162. Morgan Jenkins, FPPE 

[0:00]

Colleen: Welcome to Unleashed at Work and Home. I'm Colleen Pelar, and this is where pet professionals come for honest conversations about what it really takes to show up for yourself while serving the animals you love. If you've ever felt caught between compassion and exhaustion, you're in the right place. Here we explore what it means to reconnect with your inner wisdom and rediscover the joy that brought you to this work. Make sure to join my email community at colleenpelar.com for gentle, practical insights designed specifically for pet professionals. Now let's dive in. Welcome back to Unleashed at Work and Home. My guest today is Morgan Jenkins, and she's a co-owner of — oh, wait. We Leash the Hounds. Am I saying it right?

[1:00]

Morgan: Thank you so much for having me. I'm thrilled to be here.

[1:03]

Colleen: So let's go back to the business name, because it is quite clever.

[1:07]

Morgan: So honestly, my husband and I were thinking about starting a business. I'd already been in the pet care industry for quite a few years, and so we were trying to think of cutesy names — things that maybe weren't already taken or ground that had been really re-trod. It's actually a Simpsons reference. There's a line that says "release the hounds," and so we thought: how about "We Leash the Hounds" — which kind of sounds like "release the hounds." And it just kind of stuck. It felt like the right name for us. We do sometimes get asked if we exclusively work with hounds, and I have to let people know that we are equal opportunists. But for the most part, people really like the name. They think it's cute.

[2:01]

Colleen: Yeah. And "hound" is a word that many people consider to be sort of a generic dog word, as opposed to — like, if "poodle" was your rhyming thing. People don't say, "Gotta go home and let out the poodle" unless they mean a poodle. But people do say, "Oh yeah, gotta go see my hound," even if it's not a hound breed.

[2:26]

Morgan: Yeah, and after we had been in business for many years, we learned that my husband has a very severe cat allergy. So it also helps to delineate us from businesses that serve cat and dog households. We unfortunately are dogs only — so it does give us that little bit of distinction as well.

[2:50]

Colleen: So tell me a little bit about the services you provide — your business, not just you.

[2:55]

Morgan: So we started out as a dog walking company — that's what we had been doing. We started in 2015, and then in 2020 we adopted our second dog at the time, and I realized I needed to expand my skill set in order to be the guardian of this particular dog. That really led me down the path of becoming a trainer — so now I also offer training, and specifically Family Paws services. That's kind of what we've expanded to. As a small business owner, you're always thinking: what can I add? How can I diversify? We used to do pet sitting as well, but we actually scaled that back because you start to realize you're spreading yourself too thin. We like to joke that the cobbler's children wear no shoes — we didn't even have time to walk our own dang dogs. So we took pet sitting off the menu officially, and I think that was the right choice for us.

[4:07]

Colleen: Yeah. The cobbler's shoes analogy is really common in this world. I can't tell you how many clients I talk to who say, "I spend all day taking care of other people's animals, and then I come home and my own loved ones get what's left of me." And that's emotionally really hard — especially for a dog standing there wagging, ready to go, and you're thinking, can we just cuddle on the couch?

[4:42]

Morgan: You get home and you realize their cup still needs to be filled. Some days I'm like, buddy, I don't have it in me. But most of the time we find a way to rally and make sure we're getting out — even if it's dark, even if it's cold, even if the weather is truly horrendous. I'm like: what's one more? Don't even take your shoes off. Don't even sit down. Just leash them up, turn around, out we go. When you spend all day thinking about the well-being of animals, it's very hard to come home and deprioritize your dog.

[5:23]

Colleen: Yeah. The cost is high, because we know the value of taking care of animals in the way we believe they deserve — so in the times where we fall short, it's heavier and harder than it is for others. We do need some compassion for that. Sometimes we are going to fall short, because we're human. But the frame of "I can do one more" can be helpful: I've got one more in the tank, and I'm saving it for you. Don't take off the shoes. Do not sit down.

[6:04]

Morgan: Yeah, don't stop moving because it's harder. But there are definitely days where I have to put my foot down and say, what I need for me is to not do this. Honestly, it's usually on Thursdays — I hit that wall, and I don't get the Friday energy spike. So sometimes we just have to skip a walk on Thursdays, and life goes on. It is hard when you know the benefit a walk has for them. There's nothing that really replicates the enrichment they get from being outside. I can't check their P-mail in the house.

[6:51]

Colleen: I'm glad there are so many more relatively simple home-based enrichment ideas than there were when I was training. We kind of defaulted to "give them a Kong" for many years. In the years since I stopped training, the things I've learned as a student make me go, oh, that's incredible — but this particular product or idea wasn't really out there 10 years ago, or 30, depending on where in the continuum we're talking. So one question I always love to ask my guests: when you were 10, what did you think you were going to do as an adult?

