Courtesy of Lauren Henderson
Many canines enjoy the human interaction of being trained; some even bark for it! Lauren Henderson works with a client who appears eager for the next command.
Dogs are man’s best friend. Some dogs, however, need a little extra help in becoming successful, well-trained pets. That’s where the idea for a woman-owned dog training business, Paw 2 Paw, came from. A drive and a passion to help both people and dogs prompted dog-trainer Lauren Henderson to start a business of her own.
Henderson was born and raised in Oregon and has always had a passion for dogs. She decided to open Paw 2 Paw in 2020 after doing years of training on her own. “I just wanted to take a chance to see if I could make a business out of what I love to do,” said Henderson.
Henderson offers balanced training for both puppy and adult dogs, as well as several other pet services. Henderson’s business continued to grow each year since 2020, and she had no plans on slowing down, even when having a child.
In 2023, she gave birth to her daughter Kennedy. Just three days later, Henderson was diagnosed with cancer. At this point, change was inevitable. Shortly after, Henderson hired her first staff member at Paw 2 Paw, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to train every day like she had been. “We stayed open during the cancer treatment, with a lot of help.”
Henderson, who is now cancer free, attributes a lot of the business’ continued growth to the help of the Bend community. “The community was really amazing. I met a lot of people during treatment. I would not have been able to do everything without people stepping up. Bend is a pretty awesome community,” said Henderson.
When Henderson gave birth, she had an emergency c-section. After hearing about her struggles, one of her clients started a meal train. “The first people who stepped up were clients,” she said. “That’s kind of how it started.” It began with the dog community and expanded from there.
“There was a lot of support from people who I still don’t even know. I think the word just spread and people rallied together,” said Henderson. “Dog training is what I do, it’s what I like. A lot of help came from our trainers, from Kristy and the community. It was important for me to have something to do and be able to pay our bills,” said Henderson.
Kristy Martin, a friend and employee at Paw 2 Paw, met Henderson several years ago through a “Shepherds of Central Oregon,” Facebook group. When Henderson posted that she was looking for admin help, Martin thought it would be a good opportunity to help and learn.
“I had seen the community just rally around Lauren during her cancer treatment and she’s just so inspiring. Having a newborn is hard enough as it is. To go through all of that, I wanted to do my part and help as well,” said Martin.
Today, Henderson has three trainers and offers services such as private lessons, in-home board and training and pack hikes, a safe way to socialize dogs and have them work on recall.
