Hey, there! I’m Melanie Monteiro, dog safety & lifestyle coach, certified pet first aid instructor and author of The Safe Dog Handbook: A Complete Guide to Protecting Your Pooch Indoors & Out, endorsed by leading vets, pet insurance companies, and humane organizations. I’m also an award-winning advertising copywriter with 20 years experience creating successful campaigns for brands at some of the best ad agencies in the country. I work with pet pros, businesses, brands and pup parents to provide training, content and experiences with a simple goal: to help people keep dogs safe and happy.
The truth is, most people don’t realize the importance of first aid and safety training until AFTER something awful happens. A choking incident, hit by a car, heatstroke, sudden collapse… I know, because so many of the wonderful people who come to me have just gone through something hellish with a beloved pup, and sought me out because they were determined to never let it happen again.
15 years ago, I was one of them. The day my curious Lab puppy Taiga got hold of a deadly azalea branch and wound up spending the night in the emergency animal hospital was one of the scariest times of my life. Even scarier was the realization that had I been properly trained and educated, I could have prevented the whole disaster in the first place.
My girl Taiga, the thrill-seeking Labrador that inspired it all
Suffice to say, my story had a happy ending. But I was so shaken at the thought of losing my beautiful girl, it inspired me to take a break from the ad world to dive head first into the dog safety world.
My mission? To become the most badass, ready-for-anything dog lover, and help others do the same. I trained with four national animal care + safety orgs, became a pet first aid instructor, pestered vets and consulted with pet insurance companies for what would become my first official dog safety endeavor, The Safe Dog Handbook.
Encouraged by the book’s success — and what a blast I was having with fellow dog lovers, their pups and others in the pet biz — I just kept on truckin.’
Today, my “Safe Dog” YouTube channel has more than a million views, and my choking and CPR videos have helped save numerous canine lives. They’re even used to train K9 police and military dog handlers.
I work with big brands ranging from Chevrolet to Disney, to smaller, innovative pet brands like Sleepypod, partnering in dog-centric lifestyle videos and events.
I teach private and group hands-on workshops for renowned humane organizations such as Best Friends Animal Society, groomers, dog walkers, daycare staff, pet owners, Oscar winners and celebrity vampires. (That will make sense when you get to the endorsement page!)
I’ve been featured in national outlets such as NPR, Woman’s Day magazine, Yahoo! and the Ellen DeGeneres show, to name a few.
My online course, “Dog CPR, First Aid & Safety for Pet Pros & Dedicated Owners” has been praised and endorsed by leading vets (and since I’m not a vet, I take this as a huge compliment).
Whenever I can, I donate my time and services to a variety of organizations including DawgSquad Animal Rescue, the Bend Spay & Neuter Project and 3CW, the anti-puppy mill education and advocacy group.
And although I love many other things in this world, such as my husband, travel, hiking, margaritas, broccoli rabe and baobab trees, I believe with all my heart that dogs are the single best thing that ever happened to humans. If you’ve read this far, you must agree. Can I get a hallelujah?