Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Leslie.
Hi Jennifer, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up with animals in the household. From an early age I was rehabilitating and releasing birds while growing a passion for working more closely with animals. In 2010 I landed a job as a bird trainer at Sea World Orlando, Then I was brought over to Busch Gardens Tampa to work with the birds there. In early 2015 I took a 6 month internship in South Florida training dogs for board and train programs. I went back to Orlando late 2015 and got a job as an animal trainer for Animal Actors on Location, which is an entertainment venue for Universal Studios Florida. During my time there I worked in various productions from stage to commercials to major movies. After 9 years at Universal I dropped my status from FT to seasonal and went to work for an animal shelter as an Animal Care Coordinator. At the shelter I wear many hats like behavior modification, rehabilitation, socialization instructor, obedience trainer, and enrichment specialist. Now, I own a company and help people enrich the lives of their pets at home.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Financially speaking it was tough to get off the ground running. I took in some funding to get the tools I needed, but the income coming in wasn’t justifying the costs going out. I’m still playing catchup, but I have established many happy and repeat clients since my launch.
We’ve been impressed with Feather and Fur Academy, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Feather and Fur Academy is an Animal Training and pet care business. We provide in-home training, training visits, enrichment activities, pet boarding, grooming, and more! We specialize in dogs and birds, but can also accommodate exotics. We are currently located on a 5 acre farm, which is where we provide most of our services. This sets us apart from larger board and train facilities because we simulate a home environment. I am proud that the company specializes in enriching the lives of pets and their families. We care deeply about the relationship and dynamic of the animal and human household. We offer training plans for animals, as well as, teaching humans how to effectively communicate with their pets. We also work with productions. We have a variety of animals that are camera ready. We will soon be launching our dove release service, which will provide releases at weddings, memorials, ceremonies, and more.
What’s next?
We are currently looking at moving to a different location. Not sure exactly when this is going to take place, but it will be very exciting when it happens. We have a lot of upgrades that we would like to do. Bigger yards, more enrichment, more activities for our pets, more training space, and more fun things to come!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.featherandfuracademy.com
Image Credits
Images were either taken by me or for me by a friend.
