban Pets in southeast England, shares about living with chronic depression, anxiety, and PTSD while running a dog walking and pet sitting business. She shares how reactive dogs “fell into her lap,” what it takes to safely walk a 50-kilo dog, and why understanding the dog’s emotional world matters so much. Tanikka opens up about suicidal ideation, the fear that finally pushed her to seek help, and the support systems that keep her going—from family to clients who offer coffee and hugs on hard days.
Main topics:
Living with chronic mental illness
Working safely with reactive dogs
Client communication and progress updates
Burnout, boundaries, and hard days
Finding support and speaking up
Main takeaway: “Don’t be afraid to communicate when things aren’t going well, because you never know someone might be able to help you in more ways than you think they can.”
In this episode, Tanikka shares what it’s like to run a dog walking and pet sitting business while living with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. She talks honestly about the days when showing up feels incredibly hard, and the moments when support from family, clients, and friends makes all the difference. For many pet care professionals, the work can feel isolating—but it doesn’t have to be. Tanikka reminds us that asking for help and talking about what we’re going through can open doors to encouragement, understanding, and real support. If you’ve ever felt like you were carrying the weight of this work alone, this conversation is a powerful reminder that you don’t have to.
About our guest: Tanikka is the owner of Urban Pets, a dog walking and pet sitting business based in southeast England. Although she never set out to specialize in reactive and aggressive dogs, those cases found her, and she discovered a deep passion for helping dogs with big feelings and complicated histories. Living with chronic depression, anxiety, and PTSD, she brings a unique empathy to her work, recognizing that many dogs are experiencing their own invisible struggles. Through careful management, safety-focused systems, and honest communication with clients, she helps reactive dogs build confidence while supporting the humans who love them.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Pet Sitter Confessional, its hosts, or sponsors. We interview individuals based on their experience and expertise within the pet care industry. Any statements made outside of this platform, or unrelated to the topic discussed, are solely the responsibility of the guest.
A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
mental health, pet sitting, reactive dogs, aggressive dogs, chronic illness, dog walking, client support, burnout, safety measures, high visibility, communication, business challenges, passion, professional growth, community support
SPEAKERS
Collin, Tanikka
Collin Funkhouser 00:00
To welcome to pet sitter confessional, an open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter. Today, we're brought to you by our friends at tied to pet and pet marketing unleashed. Today we are really excited to have Tanika, owner of urban pets, on the show. Today, we're talking about some probably difficult topics and discussions, but they're incredibly important to the world of being a business owner and just to being to being humans. So I'm really excited to talk with Tanika today about dealing with and battling through mental health, giving 100% even though you're at 20 or less some days. And then I know Tanika, you specialize in some reactive dogs and aggressive dogs too. So I want to dive into that today. But Tanika, I'm really excited to have you on the show today. For those who aren't familiar with you or follow along with you already, could you please tell us a little bit more about yourself. Amazing.
Tanikka 00:55
Thank you so much. My name is Tanika. I'm 30 years old, and I live in England, southeast England. And yeah, I run a dog walking and pet fitting business called Urban pets, and we didn't mean for it to specialize necessarily, in reactive and aggressive dogs that sort of fell into our laps, but we really just run with it. And and, yeah, I obviously, as you said, I do suffer with a lot of mental health problems, and I do have chronic illnesses as well, and they can be quite debilitating depending on the day. But most days, I'd say nine out of 10 are not good days for me. But I love the dogs that I work with. I love all of the animals that I work with, but, yeah, the dogs really give me that sort of strive and passion to keep going.
Collin Funkhouser 01:51
So what got you started working with with pets, and specifically, why did you feel it necessary, or why did you start urban pets?
