We had the good fortune of connecting with Keilah Early and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Keilah, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I’m from the incredible city of Inglewood, CA. I moved around with my mom a lot as a child but my dad and stepmother have lived here most of my life- so Inglewood has been the most stable home i’ve had. My upbringing had plenty rough patches but I wouldn’t be who I am today without those experiences that cultivated my strength, determination, and resiliency. I’d be lying if I said that adversity doesn’t scare me sometimes, but one thing I will always do is power through it. And that includes when it comes to the struggles of starting and managing my own business. Inglewood has been such an amazingly supportive community to me and IDT so I’ll always hold the City of Champions close to my heart.

What should our readers know about your business?
Impacts Dog Training was actually born on accident. Sort of. I was laid off from my job in April and had already enrolled myself in CATCH Academy for Dog Trainers when I posted a video of me training my dog, Chance, on an app called NextDoor. I was hoping to just get 2 or 3 clients but the video went viral and I was inundated with more training requests than I could handle. It was crazy! This forced me to start my business and dive into building my own brand- and that’s what I did. I had been training dogs my whole life but never thought about doing it full-time. I sat and thought about how I’d never seen a Black female dog trainer my entire life. I knew of a few Black men that trained dogs but no women. On top of that, I didn’t know of any trainers in my city either. So I set out to be Inglewood’s affordable yet high quality dog trainer. I’d say what sets me apart from other trainers is my genuine compassion for my community and focus on affordability. Training dogs isn’t just transactional for me. My mission is to minimize the amount of dogs ending up in shelters, beaten, or on the streets because their owners don’t understand how to handle and build a relationship with their dog. Quality dog training can be extremely expensive so I pride myself in trying to be accessible to those who can’t afford those high prices. I’m also working hard to get more women involved in K9 Personal Protection Training which I do with my Cane Corso. I am so excited to continue to grow and encourage more Black men and women to become dog trainers because we don’t have a lot of representation in this field. Especially women. I have a lot of plans for IDT and look forward to bringing them to fruition.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some of my favorite spots would be Fiesta Martin- the one on La Brea though (if you know, you know), Leimert Park is absolutely mandatory, a little bonfire at Dockweiler Beach like the high school days, a tour of Inglewood with commentary on its gentrification, and then the more touristy spots like Venice Beach and Hollywood (reluctantly) since my friends always want to see them lol.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe so much to a handful of incredible people that have guided and supported me and my business. First and foremost- Hanna Thompson of West Coast Cane Corso Rescue. Without her, I wouldn’t have met my amazing training partner/best friend Grace Lim of Canis Pugnax Kennels. Both of these women have been my rock since I met them. Next, a special thank you to Wes Watson of Winchester Cane Corso for always letting me bug him with questions and for encouraging me to grow my business. Thank you to my mentor and good friend Abeer from No Bones About It Pet Care LA for taking me under her wing. Thank you Destiny for always being my #1 supporter and to all 3 of my parents for cheering me on. And thank you to my community for fiercely supporting me since day one!

Website: Impactsdogtraining.com

Instagram: @Impactsdogtraining

Other: Instagram: @K9Keilah

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