The Leashed Mind Podcast, Mental Health & Dog Training · The Leashed Mind by Woof Cultr©

Motherhood, Mental Health, and Shelter Work w/Tressa Fessenden-McKenzie

·45 min·4 clips
When you have both of those things combined, it's easy to feel pretty low down.
Tressa Fessenden-McKenzie shares her journey from Petco trainer to behavior and training manager at East Bay SPCA, including losing her home in the Tubbs fire, balancing a private training business with shelter work during pregnancy, and ultimately choosing to focus solely on shelter work. The conversation explores mental health in shelter work, the importance of professional community among dog trainers, and Tressa's niche in dogs-and-babies preparation through the Family Paws program.

As heard by us

A humane look at how dog work, motherhood, and burnout reshape one career.

Motherhood, shelter work, and dog training meet in a conversation about capacity, boundaries, and how care shifts when life changes. Tressa Fessenden-McKenzie’s move from pet co-training to behavior and training management at East Bay SPCA in Oakland, California, gives the piece…

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Why you'd press play

You want a candid look at motherhood, shelter work, and dogs with big feelings.

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