Tanikka 02:02
So I mean, it's a bit of a long story, but I grew up with animals, as most people do in this in this job, and I studied animal management at college, and I kind of had an idea of where I wanted to go with it. I wanted to be a zoologist So, and I my special interest, as I like to call it, were birds of prey. And yeah, so I did some work experience revolving around that. So I worked with private falconers, I worked in zoos. I worked at the police headquarters, where they handle dogs searching rescue teams or bike work dog. So I worked with falconers. So they would take their birds out and they would hunt with them. I didn't really like the aspect of the hunting, but I love the birds, and I appreciated it's a very like and, yeah, it was mainly just managing the animals, so cleaning them out, feeding them and things like that. And then I got an apprenticeship with a private balcony. But it's very seasonal work, so if, for example, it rains, which it doesn't lock. Here, you can't fly birds, their feathers can only hold so much wetness, and then they can't fly anymore. So yeah, obviously, if, like, 678, months of the year, I can't, I can't actually work and money. I hate to say it, but obviously I have to earn something, even if it's something I love doing. So then I ended up working for a pet shop, and I started out part time, and it was meant to just be sort of a six month thing while I was interviewing for zoo jobs. And then I stayed back for 10 years. Yeah, but I was trained to be an animal nutritionist, so I got to meet a lot of dogs with sort of sensitive tummies, a lot of illnesses, and try and sort of fix that for the owners. And obviously we did get the odds reactive dog in there. So what we would do, what I would do, is sort of close the shop up so that the customer can come in with their reactive dog and use the shopper like a desensitizing tool. So it was just our staff in there, no one
Collin Funkhouser 04:37
else having people come in working with more reactive dogs. And I know at the beginning you had said that you had never set off to to work specifically with those or to do that a lot. How did the working with the reactive dogs come about in your business?
Tanikka 04:53
So our first ever client who lived over an hour away when we first met her. We didn't, because we were so new at it, and I guess, in a way, a little bit desperate to start working with people and their dogs, we didn't fully understand what we were getting ourselves into. So when we turned up what we thought was going to be three dogs ended up being 10. Oh, and all of them are reactive. I would like to say, or like to think, that I know enough about reading doggy like dog behavior and dog body language to understand, but my other half, not so much. So it was a bit daunting. We were a bit sort of like, Oh, do we do this or not? But as I said, we were so desperate at that point to really get the ball rolling, we didn't really have many options other than that. We hadn't really started looking for a client base. We were like, okay, so yeah, only one of the dogs didn't come out with us, and that was because he was aggressive, and I wasn't quite confident with that, because in our first introduction, he tried to bite us multiple times. So yeah, we just ended up walking nine dogs, all Cocker Spaniels, so they were all crazy. And then, yeah, unfortunately, we ended up not sort of working with her anymore, because I realized, obviously my insurance only preferred for like six, but there was two of us so, but I just didn't want to take any chances. And because it already felt like a lot of work, I didn't feel like I was 100% in control of that, and I didn't like it. And then, yeah, I'd say, pretty much like a week after we stopped working with her, another client came through with our longest standing client now with a reactive Hungarian Vizsla. And I love him so much. He's hard work, okay? And, yeah, we've been working with him now the pretty much the entire time. We met him when he was 10 months old and he turned three a couple of months ago. Oh, wow. And he's come leaps and bounds, because I guess you know, we've given him not a chance, but we can understand him. His his reactivity is from he was attacked when he was a puppy, and the owners have done everything, spent 1000s on training, but he gets leash reactivity, so all he wants to do is get to a dog, but to say hello, but because he's on a lead, he doesn't, he just can't understand that. He can't just run to dogs, and then that's where the barking starts. He starts flailing around. And yeah, he I don't know the conversion, but it's, he's 50 kilo dog. He's a big dog.
Collin Funkhouser 08:06
That's a big dog.
Tanikka 08:08
Yeah, very big dog. But, yeah, after seeing him sort of improve little by little, like, don't get me wrong, we've been with him for three years now, and the improvements have happened, but they've been gradual. I've realized that I've realized that I've had, I have a true passion for helping dogs that have reactivity, because obviously it's quite for the owners, it's quite closed off. You can't just take your dog to the pub or, you know, walk them down the road. You have to take everything into consideration when you have a reactive dog. And for Percy the bizzler, he his issue is with people and dogs, which are both quite hard to avoid. But yeah, he's gotten so much better, and then as time has gone on, we've taken on more and more. I don't necessarily advertise us as reactive and aggressive dog only, but I would say 90% of our clients own dogs with some sort of behavioral issue.
Collin Funkhouser 09:13
Do you feel like Tanika, that the clients that come to you have they tried somebody else and it wasn't a good fit, so they're still hunting. Or did they find you? Because somebody told them about your work with reactive dogs,
Tanikka 09:28
a bit of both, really. For the Vizsla, it was very much that they had tried finding dog walkers. They I think she'd said that they interviewed about three or four people before us, but they were either scared of him because, I guess, obviously his size, or they weren't able to handle him, because that's the thing. The most important thing is obviously you have to be physically capable and. As well as mentally prepared. But yeah, the physicality side of it is making sure that you can hold on to him, to protect him, and obviously other people as well. And yeah, we have had a couple of referrals from people who have heard about us and our work with reactive dogs. But for the most part, it just sort of, it just falls into our laps.
