How Tom’s Dogs really got started

I wrote more about the origin of Tom’s Dogs on Medium, but the short version is simple: the business grew from watching dogs closely and taking their needs seriously. Not in an abstract, sentimental way. In the practical way that shows up when a dog is more relaxed after real movement, more confident around the right companions, or more settled after an outing that actually meets them where they are.

The part that stuck with me

Very early on, I started experimenting with small group hikes instead of treating every walk as the same half-hour loop around the block. Some of those first pack-style hikes happened at Griswold Preserve in Old Lyme, with dogs like Blanche, Emmett, Scully, and Zoey. Blanche especially stuck with me. She was older and slower when we started, and I was not sure how much the trail would ask of her. Over time, consistent outdoor movement changed her. She got stronger, brighter, and more animated. She started moving through the woods like a younger dog.

That was one of the moments that made the whole idea click. Dogs are not just checking a bathroom box when they go outside. They are taking in scent, terrain, weather, social information, pace, and purpose. A good outing gives them a job without making it feel like work.

What shaped the business

Tom’s Dogs came from that observation. The service is built around the dog in front of us, not around forcing every dog into the same template. Some dogs need a structured pack hike. Some need a quieter neighborhood walk. Some need a training walk, a home visit, or a slower introduction before they are ready for bigger adventures. The point is to pay attention and choose the thing that will actually help.