Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Scott.
Hi Kelsey, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story really begun in 2019- when my boyfriend and I got our first dog, Ruby, from Austin Pets Alive. Like many people, we “thought” we knew what we were doing in terms of raising and training a dog but actually had no idea what we had just gotten ourselves into.
Like many pet parents; I started documenting my dog-mom journey on Instagram at @urbanbirddogs (previously @Leo_n_friends). Little did we know that creating content for Urban Bird Dogs would become an example for a way of life.
If you’ve ever been to Austin, you know that it’s one of the most dog-friendly cities in America. With a multitude of dog-friendly places comes an endless amount of untrained dogs and their owners’ excuses. We were constantly hearing reasons why their dog was reactive; why their dog had no leash manners; or just why their dog was the one in charge. Many of the excuses revolved around living in an urban city. This is when the idea behind @UrbanBirdDogs was born. We wanted to show people that you COULD have a well-behaved dog and live in the city. You COULD take your dog out to restaurants, bars, and shops without worrying about your dog.
It’s truly mind-blowing to see how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time. I used to be fearful that I would “break” our dog if I did the wrong thing. Wow, was I wrong. By using traditional bird dog training techniques for our little rescue mutt; I was able to train Ruby to be a well-behaved member of Austin, Texas.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth is far from how we’d describe our training journey with Ruby. She was a true DIVA. It didn’t help that Matt and I had no idea what we were doing. We thought sending her on a pack walk 3-5 days a week was “tiring” her out when really it was just getting her in shape.
Don’t get us wrong, exercise for your dog is essential. However, we’ve learned that the way to truly tire out your dog is to work them mentally. To do this, we use snuffle mats, frozen West Paw wobblers, frozen Kongs, and training. You can find examples featured on our Instagram account, @UrbanBirdDogs.
If only we could go back to our past selves and tell them what we know now.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My name is Kelsey Scott, and I’m what you’d consider a “Jill” of all trades. In my previous life, I was an SEO Analyst, working with clients like Domino’s and Austin365. At a certain point, I had such a long client list that I was working into the wee-hours of the night. This is when I made a huge pivot and got into Education. I got my elementary teaching certification and started teaching 3rd grade students in Pflugerville.
By utilizing my teacher voice and my social media expertise, I’ve been able to help fellow dog owners living in the city live their best lives. You can follow our dog-filled adventures on @UrbanBirdDogs.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I personally feel that we were able to help Ruby go from “good dog” to “outstanding dog” by using our Dogtra 1900s ecollar. By properly ecollar conditioning and training, we’ve been able to actually communicate to Ruby what is and isn’t ok. Both Ruby and I would not be where we are today without the use of our Dogtra ecollar.
Contact Info:
- Email: urbanbirddogs@gmail.com
- Website: https://linkfol.io/urbanbirddogs
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbanbirddogs/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=uu-Jwhxy3yeWrHDDfuLzXg
Image Credits
Taylor Starcher Kelsey Scott