Collin Funkhouser 10:27
Well, you know, and, and those you mentioned about how closed off it is where we're clients. They a lot of clients, get a dog, and they have this vision of what they want to do with that dog, right? They have this life envisioned of they're going to go on walks or runs, or they're going to go exploring, they're going to go to the open fields and do some off leash stuff, and then all of a sudden they get this dog, and it's not what they had anticipated. And there's this, like, very insular, small world that suddenly they get placed in, and to be able to talk with them, share them, give them, I'm sure it gives them confidence too, to know that, like my dog, can still have these experiences and the safety of this professional and that we have a path forward as we work and as we're consistent with this
Tanikka 11:12
absolutely, absolutely I can agree more, and I think that's one of the most gratifying things about the job, is not only helping the dogs themselves, but also giving the owners something back as well, and maybe teaching them new things. So obviously, I spend a lot of time with most of the dogs, whereas obviously they might not so much I pick up on the little things. So like, oh, today Percy didn't bark at a dog. That's massive for us, and they love that. And you can sort of hear the hope, and they start into a lot of them tend to then start being a little bit more adventurous with the dogs, taking them places they may have not considered beforehand. And yeah, that just makes me so happy.
Collin Funkhouser 11:56
You know, those kind of, those kind of progress reports, are so critical, both for like you as the professional kind of charting the progress that we have here, with this pet, with this dog, with you know, it could be a dog, could be a cat, whatever, like, how is this relationship coming along? Because then the client really gets some insight into how is this going, and when they get confidence to go, Well, we've been consistent with this. We're working towards this. Let me try something that maybe I was scared of to do before. I mean, that is really gratifying to know that, like, that's a gift that you give people. And I was going to ask Tony, like, this is hard work. I mean, you talked about a 50 kilo dog for our for us in America over here, that's 110 pounds of dog and like, that's intimidating, that's a lot of work, that's a lot of strain and stress, that's a lot of you know, my like, mental awareness and acuity that you have to have, and you're doing that with multiple dogs every day. Like, like, I know you said that you found that passion for it, but, but how do you continue to show up for those dogs every day, when it's kind of grueling work,
Tanikka 13:07
it really is just the love and the passion for them. I understand their individual needs. You know that, depending on which dog I'm referring to, a lot of them have had bad experiences, not necessarily by the hands of the owner, obviously, but just their environment. Something's happened and something switched in their brain, and being able to give them a safe space to, you know, have a have a stimulating walk. Yes, is so, so gratifying.
Collin Funkhouser 13:42
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Collin Funkhouser 14:07
If you're looking for new pet setting software, give time to pet a try. Listeners of our show will save 50% off your first three months by visiting time to pet.com/confessional. I know you mentioned in the beginning that you've had your own journey with, with mental health and issues and concerns how? How do you think Tanika, how has that shaped your approach to pet care?
Tanikka 14:32
I mean, with my own mental struggles, I kind of place it that the dogs also have their own mental struggles that they're going through, but they can't vocalize about it. They can't tell you. You know, seeing that dog over there on that field absolutely terrifies me, and I sounds really stupid, but I just I can feel it from like an emotional level. I can understand them. You know that it's scary, it's frustrating. For them, and that that gives me passion to sort of get up in the morning and just get out and do that, that sort of thing, you know, go to work and do their walks,
Collin Funkhouser 15:12
allows you to really empathize at that level of especially a lot of this silent or unseen or unnoticed by other people aspects of that dog's life,
Tanikka 15:26
absolutely, absolutely. And I think that's a huge part as well. If you you know working with reactive dogs is understanding, you know, the root reason as to why they're like that. You know it's not you know, them being a pain in the butt, for example, they're not intentionally being an annoying dog, right? They're reacting to something that scares them or causes pain. And I think coming down to that level and sort of understanding them, you know, really, really helps. So if I know that, so and so doesn't like certain breeds of dog, which we do have a dog who absolutely hates Bernie's mountains. Oh no, they don't know. The owners don't know why. I don't know why, but it's a massive difference when he sees any other dog and then sees a Bernie's mountain. Oh, my God, he's crazy, but yeah, just understanding that, you know, in that moment, it can be quite sort of like daunting. You know, it's like, oh god, you're gonna get pulled around by a dog, but in that dog's eyes, you know, in that situation, is probably terrified, and it's my job to ensure his safety or their safety, and also the safety of others as well, right?
