Beyond the Brand: Green Leaf Pet Resort

By: Cathy Padilla | July 6, 2021 |  Beyond The Brand |  Colts Neck , Fair Haven , Holmdel , Lincroft , Little Silver , Red Bank , Rumson , Sea Bright

Caption: Green Leaf Pet Resort founder Shelly Leibowitz is a world-renowned trainer and expert behaviorist.

Green Leaf Pet Resort, circa 2011, is a product of more than 50 years of canine-wellness and training experience from its founder, Shelly Leibowitz.

Covering all things canine, from training to boarding, daycare to swimming, parties to boutiques, it’s one of the largest and most comprehensive pet facilities in Monmouth County. We caught up with Meghan Flynn, Green Leaf’s Marketing and Events Manager, to go beyond the brand.
 

CM: Why is your company so passionate about pets?
Meghan: It’s a reward within itself to look at the lives of all of the dogs and families we’ve been fortunate enough to help. Yet even with all of our years in the industry, there are still no words that can accurately describe the bond between people and dogs. It’s just pure love.

CM: What sets you apart from other pet facilities?
Meghan: Simply put, it’s the experience we are founded on. Shelly Leibowitz, our owner, is a world-renowned trainer and expert behaviorist, whose revolutionary approach of “control through kindness” has brought him recognition and accolades throughout his four decades in the field. Shelly’s skills have led him to train dogs for security, as well as drug and bomb detection, working with police departments in the country to develop and expand their K-9 units. He also works with courts, collaborating with lawyers and judges to help rescue and rehabilitate highly troublesome canines. He is the founder and president of the Garden State Schutzhund Club – a competitive canine sport developed in Germany – and was chosen in 2007 to represent the US in the Schutzhund World Team. Green Leaf Pet Resort is purposefully built from the ground up with dogs in mind utilizing Shelly’s expertise at every step. From the planning stages to daily execution, our facility has grown organically to accommodate the needs of every type of dog. It is through that knowledge and that passion that Green Leaf provides the highest quality and most technically advanced physical conditioning, recreation, and exercise programs available. Each facility includes a state-of-the-art antimicrobial cleaning and hospital-grade air filtration system throughout our green and energy-efficient facility.

CM: What is the most rewarding part of your career, personally?
Meghan: Besides finding a way to wake up and work with dogs for a living, it has to be working with the pet owners. It’s educating them and opening up their lives to a stronger, better bond with their pets. Our training goes far beyond things like sit, stay, and fetch – it’s about reading the dog and understanding what it’s saying. Our reward is getting that conversation started between owners and their dogs so they can take on anything together. We love to hear about families where training has prevented them from having to rehome their pets; or families who can open their life up to vacations knowing their dogs are cared for.

CM: What comes next for Green Leaf?
Meghan: We’re always looking for ways to improve the quality of care we give our canine guests. We’re more than excited to announce that we’ll be having VCA Shrewsbury Animal Hospital open up within our Oakhurst location this summer!

CM: What is the most challenging part of the business?
Meghan: The most challenging part of what we do is also the most rewarding. All of our training and behavioral work is custom tailored for each dog – as well as each client! It can take time and patience for a client to pick-up training, so we offer unlimited classes for each owner and pup.

CM: What is your best business tip to share?
Meghan: Make decisions with what is important in mind. For us, it’s the dogs. Every choice we make revolves around one simple question: “Does this help the dogs?” It makes sure that every decision has a simple, yet meaningful, answer.

CM: Is there a company favorite quote or mantra?
Meghan: “This isn’t a 9-5,” our owner Shelly Leibowitz always says. “It’s not just a job. This is a way of life. Otherwise, you’ll never be good at it.”