Meet the Mindful Mutts Team! 

We are a team of animal lovers who empower humans to live and bond with their animals through science-based training and handling. Our core values include human rights, animal welfare, decolonizing our industry and ourselves. As a team and individually, we thrive on being outspoken about animal, human, and environmental rights. We encourage one another to continue the work of unlearning in our own lives so that we can more successfully learn together, and help educate our communities on humane dog training and handling.

We care about our own mental and physical safety as much as we do for that of your dog’s. Staff breaks are paid and self-regulated to ensure we are all mindful of the need to take care of our brains and our bodies. Imagine an 8 hour day full of barking and picking up poop around the clock! It ain’t all puppy snuggling 😉 We have been working on becoming a living wage company, and are almost back to where we were just when the pandemic hit us in 2020 which means that we are not too far from meeting that goal. Also a big deal especially coming out of the pandemic…our permanent staffers now have HEALTH INSURANCE!!!

Interested in joining our team? We currently do not have any positions available but please do send us a resume and a little bit about yourself to info@mindfulmutts.ca if you’re interested in us keeping you in mind for future openings.

***PLEASE DO NOT APPLY IN PERSON***

Stefania Butkovic - Owner/Operator - she/her

About Stefania

Stefania has been studying in many different avenues to learn all about dogs. She is studying to become a certified science based dog trainer through The Academy for Dog Trainers. She regularly attends seminars and courses in an effort to stay up to date in her field of work and to continue her education in the science behind your fuzzbutts! Her husband Jon is known for being the local Dog Taxi Service and is Pet First Aid Certified through Walks 'N Wags. They share Cassie the 16 year old minpin. In November of 2021 they welcomed their first HUMAN PUPPY *wink wink* and named her Calliope Mae!

Read More: Lack of Industry Standards

Stefania is a plant-powered advocate for animal and human welfare. Before diving into formal education as dog trainer, Stefania saw a need to speak up about the dangers lurking behind closed doors of dog daycares. After working in some gruesome conditions at dog daycares to gain hands-on experience, some things she has witnessed are:

    • Dogs with mouths muzzled shut all day for barking
    • Dogs being grabbed by the scruff of the neck and tossed angrily into kennels
    • Prong collars used behind owner’s backs
    • Even water boarding of animals when groomers got impatient was not uncommon

The lack of regulation is something that should  be taken very seriously. We are working hard to make that message loud and clear to the public by educating our communities on the physical and emotional damage that can be done to animals in these facilities and by professionals who offer various types of care. Conditions were terribly stressful and abusive mentally and physically for the dogs, and challenges for human beings. I believe that we should be accountable to someone, but we are not.

Educational info and seminar attendance:

CURRENTLY TRYING TO NOT PLATFORM OR CONTINUE TO PAY INTO ANY INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE NOT ACTIVELY AND PUBLICLY ANTI-GENOCIDE AND ADVOCATING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AS MUCH AS THEY ARE ADVOCATING FOR ANIMAL WELFARE AND SCIENCE BASED ANIMAL TRAINING. I HAVE DELETED THIS INFORMATION UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. THERE’S NO PRIDE IN GENOCIDE, INDIGENOUS LIVES MATTER WORLD WIDE. YOU MAY CONTACT ME DIRECTLY AT STEFANIA@MINDFULMUTTS.CA FOR FURTHER DETAILS IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE SPECIFICALLY. FREE PALESTINE.

Low Stress Handling Certified in 2015.

Enrolled in The Academy for Dog Trainers in 2020, currently on hiatus due to a lack of child care.

Martha (she/her)
Wrangler

Martha really loves the hands on aspect of working with the dogs. Education is important to Martha when it comes to animal care, it’s also something she can always use when parenting her two kitties at home. Martha is Low Stress and Pet First Aid Certified.

AJ (they/he)
Wrangler

AJ has never lived in a home without a dog, their passion for dogs started young. Ensuring each animal has the respect and compassion to have a full and happy live is a top priority. 

AJ has completed the YWCA Off Leash Program and while AJ isn’t sure what comes next in the animal industry, they would like to continue to learn and grow their knowledge about dog behaviour. When they aren’t found at Mindful Mutts, AJ will be found spending quality time with their dog, Laika. 

2022: YWCA Off Leash Program + Pet First Aid Certified

Lowell (they/them)
Wrangler

Bio coming soon!

We use cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you have provided to them or that they have collected from your use of their services. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website.

Preference Disable All Allow All