Collin Funkhouser 16:47
Well, I'm sure you know, it sounds like I can kind of hear in there, Tanika, as you've gone through your journey, maybe have had some instances where there were misunderstandings from other people who didn't understand why certain things were happening, or you were even trying to figure out, why am I reacting this way, or where's this emotion coming from? And then being able to look at the dogs and go, Oh my goodness, they're going through the exact same thing, not for the same reasons, but like, there's this internal processing here that we've got to dig down and try and understand
Tanikka 17:19
absolutely it's the flight or fight response, you know, and I feel that very much, you know. Obviously, people can experience that emotion, and I know I definitely do when I see I suffer from depression and anxiety. Especially with anxiety, there's a lot of situations where I'd rather not be in that situation, and just want to get out of, you know, that particular scenario, but I pushed through it, and, yeah, I try and explain it. Obviously, with people, it's much easier to explain it, too. And I feel the same way with dogs, is just trying to understand where they're coming from and try and nurture how they're reacting.
Collin Funkhouser 18:02
You mentioned one there of not wanting to be in certain circumstances. What other What other challenges do you feel or do you face with? You know, these invisible disabilities, these invisible things that people don't always see, especially as a as a business owner,
Tanikka 18:18
yeah, so I have depression, chronic depression, anxiety and PTSD, the anxiety is probably the worst one, and only because it's the one that I have every single day. I have issues with every single day I'm very introverted as well. So being a dog walker is not a job for introverted I like it, though, because obviously it brings me out. It forces me to have conversations with people when I when I can have them, and I always love people asking questions. As for the depression, that's quite difficult, because it's, it's one of those things that I really have to sort of kick my butt and get out of bed and really push myself. There isn't much that you know anyone else can do for me. It's finding that sort of internal drive and just, well, have to do it.
Collin Funkhouser 19:18
Yeah, yeah. Where? Where Where do you where do you go to find that internal drive?
Tanikka 19:27
It sounds really cheesy, I would say, just the passion for them. Obviously, I like to see the dogs that I'm working with. I look forward to seeing them and also helping the owners out. And you know, it's an hour of their day, maybe two hours of their day, but that's probably the best part of their day. And if I don't show up, then they don't have that. And that makes me sad. That's what pushes me.
Collin Funkhouser 19:55
Yeah, I definitely, you know, there are those times where you. Know, if people listening to this, you know, they might not be dealing and struggling with chronic depression, but there are days where it's, I think that that is certainly lies heavier on our hearts of the I don't, I can't get up and away from this, but finding that motivation of, hey, let me just sometimes I just have to, like, look into the eyes of the dog that I'm with, obviously, as they're comfortable, not in a threatening manner, that kind of thing. But like, let me just, like, be here, and let's have this little moment where we're just going to sit and vibe for a little bit so that I'm reminded and energized and motivated now to, like, right? I'm here for you. Let's go do this and and whatever that is to connect. You know, it sounds like it just takes some time and some some real processes involved.
Tanikka 20:44
It definitely does, and it sounds stupid, but again, I'm going to mention the vizler, just because I've worked with him the longest, and he's the hardest. But the most gratifying is when I turn up at their house. I just spend five minutes. I come in to their home a bit early, because I have the, thankfully, have the opportunity to do that, at the schedule, to do that, and we just sit on the sofa and have a cuddle for like five minutes. And that really decompresses me. He loves it. He kicks me, yeah, all of that. But I just, I in that moment, I'm like, Yeah, this is why I do it.
Collin Funkhouser 21:18
Yeah. Oh, those, those moments are so precious, you know, and finding those those things, and what other kind of adjustments or systems do you have in place? Because, you know, when you have those days where some are, you know, they're worse than others, you know, how do you still work effectively and get the work that you need to get done?
