Local SEO for dog businesses that want to get found on Google — and recommended by AI
Most dog businesses don’t have a dog problem. They have a visibility problem.
I help dog professionals speak business — the same way I teach humans to speak dog.
Local SEO, Google cleanup, AI visibility, and visibility coaching for dog trainers, groomers, daycares, walkers, sitters, ethical breeders, veterinarians, and rescues. No ads. No contracts. No SEO jargon. Just real progress.
Let’s figure out what’s broken →
This isn’t SEO. This is translation.
The marketing industry talks to dog businesses the way some trainers talk to clients — full of jargon, full of acronyms, no actual help. Schema this, backlinks that, “we need to boost your DA.” Meanwhile your phone isn’t ringing.
I do the opposite. I turn all the confusing Google, website, and directory stuff into plain English you can actually act on.
The same way I teach humans to speak dog, I’m helping dog professionals speak business.
If you’ve ever sat in a meeting with a marketing agency and felt like you needed a translator — that’s the problem I’m solving.
The rules just changed. Most dog businesses haven’t noticed yet.
For years, getting found meant one thing: Google. Show up in the map, show up in the results, get the call. I’ve built my own dog business — and now I help other dog pros get found the same way.
But something shifted. Your customers are starting to skip the search results entirely. They open ChatGPT — or Google’s own AI, or Perplexity — and they just ask: “Who’s the best dog trainer near me?”
And the AI gives them an answer. One answer. Maybe two names. Not ten links to scroll through — a recommendation, like they’d get from a friend.
Here’s the part that should get your attention: if you’re not in that answer, you don’t exist in that conversation. There’s no page two to climb to. There’s no “well, I’m the fourth result.” You’re either the answer, or you’re invisible.
This isn’t someday. A year ago, about 6 in 100 people used AI to find a local business. Now it’s closer to 45 in 100 — and climbing fast. It’s already the third way people find local businesses, behind only Google and Facebook.
The good news? Almost nobody in the dog world has figured this out yet. The businesses that get this right now are the ones AI will recommend for years. So I do both: I make sure Google can find you, and I make sure the AI actually names you when someone asks.
Who this is for.
- You know your Google listing is a mess and you’ve been meaning to deal with it for six months.
- You watch bigger, fancier-looking businesses outrank you on Google — and you know you’re actually better at the work.
- Every “SEO agency” quote you’ve gotten starts at $1,500/month plus ad spend, and you can’t justify it.
- You’re tired of being told you need “content,” “blogs,” “social,” “ads,” and “schema” by people who’ve never had to handle a difficult dog and survive the online dog world — the trolls, the judgment, the endless method wars.
- You want someone in your corner who actually gets the dog industry — not a marketer who’s never met a leash-reactive Shepherd.
Who this is not for.
- You’re looking for someone to run paid ads for you. I don’t do ads. I help you get found without spending money on Google or Facebook campaigns. If ads are your strategy, I’m not your person.
- You want a shortcut, a hack, or a guarantee. Real SEO takes real time. Anyone promising you page-one rankings in 30 days is selling you something I’m not.
- You don’t actually want to understand what’s happening. I explain everything I do and why. If you’d rather just hand it off and never know what’s going on, I’m not the right fit.
- You’re not willing to fix the things I find. I can show you exactly what’s broken, but I can’t make you do the work.
I’d rather tell you upfront than waste both our time.
My goal is to make you not need me.
This is the same way I think about dog training.
If I teach you to be a better dog owner, you won’t need me anymore — except when something new comes up. That’s the whole point. The win is competence, not dependence.
The same rule applies here. My job is to help you understand what’s broken, fix it, watch it grow, and then step back. If you run into something new — a website rebuild, a domain change, a confusing Google issue — come find me. I’ll be here.
But I’m not building a business that locks people into contracts. I’m building a business that helps small dog businesses get strong and stay strong on their own.
I want you to graduate.
And the pricing reflects that. After the initial setup work is done — no matter which tier you start in — everyone drops to the same $150/month maintenance rate. The heavy work has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Maintenance is forever optional.
Three ways to work together.
Built for dog trainers, groomers, daycares, walkers, sitters, ethical breeders, veterinarians, and rescues. Pick whichever tier fits where you are right now. You can move between tiers as your business grows — or step away when you’re ready. All three tiers ultimately settle into the same $150/month maintenance rate once the heavy work is done.
Guided
For businesses ready to do the work themselves with a clear plan.
What you get:
- Monthly audit of your website + Google listing
- Keyword and visibility report — what people are actually searching for, and what’s working for you
- Plain-English action list — what to fix, in what order, and why it matters
- AI visibility check — see if ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity mention you when customers ask
- A content check — I show you which of your pages and posts need work to actually get quoted by AI, and what to fix
- Email support along the way
$150/month.
You do the implementing. I give you the map.
Tell me about your business →Coached
For businesses who want a partner, not just a tool.
What you get (first 3 months — the setup phase):
- Everything in Guided, plus:
- Weekly video call — we look at your site and the issues together, and I make sure you actually know how to make the changes yourself
- Direct messaging access for questions between calls
- We review what’s working, adjust what isn’t
- I help you prioritize so you’re not chasing busywork
- We look at who AI recommends instead of you — and why
- A plain-English plan to become the answer AI names
- Blog and content coaching — we work on your posts together so they’re written to get found and quoted, and you learn how to keep doing it
- We build and work your AI-visibility plan together — I guide, you implement
After the first 3 months, you drop to the $150/month maintenance plan — same audits, same reports, same email support, plus check-ins as needed.
$500/month for the first 3 months, then $150/month.
You still do the work — but you’re not doing it alone, and you understand why every step matters.
Let’s talk →Done For You
For businesses too busy to touch any of it.
