Hello! My name is Betsy, and I’m driven by the following beliefs:
Everyone should be doing work that wakes them up with purpose and joy each morning. If y’all can live without that, great! I still want it for me and everyone around me.
Capitalism is a system that maintains an acceptable level of desperation: the system only functions if enough people are so afraid for their survival that they’ll continue to follow the rules. Misery is the coin of the realm.
The only constant in life is change, and uncertainty is something we all have to live with. Security is a useful construct that keeps us going, but it’s only ever temporary.
Adult humans do not need managers very often, and definitely do not need rules, dress codes, or permission to do things like go to the bathroom or take a day off.
This is how I became a dog walker, and why we launched a worker-owned cooperative.
My perspective on work-life balance, and relative satisfaction and success within both, has been forged by two parents who compromised financial security for “living one’s values.” My father was underpaid at non-profits with missions he believed in; my mother was a potter and stay-at-home mom.
While my upbringing was unique, and the narrative has since shifted with younger generations, the world I grew up in still valued loyalty to your employer. Damn near demanded it. Boomers anticipated reward for long tenure, and many millennials inherited this mindset and warped it into hustle culture. But now, I’m seeing memes about Gen Z’s low tolerance for the bullshit we were expected to eat, and quiet-quitting, and ditching jobs as soon as the bosses dusted off the thumbscrews. So many of my fellow Gen Xers still think the thumbscrews are part of the required uniform.
Everyone is working more hours than they would like because they have to, choosing to live farther from their community so they can afford rent, and wasting valuable time commuting alone in their cars to make it all work. They miss their families and friends while developing quasi-social relationships with work colleagues because that’s who they spend the most time with.
What a joy to know now that there’s a better way. Every day, I am greeted with boundless love and appreciation at every client house. My work matters a whole lot to the dogs, who are silly and sensitive and all have their preferences that I’m happy to have committed to memory (along with detailed notes). I have a flexible schedule so that I’m able to show up for my child, attend social events, and craft. A LOT. I do still spend a great deal of time in my car driving around the city, but I spend MORE time in the sunshine walking, discovering parks, and looking at houses (Richmond has fascinating architecture!). And no, it isn’t great pay, in the grand scheme of things. I’ve traded financial freedom for almost complete job satisfaction, the best mental health of my adult life, and a seemingly endless supply of tail wags and face licks. I am aware that caretaking jobs are absolutely not for everyone, but this works great for me.
Thank you for letting me, and WWYD, into your circle of trust!
-Betsy Boynton, Founding Member & Dog Walker