Tanikka 21:40
Um, so, yeah, I I try and stay as hydrated as possible. And it does make a huge difference when you are hydrated, which I know sounds really stupid, but when I first started, I would never drink water while I was out, and I noticed that I was feeling a lot worse when I would then, you know, get home and finish, and I found that if I, if I have a good night's sleep and drink plenty of water, that sort of, that push that I need, but a lot of it is internal. It's just that the knowing that I need to do this, and again, that just comes from passion. Because when I started feeling unwell in 2021 I was still working in the pet shop. That was my first job that I was there for 10 years, and I was finding it really hard to come in. And there were days where I just couldn't I don't find that with pet sitting and dog walking, it doesn't matter how bad that day is or I think will be, I still get up and I still do it.
Collin Funkhouser 22:46
Yeah, yeah. So it sounds like a big part of that system was, was, was finding work that aligned and motivated you internally a lot more than those other things,
Tanikka 22:57
absolutely, absolutely,
Collin Funkhouser 23:01
you know. And it's, it's, it's, it's a, it's an interesting job and interesting career. Because in one aspect, Megan and I talk a lot about just between us, of like, man, it's really nice that there's always more work to do. Like, somebody always needs a dog walk, somebody always needs some pet sitting, visits, somebody always like, it's encouraging, because that's job security for us. But at the same time, it can be really overwhelming to be like, oh my goodness, I'm never going to get a break from this. And somebody's always going to, Collin need me, and someone's always going to, you know, there's always one more thing Do you Do you struggle with that? And how do you balance that out in your life and your business?
Tanikka 23:38
Tanika, oh my goodness, yeah, the burnout. Yeah, it's real in this job. Yeah, no, it can be difficult, especially when it feels like everything's sort of back to back to back to back, and you've got several weeks of, you know, things that are overlapping with each other, and it just feels like there's no escape. But again, it's, it's just that drive to see those dogs, and it's, I just hold out until I get home and then crash and cry about it. But yeah, it's difficult when there's, there's lots going on, and obviously you want to give 100 or more percent to each and every dog, but if you're not feeling 100% yourself, and there's a lot going on as well, it can be really, really hard.
Collin Funkhouser 24:31
Yeah, well, I mean, how do you do that then, like, waking up, you're like, I'm at 20% today, but I still have to go at 100% because it's like that. That includes, I have to be at 100% for my safety, for my my surroundings. I have to be 100% for the dog behavior. But especially when, when you are working with reactive dogs, again, 110 pound, 50 kilo dog that's reactive like you can't show up at 20% on those days.
Tanikka 24:59
No, no. You can't I sort of like, have an internal chat with myself, yeah, and I sort of prepare myself for the day. So I, like, a little bit old fashioned, but I have a calendar on the wall, so I like to be able to visualize exactly where I am and what I'm doing that day, and sort of mentally prepare myself as, like, Okay, I've got so and so today, this is how I hope the walk is going to go, and sort of just like, gear myself up, get in the car, and I just try and chill as much as possible until I get there. Just try and stay as relaxed as possible, even if I'm still at 20% when I turn up, it just, it's, it's almost like a customer service type thing. Soon as I enter the house, it's like, oh, 100%
Collin Funkhouser 25:46
Well, I love that visualization of how is this going to go? Because I know when, like, I'm at 20% or less, I can tend to get into the, like, the negative side of things of today's gonna be horrible. And I just, I can really down talk and I sit there in the muck, but I love how you you're looking at your calendar, and you're like, Okay, this walk with Baxter, it's gonna be a sunny day, maybe a little rainy, where you are, but, like, I'm still maybe a little rainy, but we're gonna be great, right? We're gonna be we're gonna be meshed. It's gonna be a great walk, like, all this stuff like that. That really does hype yourself up, and all of a sudden you're excited for it and you're ready to go, and you might still not be at 100% but man, it makes a lot easier to show up and be there when, when you're thinking of the positives as opposed to just the negatives,
Tanikka 26:31
absolutely, and I'll take any positives, even if it's a tiny little glimmer of positivity that that's still something to sort of ride off of, like, if the dog, you know, is normally reacted towards something, and then today wasn't, you know, that's, that's huge. And that really makes my day, because it saves me from being yanked around.
Collin Funkhouser 26:55
Well, on those, on those walks, Tanika, I mean, like, obviously, safety is a big, a big deal for for any dog, but especially dealing with reactive dogs and large dogs like that. How do you, how do you make that walk safe? And what are some things that you think about for ensuring that both you and the dog and other people are safe during it?
