Kate Ferguson is the owner and president of Unleashed in the City, a west-end Doggie Care service that offers walks, playcare and boarding to lovable pooches. Unleased focuses on getting to know each client (both furry and human), and provides dogs with the stimulation they need to be happy, healthy and well-behaved. Kate is also a photographer, and captures amazing images of pups at play. She founded Unleashed in the City in 2003.

What does a typical Thursday look like for you, starting from when you wake up – to heading to bed?

Wake up at 6am, snooze for 15 minutes while my husband is in the shower. Shower, make coffee, feed my dogs and boarding dogs. Take them out for bathroom breaks. Pack van with anything we need for the day and head to the shop.

Park van in temporary spot for an hour.

Go over schedule with admin team for any changes that have come in overnight.

Post schedule for walkers for the day.

Team meeting to go over any new dog information with our walkers, Rob, Max, Sue and Will. Discuss any new dogs that have been added to the pack or any dog behavior training we need to work on.

Move van over to free spot that has been generously donated by local resident Scott on Foxley. Parking is tough to get all day around Queen and Ossington, so we’re very grateful to Scott and his family!

Grab Americano from ideal coffee on walk back to the shop with my Bull Mastiff, Yogurt. 

When I get back to the shop, I hang out in the daycare area with the dogs as they wrestle and play. They’re always very high energy in the mornings so the  play has to monitored closely so everyone has fun but it doesn’t escalate. 

Get Playcare (what we call our doggie daycare) dogs ready for walk. 

Go on Playcare walk with the team if numbers are high or else I’ll take my own dogs to Trinity Bellwoods for a nice treat during the day. 

On Thursdays the team likes to splurge on a nice lunch from either Café Bernate or Deluxe. 

Depending on the week, I might have to run errands like going to the bank or supply run or I’ll work on marketing, graphic design for our site or any advertising we’re doing, or I’ll monitor and add to our social media sites. I also have to make sure the week’s boarding reviews are done and I’ll edit the photos I’ve taken while boarding and spending the day with the dogs.

I have client meetings at 2pm, 4pm, 6:30pm, for new dogs that will be joining the pack.

Snuggle with pups

After 3pm I’ll start the Playcare write ups with Erin and Alex, our amazing admin team members.

Fill clients in on the day as they come to pick up their dogs.

Near the end of the work day we go over the schedule for the weekend boarding dogs and get ready for our Unleashed ball hockey game the following day; we play in a league on Friday nights and after the team comes to me and my husband’s place where we have a fire on the patio and celebrate. We are in the championship game next week!

After all of the Playcare dogs have gone home and the Canine Cab drivers have come back to the shop I prepare for my last meeting of the day.

Once that’s done I load up the dogs to go home where I feed them.

If the dogs have boarded before it’s nice and relaxing, but if it’s their first time it may take more effort to get them comfy and settled in. You have to teach them the rules and boundaries of the space.

My wonderful husband makes dinner and we hang out together with the pups till the last pee breaks and then bed hopefully between 10pm and 11pm.

Last Thursday we attended the Gala of Light for Street Haven at Easy and the Fifth. It was a nice chance to give back and to get out of our doggie clothes at the same time.

What was your first job out of school? 

During the summers while I was at University, and after school ended, I worked as a walking courier. Even though I grew up in Toronto it taught me the ins and outs of the city and all the secret routes to beat traffic which has been a big help for this business where we pick up and drop off dogs in a lot of different areas. 

What are the 3 skills you require most to do your job well? 

(1) The ability to quickly assess needs. The needs of a dog, a client as well as my team members.

Every dog, owner and staff member is different. After almost a decade I’ve learned how to quickly pick up on a dog’s behavior, energy level, temperament and training level so I know how they will react in different situations, which pack they will be a good fit for and what training they need to work on. I have to quickly grasp the bigger picture of all of our pack member dogs, clients and the team to ensure that their day and week is set up so that it fits together in the most efficient and positive way. 

(2) Multi-tasking with the BIG PICTURE in mind. I have to have a vision and goals set for the months ahead, but I also have to prioritize all of the daily tasks bearing in mind that little extras inevitably come up. For example, my job involves everything from training the team, to dog photography and overall business strategy. No two days are the same on a micro level, but I have to keep my focus on the overall business while dealing with day to day tasks. 

(3) Dog Behaviour. The last 9+ years have been priceless because I’ve had the opportunity to work with hundreds of dogs and definitely have my 10,000 hours.
This has taught me every aspect of how and why some dogs behave certain ways. I can walk into a dog park or dog daycare and see very quickly which dogs need extra work and what situations are likely to arise between certain dogs. I’m able to diffuse a situation before it happens. 

What do you love most about your career?

I love getting to be creative. I love growing the business and seeing it thrive. I love seeing the quality of life for the dogs and clients improve. People may not realize what an impact we have on their lives when they first join the pack, but we really do become a part of their family and help bring the dog community together.

Do you have any warnings? 

I hear, “You have the best job ever!” all of the time. And I do!! But, I think a big misconception people have about this industry is they don’t realize how much skill and responsibility is involved. It takes a certain kind of person to be confident, calm, and observant of dog behavior. The job me and my team do is physically demanding, involves pee, poo and puke. It entails dealing the elements, safe driving and traffic as well as dealing with clients who expect the highest standards of care for their pet. It also involves learning a lot of different dogs’ needs not to mention how to enter their apartments and houses. Not only do I, as the leader, have to embrace and tackle all of these elements, I have to find staff who understand them as well and can thrive in a fast changing environment.

If you could try a different career on for a year, what would it be?

I’d focus more on photography beyond dog photography, even though I love capturing great shots of the pups.