[7:44]

Morgan: I would say a tie between marine biologist and horse trainer. Those were probably my two things. I'm definitely a former horse girl — I grew up horseback riding, it was my favorite thing in the world. And I love the ocean. My brother, who is eight years older than me, was initially on track to go to school for marine biology. So I grew up watching Shark Week. I know all the weird shark facts. I knew animals were probably the direction I was headed. What my eventual path became did not become clear until I was almost 20.

[8:30]

Colleen: So take me through that.

[8:33]

Morgan: I initially went to — I didn't complete college, but I went for one year to Colorado State University because they have an excellent Equine Science program. I believe Temple Grandin was on the faculty there. And I realized a couple of things about myself: one is that I love learning, but I don't really thrive in a traditional academic setting, which I think is probably true for a lot of people with ADHD. I also realized that I love horses — I'm not sure I love horse people. And people are a huge part of any job. So I left school, I went home, I got a job at a doggy daycare, and I realized there was something about the accessibility of dogs. There's a dog in most homes. So much of what I loved about horses, I could still get with dogs — and they were more accessible to me, and more accessible to other people. Horseback riding is a really expensive hobby; not something everyone can afford. I could not afford to do it. And I just kind of fell down the dog rabbit hole. Even though I'd grown up with dogs, I wanted to learn everything there was to know about them. So I managed a doggy daycare and boarding facility, then I started working as a dog walker for someone else. And then, after meeting my husband — we were not yet married but very much on track to be — we decided to start our business. I'm kind of Type A about how a business is run, so I was ready to strike out on my own.

[10:41]

Colleen: So when did you start your business?

[10:53]

Morgan: We were incorporated in October of 2015. I entered the field in 2010, so I've been doing all things dog for like 15 years now. It's amazing how much you learn over the years, and how much you unlearn. When we adopted Seamus as our second dog, I realized I had some knowledge gaps to fill — and also how much I had to unlearn. It's been a humbling experience to think you know everything and then realize: okay, I have to let go of some of that. I think everyone should be open to changing ideas or revising their positions when new information becomes available.

[11:52]

Colleen: Yeah, I agree. I went through a period at the very beginning of my career where I sincerely believed that if I really studied hard for four years, like treating it like college, I would know what I needed to know and that would be enough. And it was amazing that each time I learned something, it didn't close a door — it opened 10 more. So I know less about dogs now in my head than I did when I started. But obviously I've learned so much, and there's so much more I'm dying to know. Is my cup full? Not even close, not a little bit.

[13:09]

Morgan: I can't remember what it's called, but it's basically when someone knows just enough to be dangerous, or just enough to think they know everything. And I think I was definitely guilty of that. I think we all are, especially when we're young. When I first started, I was learning at the heels of people who didn't actually have formalized education in what they were doing — which I don't take to mean they hadn't gone through higher education; I mean more that we can seek out knowledge from trustworthy, accredited sources, and these people had not. So I thought I knew everything. And then once I really started learning from people who know what they're talking about, I realized I didn't know Jack. Which is okay — I had to revise my position, let go of things that were either inaccurate or in some cases truly dangerous. And I'm glad I had the opportunity. I would much rather feel as though I have so much left to learn, but know that the knowledge I'm working with is truly sound, than be confidently working with bad information. I would always rather the former than the latter.

[14:38]

Colleen: Yeah, I love the way you said that. Because the experience of uncertainty can be so deeply uncomfortable that there's a temptation to just stick with what you know, even if you're pretty sure it isn't exactly right. There's a little bit of — oh dear, but I know it. And the comfort of that certainty becomes a tricky piece. It requires a maturity and a curiosity to say, no, I'm just going to keep learning. Appreciating what you know and that you have value at all levels — but maintaining the stance of "I'm going to keep learning" is what keeps it healthy and appropriate for the animals you work with.

[16:04]

Morgan: That's something I tell the families I work with a lot — especially in the context of dogs and children, or when I'm working with someone reflecting on their past dog now that they have a puppy. There's a lot of guilt or self-judgment about things they did before. And something that I say is: we do the best we can with the information we have at the time. I'm not interested in judging you for your old dog or not knowing about the dynamic between your dog and your baby — how could you have known? That's why I'm here. And I think we have to think about ourselves in the same way. We're all doing the best we can with the information we have at the time. Or, as someone I know loves to say: you know what you know until you grow. I think in general, no one is doing anything with malicious intent. It doesn't mean it doesn't cause harm sometimes. But for the most part, people really do have good intentions when they enter into something. That was always true of me — even though I didn't really know what I was talking about 15 years ago, I had the best of intentions, and I was advocating for dogs and for people in the way I knew how.

[17:50]

Colleen: I ask all of my guests to share some words that have meaning, and this feels like a great transition into the words you shared. You shared an Italian phrase — tutto passa. Did I say it right?