What you get (first 3 months — the setup phase):
- Everything in Coached, plus:
- I make the actual changes — your site, your Google listing, your directories
- Full documentation of everything I set up, so nothing’s a mystery to you
- Citation cleanup and consistency work
- I write and improve your blog content for you — 4 posts a month, built to get found on Google and quoted by AI
- I build AND implement your full AI-visibility plan — the content, the structure, the signals that get you cited
- Monthly progress report — what I did, what changed, what’s next
After the first 3 months — once everything is built, fixed, and documented — you drop to the $150/month maintenance plan. We keep an eye on things, make adjustments as needed, and you stay in the loop.
$800/month for the first 3 months, then $150/month.
Best for owners who’d rather be working with dogs.
Let’s talk →A few things I believe about all this.
I care more about your phone ringing than your vanity metrics.
Rankings are useful. Traffic is useful. But the only thing that actually pays your bills is clients calling you. That’s the number I’m watching.
I hate busywork.
I’m not going to send you a 40-item checklist of “SEO best practices” and call it strategy. I’ll tell you the 3 things that actually matter for your business right now, and we’ll work on those.
You should understand what’s happening in your own marketing.
If I tell you to change something, I’ll tell you why. I’m not trying to make this mysterious so you keep needing me. The opposite, actually.
Good businesses should be easier to find.
I’ve watched incredible trainers struggle to get clients while mediocre businesses dominate search results. That drives me nuts. That’s the gap I’m trying to close.
Being findable isn’t enough anymore.
It used to be: get to the top of Google and you win. Now your customers ask an AI, and it hands them one answer. My job isn’t just to get you found — it’s to make you the business the AI actually recommends. Ranked is good. Recommended is better.
I built this for my own dog business first.
I’m not a marketer who learned about dogs. I’ve run Wholistic Canine — my Sacramento dog training business — for over 13 years: more than 3,000 dogs trained, a 5-star reputation, and features on FOX40, ABC10, and CBS.
But none of that happened by accident. I had to learn the messy, technical side of getting found — Google, directories, listings, reviews, and now AI — the hard way, as a dog pro, not a marketer. (Before dogs I spent over a decade as an employment recruiter, so I know exactly how people search, compare, and decide.)
Leash Your Leads is everything I figured out, turned into a tool. I use it on my own business every day — everything I’d do for you, I’ve already done for me. Now I’m bringing it to other dog professionals.
Want to see it work in the real world? Go see Wholistic Canine ranking on Google for yourself.
What clients say.
Real words from a real client. (We’re just getting started — more to come.)
Terra has been incredible to work with. As we’ve gone through my website and Google Business Profile, we’ve found a few issues here and there — things like broken links, missing details, and small technical glitches. Every time something came up, she either fixed it quickly or found a solution and kept me informed throughout the process. She’s responsive, knowledgeable, and genuinely cares about getting everything right. It’s reassuring to know she’s always looking out for my business, and I highly recommend working with her.
Real questions, honest answers.
How much does this cost?
Plans start at $150/month for Guided. Coached is $500/month for the first 3 months, then drops to $150/month. Done For You is $800/month for the first 3 months, then drops to $150/month. Pricing structure is intentional — the heavy lifting happens early; maintenance is the same for everyone.
Why does everyone end up at the same maintenance rate?
Because the actual ongoing work — monitoring, light adjustments, monthly audits — takes about the same effort regardless of where you started. The difference between the tiers is how much I do for you during the setup phase.
How long is the commitment?
None. Pay month-to-month. You can pause or step away anytime. If you commit to a longer engagement up front, we can talk about a better rate — but it’s never required.
What if I cancel?
You stop paying, we stop working. No clawbacks, no “final month” charges, no drama. Anything I’ve done is yours to keep.
Do you run ads for clients?
No. This is intentional. I help businesses get found through the things you actually own — your website, your Google listing, your directory presence, your reviews. If you want to run ads later, great, but that’s not what I do.
Do you only work with Sacramento businesses?
No. I work with dog businesses anywhere. Local SEO works the same way in any city — only the keywords change.
What if I don’t have a website yet?
Then we build the plan together. Sometimes you don’t even need a big website to start — a clean Google Business Profile and directory setup can take you a long way. Plan on a longer timeline since we’re starting from scratch, and we’ll pick the tier that fits how much you want to do vs. how much you want me to do.
I run a rescue, not a business. Does this apply to me?
Yes — and I’d love to help. Rescues need visibility for adopters, donors, and volunteers. Same mechanics, different goal. I offer rescue-specific pricing.
I’m a breeder. Will you work with me?
Yes — if you’re an ethical, reputable breeder. I help good breeders get found by the right families, which honestly helps the dogs as much as it helps the business. Reputable breeders shouldn’t be losing visibility to puppy mills and bad backyard operations, and that’s a fixable problem.
What if I’m not sure what tier I need?
Start with the intake. I’ll tell you honestly. If a free hour of advice is all you need, I’ll give you that and we can call it a day.
Are you a dog trainer or a marketer?
I’m a business owner. Dog training is what I do; the business side is what I’ve gotten good at out of necessity. That’s the whole point — I built this for people like me.
Do you help with AI and ChatGPT visibility, or just Google?
Both — and honestly, that’s the whole point now. Getting found on Google is still the foundation (the AI reads Google and the rest of the web to decide who to recommend). But I also check whether ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google’s AI actually name you when someone asks for a recommendation — see who they’re naming instead, and fix the reasons you’re getting skipped. Most “SEO people” aren’t doing this yet. I am.
Ready to figure out what’s actually broken?
Tell me about your business. I’ll review it and we’ll figure out together whether I’m the right fit. No pressure, no sales pitch, no contracts.
Start the intake →Takes about 5 minutes. Free, no commitment.