Women Changing The World For Animals

London and I are introducing a new series called, Women Changing The World For Animals.

Our very first interview is with a lovely lady who is truly changing the world for our animals!
 Meet Denise Fleck!


"After years in the Entertainment Industry, I went TO THE DOGS! Training, practicing and learning some more led me to developing my Pet First-Aid & CPR, Pet Disaster Preparedness and Senior Pet Care Classes along with a 20 week Animal Care Class for high school juniors and seniors. For 16 years, my motto has been "Helping People to Help Their Pets," and I feel I have...having taught more than 10,000 pet lovers animal life-saving skills in person and millions more on national television segments. "

Denise continues her very important work of teaching animal first aide and helping us help our pets in an emergency, before they go to the vet.
Saving animals is just one of the many beautiful qualities of this interesting lady.

Here then,  is our very first interview for Women Changing The World For Animals!

Please introduce yourself. Who are you? What do you do? How does your heart manifest in the world?

My name is Denise Fleck and I am the Pet Safety CrusaderTM.  I go around the country teaching humans to be better pet parents as well as empowering them with animal life-saving skills through my Pet First-Aid & CPCR (yes, there's now a 2nd "C" -- Cardio Pulmonary Cerebral Resuscitation), Senior Pet Care and Pet Disaster PAWparedness classes and books!  Over the years I've taught 12,000 people in person, written 10 books including my soon-to-be-released "The Pet Safety Crusader's 'My Pet & Me Guide to Disaster PAWparedness" and the compilation of my 16 years worth of learning, the 300 page "The Pet Safety Bible."

I've also taped online pet first-aid classes that will launch this summer as well as webinars and have been lucky enough to appear on numerous news and TV programs touting the importance of helping our animal friends.

When you follow your passion, it isn't like work and seeing how students or readers of my books/webinars have been able to help an animal in need just melts my heart.  Those loving, brown eyes connected to soft fur and unconditional love have given me so much over the decades -- companionship, friendship, love, protection, therapy and trust for they never tell my secrets but listen intently, and I so want to give back to the animals of the world and advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves.  Actually, they do speak, humans just don't always listen or understand :( 

Opening my high school students' eyes to the horror of puppy mills, declawing and animal fighting has had a huge impact.  A lot of people don't want to see the dirty side of life, but if we don't see it and aren't aware, we never effect a change and help animals, so although I can't do or teach it all, I try to introduce students of all ages to all plights of the animals and hope they will take the ball and run with it.  Although I hope one of my students will discover the cure for canine cancer or end the animal homelessness problem, I'll wag my tail for everyone who better cares for and respects an animal on their journey through life.

2. My work is important because:

Animals are our family members and it is our privilege, honor and responsibility to know how to best care for and help them so that they can thrive and enjoy life to its fullest by our sides.

3. As an entrepreneur and a business woman, who do you admire?

The obvious answer is Oprah Winfrey who is one of the most successful humans to walk the earth.  I've been honored to teach her staff Pet First-Aid on several occasions and am so happy that animals are so important to her.  Being an author (although certainly not in her league), I admire JK Rowling not only for her talents, but for getting her books seen, read, improving literacy levels (teaching 16 year olds I see such lack in grammar and sentence structure) and wow!  made into successful films.  I know how difficult that is.  In the animal  world, it would have to be Jane Goodall and Temple Grandin, who turned her challenges into ways to improve the lives of livestock, but...the woman I admire most was not an entrepreneur, it was my mom Milada Helena Polach Urbanski who passed away many years ago but taught me to do my best and to cope in life.  No matter her struggles, she carried on with a smile and found that silver lining in every cloud.  I'd be proud to be half the woman she was!

4. What is your biggest challenge in your business? How do you work with or around it?

A decade ago, I would have said my biggest challenge was getting people interested in taking classes, but over the years, I have personally taught 12,000 humans (and millions more via national TV segments), so I feel the word is getting out as to how helpful pet first aid skills and knowledge are.  I used to have to beg locations to let me teach a class and now they find me!  People are also embracing the need to be better pet parents so teaching them how to read pet food labels, the importance of continued obedience training and pet safety are making their mark.  Therefore, I'd say now my biggest issues are gaining the necessary capital to expand and grow.  So many of my classes are benefits for rescues and shelters -- which is so very needed -- but doesn't allow for a lot of profit.  As a businesswoman, I always have ideas to reach more people with products and events, but need start-up funds to accomplish the mission so I prioritize, partner with other businesses and do the best with what I have, trying to creatively think outside the box. 

5. Do you have a first memory from childhood that connects you to what you have created today?

I was raised by a Great Dane -- Ulysses!  Uly for short and he was truly a gentle giant who set me on the path of loving dogs.  My parents of course were around too and their love for animals genetically must have been implanted in me.  Uly would get between me and any visitors to gently spread the message that they shouldn't get too close to me, and one time, actually pulled someone -- ever so gently -- by the seat of his pants a little distance from my playpen LOL  Uly allowed my tiny hands to grasp his skin and pull myself to a standing position and learn to walk.  When he played with me, my parents recounted that he literally covered his teeth with his lips so as not to cause any harm.  Because of him, I was always bringing home strays and developed an intense love for our canine best friends and have be blessed to have 11 in my family over the years, not to mention the scores I've grown found of helping find homes for at shelters.