[18:05]

Morgan: Yes — tutto passa — and it means "everything passes." And the thing I like about this phrase is it's not explicitly negative. It doesn't just mean the bad things will pass. It really talks about how everything passes. So I think of life in seasons, and sometimes we're going through a season that is challenging, or we're having a day that's really challenging — but other times things are really good. And I like that the phrase encourages me to really marinate in the goodness while it's happening too, because the only constant in life is change — that time will pass. So it can be a comfort, but it's also a reminder to be present in those moments where things are going well, because you want to remember that too. Save those glimmers for a rainy day, is kind of how I feel. Especially when you're a small business owner, you sometimes need that reminder when business is slow or when you're feeling uncertain about what comes next. My husband and I, when we're dealing with our own mental health stuff, will say to each other: it's not for forever, it's just for right now. And sometimes you need to remind yourself as a small business owner — if I'm having a week or two or even a few months where business is slow, it will cycle back around. Don't get so preoccupied in this current moment in time. Just trust that it will pass.

[20:16]

Colleen: So these words — when did you first encounter them?

[20:21]

Morgan: I actually encountered them a couple years ago. I love jewelry, and I saw an antique ring — a signet ring — and someone had engraved this phrase into it. And I was like, I love that so much. Then a short while later, I saw a picture of an old Italian man who had just come out of the sea, and he had the words tattooed on his chest. I don't know if you're familiar with the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, where you see something once and then it keeps cropping up for you? When that happened, I thought, I think this is meant for me. In high school, I studied Italian for four years. I went to Italy with my Italian teacher. I still practice Italian on Duolingo every day. So it felt like something I was meant to take notice of. I actually have it on a little pendant I'm wearing today. It's just a helpful reminder — as an anxious person, it's like: just be in the moment. It's gonna be okay.

[21:39]

Colleen: Whatever it is — good or bad — it's gonna be okay. Because life really is the experience, and the experience passes. If we're always projecting into the future — "then I will be happy, then I will relax" — we miss so much of real life. Because everything passes. What was good about today passes. What was hard about today passes.

[22:20]

Morgan: Yeah, it's about keeping a balanced perspective — keeping your appreciation for the things that are going well in proportion. You can acknowledge the unpleasant parts of life, but don't let them take up a bigger piece of the pie than they need to. Don't let the scales become tipped, because you're giving so much relevance to the hard parts. That really takes the shine off the things that are great. And I like to try and remember the things that are great.

[22:55]

Colleen: Yeah. Because they're both always present. Our brains are wired to notice those less-than-great pieces. But the great pieces are there even in the really hard times — and having some awareness of them matters. So I think it's interesting to go back to your 10-year-old self, because you did actually find sort of the accessible, scalable version of what you thought you wanted. I'm curious — when you think about your passion for animals, and the time and effort you've spent in learning from and with and about them, what is something you've learned about yourself as a result of that?

[23:52]

Morgan: That is such a good question. It's funny that you mention the animal part specifically, because for me — and for a lot of people who do the kind of things we do — we think that our connection with animals is the easy part or the automatic part. And I think actually the thing I've learned about myself in working with animals is that I'm a profoundly empathetic person all the way around. I think part of the reason animals feel easy is because there isn't that duplicitousness, there aren't ulterior motives. We know animals do what works for them. And I always thought it meant that I didn't like people. But the more I do this work, the more I realize I actually have a profound love for people — and that's why I wanted to become a trainer. I always thought, initially, that I preferred just the dog part, just being a walker. But actually, I love being able to connect with people and help them reframe the way they look at their dog and their relationship with their dog. That really surprised me. Because as a younger person, especially as a teenager, I thought of myself as being a little bit misanthropic. And no — the thing I've learned through this work is that my compassion is very profound and applies just as strongly to people, if not more so. Dogs have taught me that my heart is even bigger than I thought it was. When you have this narrative that you don't really like people, or that you like dogs better than people, to realize how very untrue that is feels like kind of a big deal.

[26:21]

Colleen: I'm a huge introvert, and so growing up I always had sort of the feel of — not really being sure how to connect with people, because it was so draining. And I had a very similar revelation when I started working with dogs: I realized I had to get better at being around people, because I so wanted to be around the dogs. But the reality was, I was fed so much by the connection with humans that I loved it. And of course, now I'm really focusing just on the human half of it. It all seemed obvious in retrospect, but it didn't feel that way at the time. People felt exhausting, a little scary for me for a long time. And that's no longer how I feel. Well, occasionally I feel exhausted — but not usually. Because there's this new frame of, oh, I really actually love people. And animals do what works for them — and so do people. When the people are exhausting, it's usually because they're protecting something, too. They're just — as we wouldn't get too upset with a fearful dog being standoffish or growly — oh, is that why you're like that? Okay, well, what could make that the best-feeling option for a person? And when you get curious about that, all of a sudden there's all this compassion for that person.

