My Story and True “Why”

Running my own business had been a dream of mine since my early 20’s, although I didn’t have the slightest idea what to do or how to do it.  When I started walking dogs, I mainly just missed my family dog Shiloh back home and it was supposed to be a temporary job while I studied for the CPA exam.  I got so fascinated by different dog personalities and the unconditional love we experience through them, and came to really enjoy the opportunity to meet and get to know people through my job.  In other words, I just fell in love with this profession the more I spent time on it.  I knew if I wanted to provide something meaningful and of value in this world, I had to love what I did, and there is nothing I love more than dogs.  My dream grew for this dog business with my hope that this could be it for me.  I believed the choices to persevere when things were tough and thrive in my chosen profession had to come from the heart. 

It is said, “Make decisions from the heart and use your head to make it work out.”  My business is rather small and intimate, but I put my heart and soul into what I do and the right people can feel it.  That sense of connection and understanding has been such a rewarding feeling for me!

Not only was it my American Dream in the making, this job became a tremendous source of emotional stability when I was dealing with a lot of life changes and stress away from home — including my first panic attacks that led to claustrophobia and anxiety.  I could not get on an elevator without feeling like I was going to have a heart attack each time.  The job I loved kept me going.  Looking back now that I’m in a much better place, I can say that it was a perfect rehabilitation for me and I healed along with the development of my small independent business.

Shiloh passed away of old age in the first year of my dog walking and I was devastated like never before.  At times, I was even mad at myself for caring for neighbors’ dogs but not being there for my own dog when she grew sicker and weaker.  The next morning when I booked my flight home to spend the remaining days with her, I received a call from my mother informing me of Shiloh’s passing.  I literally cried every day for a year.  The dogs I cared for comforted me with a sense of purpose moving through my darkest days. They were the reason I got up in the morning to leave the house when I’d rather stay home and cry all day.  I started taking on more clients as my way of honoring Shiloh.  As I grieved and healed in my heart from this huge loss, Shiloh became something greater.  What was left was my gratitude from knowing that she had helped me realize caring for dogs felt like my true passion and purpose.  After graduating from the University with an Accounting degree, my original plan was to get a CPA license and go back to Japan.  Things didn’t go as planned, but Shiloh gave me the courage to see what really felt true to my heart.  I learned it’s okay to change our desires and aspirations because we are constantly changing and evolving ourselves.

This April 2^nd marks 20 years since my beloved family dog Shiloh entered into my life.  She was a stray who followed my little sister home from a park.  Time spent together was limited, but the lessons she left me with and the love she showed me are not.  We didn’t know where she came from, but years later a friend of mine told me that Shiloh meant “a gift from God” in Hebrew.  She has been exactly that.  Buddy Time! is an embodiment of my love and gratitude for Shiloh, which now has a life of its own, and I feel that she is with me every step of the way.  Through Buddy Time! I feel more rooted in NYC now than any other city I have ever lived in previously.  So much so that I like to call it my home away from home, which itself feels like a final gift from Shiloh.