AI, TECH, & AUTOMATION SPECIALIST

With over 18 years of experience in the pet care industry, Robert Strickland is an entrepreneur and automation strategist dedicated to helping pet business owners streamline operations, save time, and scale effectively.

As the founder of NextLevel Pet Businesses, Robert leads a community of pet care professionals, providing guidance on leveraging automation, AI, and technology to enhance client experiences and maximize efficiency.

In addition to coaching and consulting, Robert owns and operates a successful pet sitting and dog walking business, giving him firsthand insight into the challenges pet care professionals face.

HIRING & RETENTION SPECIALIST

Doug Keeling runs an award-winning pet care company and is an industry-leading speaker and business coach specializing in hiring and retention.

As the creator of The Pawsitive Hiring Course, Doug helps pet care business owners build their dream teams. The course includes lessons on preparing to hire, navigating a multi-step hiring process, and managing and retaining team members.

Doug can also be found on YouTube as “Doug the Dog Guy,” a leading YouTuber in the pet sitting and dog walking industry with over 8,000 subscribers.

FINANCIAL LITERACY & PROFIT

Corinne knows pet care finances from both sides of the desk. She spent 7 years as the owner of Paws and Claws Pet Service in Wisconsin, and today she's a bookkeeper at a firm that serves only pet care businesses. Corinne is currently working toward her CPA license, with accounting coursework underway at UW–Stevens Point.

She recently founded Everjade, which builds tools made specifically for pet care owners, and she's the creator of the Pawsome Metrics spreadsheets you’ll see in DogCo. As DogCo's Data & Metrics coach last year, she worked with dozens of owners to make sense of their numbers. Now she helps owners master the fundamentals of finance: reading a P&L, managing cash flow, and knowing what their business can afford. Her style is plain-language and judgment-free and her goal is that everybody understands where their business’s money goes.

WORKFLOW & PRODUCTIVITY

Collin helps pet care business owners stop running their companies out of their heads. Most owners aren't short on ideas, they're short on a system for turning those ideas into finished projects while the daily fires keep burning.

His approach comes from his training as a scientist. During his graduate work in biology, Collin learned to define the outcome first, isolate what matters, and let results drive the next decision. He coaches owners to run their businesses the same way: prioritize what actually moves the needle, break big initiatives into work that gets done, and protect time for the important things so they stop losing to the urgent ones.

Collin co-owns Funky Bunch Pet Care with his wife, Meghan, serving central and southwest Missouri since 2012. He also co-hosts Pet Sitter Confessional, a podcast for pet care business owners with more than 740 episodes.

MARKETING & BRAND

Maris is the founder of House of Paws Pet Care in St. Louis, where she has grown the company from a one-woman operation into a team of 40+ staff in just five years.

With a background in marketing and brand strategy, Maris helps pet care business owners clarify who they are, say it consistently, and turn local visibility into booked clients. She focuses on the practical side of brand: positioning, messaging, offers, and the marketing systems that keep new clients coming in without constant hustle.

At DogCo, Maris coaches owners through building a brand that actually holds up as the business scales, from first impression to repeat client.

DATA & INSIGHTS STRATEGIST

Lauren Dunkle is the owner of The Pet Lady, Ltd., a professional dog walking company serving Chicago’s western suburbs since 1991. Since taking over in 2015, Lauren has developed a passion for using client and business data to make smarter, more strategic decisions.

As DogCo’s Data & Insights Strategist, Lauren helps pet care business owners understand the numbers that actually matter. Her focus isn’t just on tracking data; it’s on understanding what that data tells you and turning those insights into practical action.

Her philosophy is simple: you don’t have to be a “numbers person” to use your data well.

SALES

Dave Peterson is the owner of Bethesda Dog Walkers, an award-winning pet care company serving hundreds of client households with a team of professional employees.

After acquiring Bethesda Dog Walkers in 2024, Dave rebuilt the company’s sales and onboarding systems, growing monthly recurring revenue 4X in one year while shortening the onboarding process from weeks to hours.

As DogCo’s Sales Coach, Dave helps pet care business owners turn more inquiries into long-term recurring clients through better offers, faster follow-up, and a simple, question-led sales process.

DOGCO FOUNDER & PET CARE BUSINESS STRATEGIST

Michelle scaled her pet care company to 25 team members through the pandemic before profitably selling it at a 2.8x multiple.

Now, she works with pet care business owners grow and scale, and to work alongside other industry leaders to elevate the industry.

As the lead DogCo Coach, Michelle’s role is to develop frameworks to lead the industry forward in scaling, profitability, strong exits, and leadership, while helping companies grow and exit their businesses well.