[28:04]

Morgan: Yeah. And that's another thing I've really learned through my work with dogs — sometimes when my husband and I are talking about something, I'll say, "Forgive me for putting it in dog training terms." And he says, "Why? It's just psychology." And it's true. Trigger stacking applies to people. All behavior serves a function — that applies to people too. Applying that almost impartial rubric to what I'm seeing with people: we're supposed to observe before we assign emotions to dogs, and the same is true for people. If I can take my emotions out of the analysis, I can see — this is someone who is really struggling, someone who feels at or over their threshold. And that has been hugely helpful. It applies to the people I work with, to the people in my personal life, and it applies to me realizing about myself that some days I am the reactive dog in the house. It gives me the ability to extend some of that compassion to myself and say, you know what? You're trigger stacked. What do you need to do to regulate? What do you need to do to feel back in your body, to get under threshold? And being able to express that externally — "Hey, I'm having a moment. I'm over threshold. I need to take a beat." So helpful. Because that is language I didn't really have before. That awareness kind of lubricates things a little bit. It removes some of the friction in everyday life with people. Even if the person on the other side of the situation doesn't have any of that awareness, I can give them the grace to be like, okay, you're having a tough time. It's all right. Have a cookie, you know.

[30:21]

Colleen: Yeah. 100%. And you use the word grace — which I mentioned in a podcast recently — I am amazed by how often the word grace comes up in coaching calls, and how rarely it comes up in my day-to-day life conversations. Nobody says, "I'm trying to give myself grace," or "I'm giving him grace." It's not a word I hear very often. But in coaching calls — all the time. "I'd like to learn to give myself a little bit more grace." And what you just described really is this ability to see what's there and recognize it — oh yeah, here's a problem — and come at it from a really compassionate lens. Trigger stacking, you're affected, I'm affected, we're all affected. Okay, now what? And that for me is kind of what grace means: to recognize we really are trying to do our best, and to find ways to do it with a little bit more ease.

[31:32]

Morgan: Yeah. And sometimes there are situations that we don't have the ability to solve, and that's hard for me — I like to solve problems. But sometimes just having that awareness and empathy is enough to be like, yeah, we're having a bad day, you're struggling because XYZ, and I can see that, and that's okay, and it'll pass. Sometimes, just even for people I don't particularly like or don't agree with, acknowledging that they are doing their best or functioning under the constraints of their specific life can give me the ability to move on, instead of perseverating in my dislike of them or my frustration about their choices. Everyone is led to the present time by all the things they have dealt with before and everything they're dealing with now. And especially now in such a chronically online world, we become so preoccupied with what other people are doing, both good and bad. Comparing myself to other trainers, or seeing people doing things in a way that I don't agree with — it's just easier to disengage by saying it's okay, they're doing their best, that's what makes the most sense to them. Just let it go.

[33:14]

Colleen: If I could give you a magic wand and you could give us a blessing or grant a wish, what would it be?

[33:38]

Morgan: Okay, so this one might feel superficial at first, and I will explain. The thing that I would wish is that no one had to worry about money. And the reason I wish that is because if we weren't burdened by the weight of having to make ends meet — think about how much more we would have to give to ourselves and to other people. Especially when it comes to working in a field where burnout is so common and so prevalent. If we didn't have to worry about making a certain amount of money or filling our client load just to satisfy our material needs, I think the work we could be doing would be even more transformative, even more incredible. And then we could afford to be really, really discerning about where we would be most efficacious. I mean, honestly, I wish it for everyone. I think it would improve a lot of the problems we see in the world, and would allow us to focus on bigger and more pressing concerns, but also to focus more on joy. That's what I wish.

[34:58]

Colleen: I'll take it. That's amazing. Thanks, Morgan. So if people wanted to learn more about you and your work, how could they do that?

[35:08]

Morgan: They can find me on Instagram at @weleashthehounds. And at weleashthehounds.com. If you want to find me in the Family Paws context, you can visit familypaws.com — I'm listed under the "Find an Educator" tool. I'm a chronically online millennial, so you can find me if you want to. I love talking dogs with anyone and everyone — especially dogs and babies. It's a niche I did not expect to love so much, but I really, really do.

[35:42]

Colleen: Well, that's awesome. Thank you so much for talking dogs and people with me today. I so enjoyed our conversation.

[35:48]

Morgan: Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It was a pleasure.

[35:52]

Colleen: That's our conversation for today. If something we talked about resonated, I invite you to sit with it. Notice what feels true and what you want to explore further. You don't have to have it all figured out to start moving toward what matters. Whatever showed up for you today — clarity, questions, even resistance — trust that it's pointing you toward something important. For more support, join my weekly notes at colleenpelar.com. And until next time, remember: you are enough, always, just as you are.