About

⇾ 100% independently, locally owned/operated -- you work directly with owner
⇾ Comfy, stress free home, with large backyard and 6 foot fence
⇾ Limited capacity per day and night (i.e., we are not a 10-40 dog boarding biz)
⇾ Fair fee system, which offers 100% customization

Mark's Background

⇾ Colorado Mental Health Counselor at Your Life Counseling and Coaching
⇾ National Certified Counselor
⇾ Crisis and Drug/Alcohol counselor
⇾ Masters, Clinical Mental Health Counseling
⇾ Certified Fly Fishing Instructor at First Cast Fly Fishing
⇾ Owner: Fly-Fishing Trips Patagonia Argentina
⇾ 1st Career: 20 yrs medical product sales and development
⇾ BA Iowa State University (ISU)
⇾ ISU Scholarship Athlete and Athletic Academic Honors
⇾ ISU Vice President of Student Government 
⇾ New Hampshire Catholic Athletic Hall of Fame
⇾ Created Phillips Exeter Academy Fly Fishing Club
⇾ New Hampshire Fish & Game Fishing Instructor


NOTE: Throughout my career, many of the jobs and volunteer positions required drug testing, state and federal criminal background checks, and CPR and first aid training.  And, to be a counselor/therapist in any US state, you must past all state and national background checks. 

My Pet Story

On my fifth birthday, I received the best present in my entire life (black Labrador Retriever).  When we first met, I can remember both of us being so excited that we knocked each other down several times.  She was wagging her tail as fast as a hummingbird, and from ear to ear, I was all smile.  She lived for twelve years and peacefully died of old age.  I buried her in a nearby field, filled with natural grass and flowers. This is where I wanted her to be -- it was her favorite spot, where she spent endless hours being a curious, playful pup. Before she left me, she gave me the best twelve years a boy could ever wish for.  We spent countless hours walking in the woods, and she was a good fishing partner.  She even produced three healthy litters of pups.  We kept one puppy from each litter, so my daily chores of dog care (water, food, walk, training, and clean-up), kept me busy.  From the very beginning, my chores and relationship with my dogs taught me a lot about life -- things you just can't learn in a pet book or video.  I also took care of neighbor's dogs and cats.  


After high school, I was busy being a student-athlete at Iowa State University.  I was far from home and only saw my dog a few times per year.  However, going into my senior year, I found myself greeting my dog at the Des Moines Airport -- I felt like I was five years old again! College ended in a flash and we were both off to begin our new lives in Chicago. 

I spent twenty years in the medical sales business.  As a national sales manager, my travel schedule was demanding (I was busy and could not personally care for my dog each day).  Pet Sitting was not as common back then, so I worked with friends/neighbors and reluctantly worked with kennels (it tore my heart to pieces leaving my very outdoor lab at a kennel).  Eventually, my last labrador passed away, but rather than opt for modern aftercare life services, I drove her home, to be with her family.  She now rests peacefully, alongside her family, in a field of grass and flowers.   

At the age of forty-one, I left the medical business and started a new career/lifestyle.  I became a fly-fishing guide, a certified fly-casting instructor, and created an international fly-fishing business called First Cast Fly Fishing  I earned a masters degree, and I am now a Colorado mental health counselor and life coach at Your Life Counseling and Coaching  

PS.  I have completed two obedient school programs with my dogs. 

Certifications and Training


Though not all certifications are directly related to pets, my overall training and education offers diversity and value.  To obtain these certificates, I had to pass oral/written test, state and national criminal background checks, and pledge to uphold ethical standards.