Tanikka 27:17
Yeah, so when I pick the dogs up, and I start putting their stuff on. I always double check that everything is still connected and not chewed and ready to go, basically, because, yeah, when I used to work in the pet shop, we had a couple of instances where people would come in with half chewed leads, and the dog would just get off off the leads. So that kind of scared me a little bit, and sort of came into, you know, pet sitting and dog walking, as I always, always check that their collar and their leads are okay and fit for, you know, today's activity. And then with some other dogs, it's going to sound really silly, but I wear a high biz and all it says is reactive to dogs and people. Not all of my dogs are reactive to people, but I don't care. Just I need the space. Please give us space. And then some of the dogs that I walk also wear high vis, so like it's a double warning or just a preventative measure, just so people, I can at least warn other people that you're going to get barked at if you get too close to us. And then, yeah, as for safety with the dogs themselves, I always, always hold the lead with two hands. Yeah, it's just, it's just for extra security for myself, just to make sure I feel grounded and like ready for anything, just in case they do decide to pull off somewhere. Yeah, and I try to keep into like, quieter areas. I don't I don't want to take too much away from them. So with some of the dogs, I will walk them in busy places, but I will pick, like, the quieter areas of that place to walk them so they can still sort of get that desensitization from seeing dogs and people, but they're not so close where it's just going to be a constant stress and battle with them. And that's where the high vis really comes, comes into play, because you can sort of ward off people from afar, but it doesn't always
Collin Funkhouser 29:28
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Tanikka 31:44
absolutely, absolutely. And as you said, like, obviously, it's a preventative measure. I'm preventing not, I don't think anything would happen, because all of my dogs, but one, are just reactive. So the worst thing they're going to do is bark. That's the worst thing they'll do is because they're reacting to an emotion. I have one aggressive dog, but it's a completely different ballpark. It's find the quietest place and hope that you don't see anyone. But yeah, it just it gives that opportunity to people you know to put their dogs on a lead and prevent, you know, an unwanted greeting. A lot of people are quite scared as well when they get barked out, as you'd expect them to. And yeah, it doesn't take much for a lot of them. You know, they can see a dog off in the field quite far away, and that that can be enough for them to completely lock into a dog. So for someone to see the hive is and then, you know, respect our boundaries, put their dog back on the lead and sort of divert a little bit further away from us. That that's the absolute dream situation that people could do, is just, just respect our space, right?
Collin Funkhouser 33:02
Yeah. And I'm sure a lot of that comes with education of people too, of what this means and and what reactivity I know, like for the in the dog world, like the word reactive, like, there's a lot of misconceptions around that, when, when, even our own clients, and so having to demystify a lot of what this is, and now it's not. I think a lot of people hear that term and they think, Oh, my goodness, this is a death sentence. My dog is, my dog is, you know, it's irregularly broken, or, you know, whatever, and it's Doom, and having to come alongside people and be like, no, like, here's what we can do with this, and here are steps that we can do, and here's my process for working with this. You know, I know there's also a lot of misconceptions around mental health and how that affects people. I mean, what are some that you've encountered, Tanika, as you've worked through through these and run, been running your business? Yeah.
Tanikka 33:58
So I get the laziness card. A lot, a lot of people misconstrue the depression with laziness. When I say I don't want to leave my bed, they think it's just I can't be bothered today. It's like, No, my brain is just not on this planet today. Is what that means. Yeah, yeah, laziness is definitely the biggest one, because I've had quite a few issues with people over the over the years, where they've thought I was being lazy, but it wasn't laziness, it was something else going on, and being able to talk about it really, really helped. So a lot of my colleagues I was quite close with, so they understood, you know, if I was having an off day, I'm not being lazy. You know, it's, it's just give me some space. Ask me how I am. You might have to pick up a couple of more pieces than you normally would, but, you know, the next day I'll be, I'll be absolutely fine. Just, just give. Me a chance, but it's quite hard, and it's quite upsetting, because obviously it's quite hard to talk about, and I don't always know why I feel the way I do. And so if I don't know how I feel, how am I meant to explain that to someone? I could just be having a not great day, right?
Collin Funkhouser 35:20
Yeah. Well, you mentioned being able to have those colleagues who understood you. Where do you go for that kind of support and community now that you're running your own business?
