S
teve Kotowske had an idea several years ago to help
teenagers in crisis; wanting to mash-up his passion
for people and dogs he started a business that would
check homes for illegal drugs as a means to keep
teenagers from getting into serious trouble. While that
business still exists, it is a small part of what Steve and his
team offer. When people learned that he was training dogs
full time, they wanted to put his years of knowledge to work
helping them better understand their furry friends. Six years
later, What’s Up Dog? has become a household name.
Starting a home-based business was one thing, but
growing so rapidly was well beyond the early images Steve
had for his future. He saw himself as a one-man show, with
a fl ex schedule, able to attend football and soccer games with
his son, cheer competitions with his daughter, and spend
nights at home cooking dinner in between. It was clearly
evident that he brought the community something that was
much needed, a trainer who knows how to communicate
with both people and dogs. That small beginning, working
from his own yard and garage, traveling to peoples’ homes,
and working with dogs in crowded areas was going to set a
foundation to change the training landscape for the Emerald
Coast.
After dealing with clients that had anxious, nervous dogs
with bad behaviors stemming from their fears, he knew he
must set up a facility to provide a better option of building
confi dence in the dogs.
Landing at the Lynn Drive location, plans were laid to
set up a facility that could appropriately address the issues
people were having with their dogs. This facility included
a retail section with quality foods, vitamins, supplements,
and useful toys. What’s Up Dog? was adding staff and
continuing to grow. The “training facility” is now staffed
by a team of 12, including four full-time trainers that
are qualifi ed in disciplines from obedience to personal
protection training. It was time for Steve to bring in some
help with staff needs and daily operations. Steve hired his
son, Corey, to take on the role of operations manager. With
Business Profile
Steve and his family started Pawsitive Love Foundation to raise
funds in order to procure, train, and place properly trained Service
Dogs with Veterans, and children with Autism and Epilepsy.
photos by
Zhalman Harris
Corey & Steve Kotowske
24 | VIPDestinMagazine.com
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