Paws on Point

What happens when two groomers hit breaking point, walk away from everything they knew, and rebuild from scratch — on their own terms? In this episode Tim sits down with the founders of Calm Dog Studio — Victoria's pioneering dog grooming and conditioning studio built on a radical idea. That a calm dog and a calm groomer aren't separate goals. They're the same goal. From burnout and breakdown to b...

What happens when a baseball stadium opens its gates to dogs, service dog teams, and a community that just wants to come together? In this episode, Tim sits down with Jim Swanson - of the Victoria HarbourCats - to talk about one of Victoria's most loved community events: Bark in the Park, happening Sunday July 19th at Wilson's Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park. Jim shares how Bark in the Park b...

What happens when a hospital pharmacist gets a $3,000 vet bill for eye drops — and discovers they were just human drugs? For Wendy Chui, founder of Pets Drug Mart, that moment changed everything. What started as one prescription at a time in a medical building became Canada's national pet pharmacy — serving every province and territory, delivering medication directly to your door. But the journey...

What if anxiety isn't a thinking problem at all — but a feeling problem that traditional medicine has been getting wrong for decades? In this episode of Paws on Point, Tim sits down with Dr. Russell Kennedy — physician, bestselling author of The Anxiety Rx, and anxiety specialist — for one of the most honest and unexpected conversations the podcast has ever had. Dr. Kennedy has spent 30 years chal...

Hypoallergenic dogs don't exist. And someone in the pet industry has been very happy for you not to know that. The word hypoallergenic sells dogs. It appears on breeder websites, in pet store marketing, and in well-meaning advice from friends. But the science tells a different story — and if you or someone you love has allergies, that story matters. In this episode, Tim breaks down one of the most...

When a service dog joins a family, one person's life changes. But that's never where it stops. The ripple effect is real. And in this episode, you're going to hear it firsthand. Tim sits down with a remarkable family who share their journey with complete honesty — the challenges that led them to a service dog, the moments they weren't sure they could keep going, and the profound transformation tha...

A service dog doesn't change one life. It changes every life connected to it. And most of those people never get thanked. Behind every handler who walks confidently into the world with their service dog is a network of people who made that moment possible. Trainers who spent months shaping every behaviour. Puppy raisers who loved a dog through their most formative weeks and then let them go. Famil...

What does it actually feel like to live and work alongside a service dog every single day? Not the Instagram version. The real one. In this special community episode, Tim sits down with real service dog handlers for an honest, unfiltered conversation about life behind the harness. The moments nobody photographs. The challenges nobody prepares you for. And the community that makes it all possible....

Your service dog is irreplaceable. One unexpected vet bill shouldn't put that partnership at risk. For service dog handlers, a medical emergency isn't just emotionally devastating — it can threaten the independence, confidence, and daily functioning that their dog makes possible. And yet most people don't think seriously about pet insurance until it's too late. In this episode, Tim sits down with...

Something special happened in Victoria. And it happened because a community showed up. The Pawsabilities Service Dog Society Birthday Bash wasn't just a fundraiser. It was proof that when a community comes together around something that matters, the results are extraordinary. In this special episode, Tim takes a moment to step back from the advocacy, the education, and the interviews — and simply...

Before a service dog ever puts on a vest, someone else did the hardest work. You've probably never heard of them. Puppy raisers are the unsung heroes of the service dog world. Volunteer families who open their homes, their hearts, and their lives to a puppy — knowing from day one that they'll eventually have to say goodbye. They're not trainers. They're not handlers. But without them, there are no...

Someone put a vest on their untrained dog and called it a service dog. And somewhere, a legitimate handler paid the price. It might seem harmless. It isn't. Every fake service dog that enters a public space chips away at the trust, credibility, and hard-won access rights that real service dog teams depend on. The handler turned away from a restaurant. The trained service dog attacked by an out of...

Service dog. Therapy dog. Emotional support animal. Most people use these terms interchangeably. Most people are wrong. And that confusion has real consequences — for handlers who get denied access, for businesses trying to navigate the law fairly, and for the dogs themselves. In this episode, Tim breaks down exactly what separates these three roles — not just in theory, but in practice. What each...

Every podcast starts somewhere. This is where Paws on Point began — and why it matters. In this first episode, host Tim Land shares the story behind Paws on Point and the Pawsabilities Service Dog Society. Not the polished version. The real one. After years working alongside service dog handlers through Woofability Service Dog Training, one theme kept emerging — people with service dogs, or those...

What really goes into training a service dog — from the very first days of puppyhood to the moment a dog earns their public access certification? In this episode, Tim sits down with April Sauvé — certified dog behaviour consultant, professional service dog trainer, and co-owner of Woofability Service Dog Training in Victoria BC — for one of the most honest and detailed conversations about service...

A service dog will change your life. But it will not cure you — and that's one of the most important things nobody tells you. In this episode, Tim tackles one of the biggest misconceptions in the service dog world head on. The idea that a service dog is a magic fix — that the right dog will erase a diagnosis, stop a condition in its tracks, or replace the medical professionals in your corner — is...