Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ben and Noreen Berkowitz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ben and Noreen , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I have always loved dogs. I cannot recall a time in my life when dogs were not a constant source of love and joy, so when my wife and I started WE LOVE DOGS INC we wanted to walk, train, and create playful enrichment opportunities for all the dogs we knew. We felt like there was a need, especially in our neighborhood of Miracle Mile, for a smaller more personal doggy daycare. We wanted to make sure we really knew all our dogs and their owners and made it our mission to provide not only a safe fun place for their dogs to enjoy the day but also provide training options we have learned from our Master Trainer/Mentor Ernesto Robles. I met Ernesto through friends that did rescue and foster work with dogs in LA, his back ground as an animal behaviorist and trainer, working with Caesar Millan and others was really impressive, but what really excited us was the multitude of unorthodox and often his incredibly holistic approach to communicating with dogs. Tibetan singing bowls, sound baths, gentle touch of pressure points and working with the dogs without verbal or audible commands. We began offering a Social Pack class every week which now is multiple time per week and with dozens of dogs in our classes every week. This led me to our signature motto PLAY TRAIN CHILL. We love Playing, and Training is an essential foundation for good dog behavior, but dogs also need quiet relaxing “Chill” time, and we make sure our dogs get lots of all three here at our shop every day.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
WE LOVE DOGS continues to grow, new dogs, people, classes and we have partnered with an amazing groomer Bowie Barker Baths, they are only a few blocks away from us and we are so excited and happy to be able to offer grooming options for our daycare and training dogs each day. We are also always looking for new products that can help the dogs we work with, we love Mendota pet products a small family business that makes the best hand made dog leashes around. In the future we hope to expand into other areas of LA and possibly other cities. We love the idea of helping reach more dogs and their humans, and being a source of learning and fun for them
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Hard work, sacrifice, and persistence. we know it’s not sexy, but it’s the truth. We built our business slowly and carefully making sure we were always doing what is best for the dogs not just profits. Noreen had worked for years as a private nurse and caregiver and as recent immigrant from the Philippines she was excited to really truly build her own American dream, this was very relatable for me being from of a family where I was raised to love America and all the possibilities it brings for so many people. I also think my background as a creative artist and musician is a strong asset for us, besides having an amazing network of collaborators from my past work, everyone knew I was the dog guy and trusted me, in fact one friend told me early on, “You aren’t in the dog business, you are in the trust business.” That stuck with me and still resonates to this day.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
We love meeting other dog professionals and are alway open to collaborating and helping each other grow our business in the spirit of what is best for the canine buddies. Our relationships have been our best source of new business, and we are proud of all the dogs and people we work with every day. We are always looking for new products that can help our dogs, new trainers to work with and ideas for new classes. Anything that enriches the work we do here and helps our dogs learn cool new things sounds good to us, please get in touch with us www.welovedogsla.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.welovedogsla.com
- Instagram: @welovedogsla
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-berkowitz-39b015256/
Image Credits
all images property of WLD INC
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