Tanikka 35:33
So my family, predominantly my mom, she's not my best friend, so I confide in her a lot. My other half as well is fantastic. But actually a lot of my clients as well are really, really good. So I have quite a close relationship with a lot of them. And I guess you kind of have to when you're working with a reactive dog. You, you, I imagine like everyone would communicate, obviously, a lot with with clients, but I feel like there's a lot more communication that happens because there's a lot more going on. It's it wasn't just, oh, we went out for a walk. It was we went out for a walk. And here's like 10 things that the dog did that were both good and bad, yeah, and yeah, quite a few of them. I feel really confident like in talking to a lot of them, know a lot of the things that has happened to me have happened to me and what I experienced. So if I'm having a slightly off day and that they can kind of sense that I'm maybe not like all there, they'll offer me a coffee, or they'll give me hugs. I've had quite a few hugs from people. Or they'll just, you know, they'll say, if you need, like, 10 minutes you know, or take a break, or if you just, you know, today isn't the day you know, please don't feel like you have to come over and, you know, walk the dog for us. And whilst I never take them off on that offer, it's obviously really, really sweet to have that option and that understanding from people that, you know is a business relationship, but I feel like they're my friends,
Collin Funkhouser 37:11
yeah, and it's a reminder of, I think, I think too often as a business, we can default to that is, this is a purely business relationship, but at the end of the day, there are people who I know, like, we enjoy working with and we do not enjoy working with, and we have the power to say, you are not in my corner. You're not rooting for me. You don't care one way or the other. So why would I keep you around in my business, right? Like, why like hearing what you're talking about? Tanika. Like, that's so beautiful and wonderful to be to think of clients who are coming around you, going, do you need a hug today? Right? Get a big old hug. Like, that's, I think that's something that everybody would want in their businesses, to be able to have clients who are like, rooting for them, or rooting for their team members who are there or like they want to see them. Be, be whole, be be well and succeed. And that's the kind of thing of when you get those kind of people on your side, it really makes showing up way more easier. When both you're excited about the pet and the person behind the pet is also wonderful to be around like, that's a that's a that's a wonderful thing,
Tanikka 38:26
absolutely, and I'm very, very grateful that we've had amazing clients throughout our entire very short lived but two and a half years of pet sitting and dog walking, everyone's been so, so welcoming and so fantastic, which makes a huge difference, because I've heard of stories of obviously not so nice people, and it obviously, it does make things I don't know a little bit more like business and strictly business, but I like that element of You know, and especially because you're by yourself all day, I look forward to having the chance to have that five minute conversation with someone who actually, genuinely cares about me before, before I take their dog out,
Collin Funkhouser 39:14
you know? And it, it sounds so simple of man, I'm looking forward to this five minute conversation with this person, but man, on those, on those days where you're at 20% or on day with those days where it's, it's everything is an absolute struggle to know that, like, oh, there's this bright spot just sitting out there, ready for me, like that. How like, how motivating and how wonderful.
Tanikka 39:39
There's been times as well. It wasn't that long ago. Think it was a Sunday, and I try not to do weekends. I will if I have to, but I try not to. And one of my clients messaged me, and she was like, Oh, by the way, we're at the private field. They booked a field for the bizzler. Would you like to come and join us? And yeah, even though I had nothing planned that day, I was like, Yes, I would love to come and see Percy and you guys. And I went out there and I spent the hour with them playing with their dog. Was part of the family, but I just It took no, like, second guessing or even having to think about it. I was like, yes, I'd love to do that. Yeah.
Collin Funkhouser 40:23
I mean, yeah, you talk about, like, validating moments in your business. Like, that's got to be one of those of like, things are going right things are going right here when I have this kind of opportunity.
Tanikka 40:37
Absolutely, absolutely.
Collin Funkhouser 40:41
Tanika, I was curious if we have some listeners who may be on their own journey with mental health and struggling with that, what kind of encouragement or advice would you give to them right now?
