During the Cincinnati, Ohio Alumnae Club Kick-Off meeting, we mingled around tables sharing fun facts about ourselves with our sisters. At one point, I found myself in a conversation about dogs – which I love! I quickly learned that there was one of us who had a greater passion for dogs, and I wanted to know more about it. For Ohio Kappa Tori Roser, her love of dogs reaches far beyond companionship – she has made a business out of it.

Tori attended the National K-9 Learning Center in Columbus, Ohio with her golden retriever, Albus. Together they completed the Master Course as a Certified Professional Trainer. Shortly thereafter, in January 2015, Tori founded Pawlished Dog Training, LLC in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Pawlished provides basic training, workshops, evaluations,, residency programs, private lessons and boarding in the facility. Half of Tori’s time is spent working with regular pets and obedience work – sit, stay, down, heel – to make sure they behave well when there are other people around. The other half of her time is spent working with rescues animals through multiple local organizations like Stray Animal Adoption Program (SAAP). With the rescues, Tori evaluates dogs in foster care and makes recommendations on training or rehabilitation in hopes the dogs will get adopted from the facility and find forever homes.

But these are not the only plans Tori has for Pawlished. As a Special Olympics coach, Tori saw the benefits of service dogs to the athletes and their families. Many service or Assistance dogs help individuals with physical or neurological disabilities get through daily challenges. These dogs are more than pets to individuals, as they are trained for specific tasks and skills to help their owners. Through the dogs, “[You] see the impact on the athlete’s ability to participate and have a ‘normal’ life,” Tori says.

As you can imagine, it is expensive to train these animals. Tori said as she sees more success of individuals with service dogs, the demand grows – some families waiting between three to five years to receive a service dog. With her experience in training and her passion to help individuals with disabilities, Tori hopes Pawlished will eventually be able to provide service dogs for free to these families in need.

So how does an entrepreneur with so much on her plate stay motivated? A quote she came across while reading old Christmas letters that her grandpa wrote to her dad, “Be proud of your efforts and your surroundings. Remember you know yourself, so don’t fool yourself.” The quote is next to her bed as a daily reminder that she will attain all the dreams she has for her business and herself.