Pawsitive Steps was founded by Mahalie Dodson who wanted to follow her passion in life, animals.
Mahalie was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She relocated to Nashville in 2000 but left for a brief time to explore Charlotte, North Carolina. It was there that Mahalie realized that her true calling in life was to work with the animals she loved.
Mahalie has spent her entire life around animals. As a child her house was always filled with dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, gerbils, hamsters, fish and even a squirrel. Her love of animals prompted her to walk away from the corporate world and start her own dog-walking business and her love of Nashville prompted her to move back in 2009 after a year away.
You will often hear her say “If I could take home all the dogs in the world I would.” And those sad ASPCA commercials are a sure way to see her cry. She has a huge heart for animals and she makes sure to give plenty of love and attention to each client’s loved ones.
Although Mahalie has been around animal her entire life her passion for dogs didn’t really blossom until she was 26 and she adopted her first puppy of her own, Noah a full blooded beagle. “I fell in love with her the minute I laid eyes on her, she just stood at the back of the barn and refused to make a fuss over being adopted, I knew right then that she was my dog.”
After Katrina hit New Orleans, Mahalie’s heart broke as she watched one animal after the other being deserted and abandoned by owners, and rescue workers and wanted to do something to help. In an attempt to adopt a Katrina dog, which was delayed months due to owners reclaiming, she decided to adopt Odie, a German short hair pointer mix from Metro Animal control. ” He looked like a Dalmatian all covered in spots and all he wanted to do was cuddle with me, I had to have him.”
“A friend of mine saw a picture of me looking down at my dog who was laying upside down and said, ‘Girl, you need to start having babies.’ I said, “I already had two!”
These days Noah and Odie are beloved children not pets, and Odie even though fully grown and weighing 50 pounds still thinks himself to be a lap dog and still loves to cuddle, and Noah; is still independent and not willing to impress you unless you have treats.
Mahalie’s philosophy is that pets should be beloved members of the family. They should be well cared for and always loved, after all they always love you