Tanikka 40:56
Yeah, it's, it's cliche, but you're not alone. You know there's, there's loads of people who you can talk to, whether that be online, family, friends, and it's very important to communicate when things aren't going well, because you never know someone might be able to help you in more ways than you think they can. It could be through actions or just words, or, you know, being able to come home and have someone who may not fully understand what you're going through, but can offer a cuddle is massive. So, yeah, communication. Don't be afraid to open up and talk about things, because I definitely was, even though I was diagnosed in 2021 I think I've had depression most of my life, but it was only up until that point that I reached out to my doctor and got the help I needed. I'm on medication now, so it helps. It helps a little bit. And being able to talk and be open with people kind of like I am now, is also its own therapy as well. So, yeah, that's my biggest, biggest word sometimes, is just communicate with people and don't be afraid to
Collin Funkhouser 42:10
Yeah, and you talked about how that's actually like the one of the single hardest steps to do. I mean, for you, Tanika, what? What was it that that got you to to start seeking that and talking about that with with your doctor and other people? Because, you know, if sounds like something, you were really motivated to get help at that time.
Tanikka 42:31
Yeah, so I was scared. I was very scared. I don't know how much I'm allowed to say,
Collin Funkhouser 42:41
you're you can, you can just, you know how, again, however much you're comfortable with, I don't, you're not pressured to talk about anything really that you don't really want out there. So I totally understand.
Tanikka 42:51
No, no, it's fine. Well, I had suicidal ideations, and there were quite a few times where I would finish work, and very much like the idea of driving my car off the roads. And there were a couple of times where I would that feeling wouldn't go away, and that really concerns me. So when I finally sort of snapped out of it, I realized that that's not a good headspace to be in. And obviously with suicidal ideations, I trust myself that I would never do anything to hurt me, because I don't want to hurt anyone else that's around me. But it's still a scary feeling, obviously, feeling those, and it's a really, really like strong urge to do something, but not strong enough to actually do it. And, yeah, so I would say it was fear that sort of made me realize I need, I need help.
Collin Funkhouser 43:47
Yeah, that sounds like kind of snapped to reality of, oh, this is not a good path, right? And I need to do this and, and I'm just, I'm really thankful for you coming on the show today, Tanika and sharing this and, and I hope that people who are listening can can get that help if they need it, and can start going down a healthier way in their life and to see your courage, that you spoke up about it and are working through that it is, it is a journey, and that you're still Continuing to have this business that supports you and something that you're excited about, that those these are possible with the right support mechanisms and the right systems in place and the people around you to encourage you. I'm just I love your story, Tanika, and I'm so excited and thankful to have you on the show today, for those who want to reach out to you and get connected. How best can they do that?
Tanikka 44:45
Yeah, so we're on Facebook, urban pets. You can reach out to me if you have, if you need someone to talk to, it doesn't even have to be about pet sitting or dog walking all ears, and I will always be there for people who who need help. Help, or want help, or just, you know, an ear to talk to. Yeah, please feel free. Yeah. Facebook is really the best way to get get through to us.
Collin Funkhouser 45:11
Okay, well, Tanika, I'm going to have that link in the show notes so people can get connected with you, reach out and get that support and get those conversations going. This has just been an absolutely wonderful conversation. And again, Tanika, thank you so much for coming on the show today. Thank you for having me. What I love about my conversation with Tanika was whether we were talking about safety on walks or supporting reactive dogs or working with clients or working with our burnout and our mental health, the single theme was support. We get to be the support for our clients and their dogs. They look to us for advice and professionalism to solve problems that they can't on their own, we become integral to their life as we support them and the mission and goals that they have, additionally, we have to be finding support for ourselves. What support do you have in your life? What friends, family, neighbors, other pet care professionals do you have that you can reach out to to check on you, to make sure that you're okay, because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how well we serve our clients, if we ourselves are not doing well, whether it's dogs, people or ourselves, make sure you have that support system in place. And I want to encourage you if you are struggling today, if you are finding some of those things, but through depression and anxiety and PTSD, if you are struggling with those today, you are not alone. There's a robust and amazing online community. Check out our Facebook center confessionals to get connected with pet professionals from all over the world, but not just our group, dog walker to dog walker. There's so many international and wonderful groups. Check out the link in the show notes for those. Additionally, if you really need to talk to somebody today, also, please look in our show notes. There's going to be a link there to get connected with mental health resources where you are. There will be a website that will show all sorts of numbers and places to get connected with, and organizations that are there and ready and waiting for you, because the first thing that you must do is make sure that you have the support that you need. We want to thank today's sponsors, timed pet and our friends at Pet marketing Unleashed for making this show possible. And we also really want to thank you so much for listening. We say it every week, but we really mean it, thank you for being here. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your week, and we'll be back again soon. You
Speaker 1 48:00
can you answer your phone?