My yellow Labrador Sunny however, was the dog who sent me on the path of teaching Pet First-Aid.  When she was 8, one morning she could not move and literally cried a blood curdling scream when she tried.  This happy-go-lucky Lab who complained about nothing, had ruptured 3 discs in her spine (unknown to us at the time -- it was actually a genetic defect that reared its head one morning as opposed to an actual spinal injury).  At the time, we live in the hills 110 Railroad Tie steps from the car to the house, and with an almost 100 lbs. doggie in pain, it was a daunting task to get her the help needed.  We did though, and after she recovered, I knew I wanted to learn everything I could so that I could come to the rescue if my furry child ever needed me again, so I started taking classes, attending seminars, doing rescue work, practicing, learning and studying until I developed the curriculum I teach.  Sunny also inspired me to develop a line of Pet First-Aid Kits that complement my classes.

After Sunny crossed the Rainbow Bridge, we were blessed to have our first Japanese Akita, Sushi!  I wrote a story about her that was published in "Dog Fancy" Magazine and that sent me on my path of writing and writing and writing for animal publications.

My black Labrador Mr. Rico (who could lick a smile onto the grumpiest of human faces) coupled with the fact that I started teaching high school animal care sent me on the path of writing children's books about animals...  I realized that although kids don't always listen to their parents, parents do in fact listen to their kids.  I discovered this when what I was teaching was actually being shared at the family dinner table and that because of my classes, parents were making better food choices for the family cat and dog.  That along with how Mr. Rico would assist me at library events teaching kids pet safety, caused me to launch my "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover" series where through the eyes of a cartoon character, I share the message that pets ARE part of the family and that whether we're 0 or 99, we should judge them by their age, breed or fur color.  The discussion themes in the back of the books take it a step further reminding us all not to judge animals, people or anything but to look for the treasure that lies below the surface.

Each of my dogs has sent me on another tangent -- My Chikita (Chow-Akita) Haiku is on the cover of my Dog First Aid pocket guides and will be introduced in the 3rd book in the "Don't Judge a Book..." series.  My beautiful Akita Bonsai (who recently crossed the Rainbow Bridge at age 16+) is the star of the 2nd book, "Start Off on the Right Paw," and I have many more tales to tell ;)  Bonsai was one my greatest protectors and saved us all from a rattlesnake, only to take the bite to her face herself, so I put my first-aid knowledge to work that day including the need to stay calm, keep the wound below her heart and get her to antivenin!  She and the day were saved thank God!

6. Tell us a story or describe a time when something occurred in your business that made your heart leap, and you knew you were doing the right thing. 

  Oh gosh, I now have bunches but one of the first was when a woman, who had taken my pet first aid class only 3 weeks before, called me to say, "I was driving down a dark mountain road when a black Rottweiler came out of no where.  I hit the brakes but the worst had happened.  I started crying and shaking but had to help, and I could because I took your class.  What could have been a nightmare turned into a success story!"

Then there was the groomer who discovered another groomer behind him had left an older Golden Retriever on the table because her heard a thud, and the dog fell off with the restraining strap still around her neck.  He performed rescue breathing and CPR and saved that dog's life!

Another pet sitter performed CPR on a dog who was literally hanging over a balcony from his leash and the dog is living a perfectly normal life years later due to the skills she learned in my class.

But there are also the more common injuries that people have been about to help with after one of my classes, especially noticing early on when something isn't quite right.  A main emphasis of my classes is not to make students veterinarians -- they are the true experts, but we have to work as a team with them and minimize pain and injury BEFORE we get to the veterinary clinic.  Also by doing a weekly Head-to-Tail Check-up of our pet's at home, we can discover something at its onset and get our best friend the help they need before it becomes a bigger issue.  So I've had students notice behavior changes and get help for their dogs and cats that were the results of diabetes, dehydration, bone & nasal cancers, neurological problems as well as upset stomachs and bee stings.

7. Please share a personal mantra, motto or ritual for when you feel drained. How do you stay inspired?

I have a couple...

For my high school animal care kids, I teach them to:

Work enthusiastically, show initiative and take pride in a job well done.

Since our doggie friends don't live on this earth as long as we do...

Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!

I am more spiritual than religious, but I do believe...

When God closes a door, he opens a window.  People, jobs and things come in and out of our life for a reason.  It's so important to 'be in the moment' like our animal friends, taking time to sniff the flowers and be present for our family and friends, for moments are fleeting, yet -- I do feel change is important too and helps us grow, challenges us and become better humans, so we do end chapters and start brighter, bigger new ones at various times in our lives.