I thought I’d start with a personal introduction about myself. My name is Sylvie Pleasant. There — that wasn’t too bad.
Okay so seriously, I am currently a business owner. My most active business is K9 Solutions where we train owners to have well-mannered canine companions.
How did I get on this path of being a business owner in the canine field? I guess I’ve prepared all my life for it. Born in the USA, I actually grew up in beautiful Switzerland until the age of eight, then lived in Morocco then Senegal. I have always loved animals for as long as I can remember. I would stop by a neighbor’s home in Switzerland to gawk at the huge turtles in his yard. I was heartbroken in Senegal when I packed up my outdoor turtle for our move and she ran away, or slowed away I imagine.
The hardest part of Africa was all the stray dogs. Despite fond memories of my stay there, I am reluctant to visit and face that again.
My grandmother in France loved her farm and kept bunnies, cows (Daisy and Jonquil), and a really nasty monkey who bit me several times before I caught on to give him his space.
My first dog was Alica, a long-haired Daschund. I am quite familiar with this fun-loving, clownish, stubborn breed. Stanislas was next. I used to put him in a basket and pull him up on a rope to the flat roof of our home until my Mom caught me and yelled that a bee could bite him and he would fall out (this could be the start of my own neurotic behaviors–where do parents come up with these things?!). But I did agree that it wasn’t the brightest thing to do, so I went to rooftops solo after this.
We also had geese who were quite cool. They sometimes flew off when Stanislas chased them. We were always lucky to get them back before they were eaten elsewhere. We left them with friends when we moved back to the USA who swore they wouldn’t eat them and then promptly wrote to tell me how delicious they were. I can still feel my heart stop for a second not only at my geese demise but I think it was also the beginning of my realization that humans can be very cruel to pets and each other.
Overall, great childhood (just had to get past the geese thing) and laid the foundation for my love for animals. The business owner part must have showed up later.
K9 Solutions 