2025 Pet Sitter World Educational Conference
Your PSW25 registration includes access to:
- All General Sessions, Sept. 9 – 11
- PSI Welcome & Awards Ceremony, Sept. 9
- Charity BINGO, Sept. 9 (1 pack of BINGO cards included, but extra may be purchased)
Plus:
- PSW25 tote bag
- PSW25 attendee name badge, lanyard, and folder
- Beverages and snacks, Sept. 10 & 11
Please note: Meals are not provided. Your registration fee also does not include the optional pet first aid workshop, travel or lodging. We strongly encourage all attendees to reserve a room in the group room block at Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk.
Space is limited. Register today!
2025 Pet Sitter World Educational Conference Schedule
Tuesday, September 9
- 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Optional Pet First Aid CPR & CPCR Hands-On Workshop (pre-registration required), Denise Fleck
- 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Attendee check-in & Exhibitor Area open
- 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. PSW25 Welcome + Awards Ceremony
- 3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Group photos
- 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Tackling Time: Implementing strategic time management to improve efficiency, reduce overwhelm and stay focused as a business owner, Collin Funkhouser
- 4:15 p.m. – 5:15 pm. Charity BINGO (One card included with your registration.)
Wednesday, September 10
- 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Exhibitor Area open
- 9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Morning announcements and giveaways
- 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Avoiding the Pull: Strategies for stress-free dog walks, Speaker TBA
- 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Put Your Oxygen Mask on First, Speaker TBA
- 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Behind-the-Scenes: What you need to know about using employees, Kim Tank
- 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Lunch Break on own & Exhibitor Area open
- 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Reining in Your Cash Flow in Uncertain Times, Ann-Marie Kaden
- 3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Effective Communication with Clients: De-escalation of Conflict and Upholding Animal Welfare, Lauri Partanio
Thursday, September 11
- 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Exhibitor Area open
- 9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Morning announcements and giveaways
- 9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Scaredy Cats: Addressing feline aggression, Speaker TBA
- 10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Insurance Q&A with David Pearsall, Business Insurers of the Carolinas
- 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The Art of Strategic Decision Making for Your Pet-Care Business, Michelle Kline
- 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Lunch Break on own & Exhibitor Area open
- 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Getting Through the Hard: Navigating Challenges in the Pet Care Industry, Jessica Milam
- 3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Closing Session + PSW26 announcement
Certified Professional Pet Sitters: You earn 24 CEUs for attending the PSW25 conference sessions. You can earn an additional 8 CEUs for the Pet First Aid, CPR & CPCR optional workshop.
Learn about the PSW25 Speakers...
Stay tuned as more speakers are being added to the agenda.
Collin Funkhouser
Collin Funkhouser is a dedicated pet sitter and co-host of the "Pet Sitter Confessional" podcast, both of which he runs alongside his wife, Meghan. Together, they have built a successful pet sitting business, providing compassionate and reliable care to pets and peace of mind to their owners. Recognizing the need for community and shared knowledge in the pet care industry, Collin and Meghan launched their podcast to offer insights, interviews, and resources for fellow pet sitters. Through engaging conversations and expert advice, they aim to elevate the standards of pet care and foster a supportive network for professionals in the field. Beyond their professional endeavors, Collin and Meghan are proud parents of two amazing kids, balancing family life with their passion for animal care and community building. They’re committed to education and togetherness in the pet care space.
Anne-Marie Kaden
Anne-Marie Kaden has been involved in animal and pet care all of her professional career. She built and ran a successful pet sitting business in North Carolina from scratch to six-figures in just five years. She sold her first business in 2022. Anne-Marie knows and understands the pet care industry intimately and is now operating her second pet sitting business, Tiny Paws Pet Sitting in Colorado alongside her bookkeeping operation. This means that Anne-Marie understands the unique aspects of a pet care based business. Anne-Marie has experience working with small business service providers such as pet sitters, dog walkers, groomers, dog trainers, gourmet dog bakeries and Etsy retailers. She is a QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor, Bookkeeper Launch Certified and a member of the Digital Bookkeeper Association.
Michelle Kline
Michelle Kline is the founder of DogCo Launch, where pet care businesses learn to grow and scale, specifically in daily dog walking services. Michelle Kline grew her pet care business to 25 employees and 600 clients during the pandemic before selling to pursue a career helping pet care business owners elevate their businesses to the scale and size they want while protecting their time freedom.
Denise Fleck
Denise Fleck is the Pet Safety Crusader™, inspiring people of all ages to “Be the one who makes the difference in the life of an animal!” Raised by a gentle giant, Ulysses the Great Dane, Denise has dedicated her life to caring and advocating for animals. As a proud dog mom to thirteen canines, her soft spot lies with senior dogs, so she joyfully serves as the Executive Director of The Grey Muzzle Organization. Denise believes there is no greater love than reflected in the affectionate gaze of a senior dog. Prior to Grey Muzzle, she volunteered for 15 years as a "boots on the ground" animal rescuer.
Fleck's commitment to animal welfare led her from a career as a movie studio publicist to pouring her heart into training, researching, practicing, and then developing her own Pet First Aid & CPR curriculum which she has taught to more than 33,000 pet parents and pet professionals. She demonstrated these skills on television, including CBS–TV’s ‘The Doctors,’ Animal Planet, KTLA, and CNN, but now focuses on training the next generation of animal care instructors. She also created courses in pet disaster preparedness and first aid for birds, rabbits, and other four-legged friends. Learn more at www.PetSafetyCrusader.com.
Jessica Milam
With an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for exceptional customer service, Jessica Milam has transformed multiple businesses across diverse industries into customer experience powerhouses. As the founder of a thriving in-home pet care company, Fur Services Fur Pets, and owner of a SignGypsies franchise, she brings decades of experience managing mid-six-figure operations in industries ranging from pet care to HVAC and electrical services—and even a distinctive Gondola company. Throughout her career as a small business advocate, Jessica has proven that exceptional service isn't just about transactions—it's about creating lasting relationships that keep clients coming back. Jessica was also named PSI's 2025 Pet Sitter of the Year.
Lauri Partanio
Lauri Partanio is a New York City native who has relocated to Bartow, FL. In 2014, she began her animal career as a veterinary receptionist. From there, she ascended the professional ladder, eventually becoming an exotics specialty veterinary assistant, companion animal veterinary assistant, companion animal veterinary technician, Animal Control & Welfare Officer, and finally, the Owner & Manager of Professional Pets Florida. Lauri's background in veterinary medicine and animal welfare has shaped Professional Pets Florida to reflect her core values, which emphasize that every animal should be treated with safety, dedication, patience, and compassion. At Professional Pets Florida, the team specializes in caring for cats, as well as anxious, special needs, medically needy, and senior pets, while also welcoming all animals, whether furry, feathered, scaly, or slimy. Lauri shares her home with an American Bully named Zoey and an American Staffordshire Terrier named Luna Tuna. She is also the Founder of Pizza for Pets, a local Hillsborough County non-profit initiative aimed at helping shelter pets from the Pet Resource Center find their forever homes. In addition to her work at Professional Pets Florida, Lauri serves as the Tampa Bay Regional Director for the Florida Pet Services Association, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to elevating professional pet care standards through community engagement and collaboration. She is a public veterinary speaker and sits quarterly on the Veterinary Medical Board at Southern Technical College in Brandon, FL.
David Pearsall
David Pearsall is the vice president of Business Insurers of the Carolinas (BIC) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, which provides the Pet Sitter Liability Protection Policy and other insurance products to PSI members in the U.S.
Visit www.psi-ins.com to learn more or contact BIC by phone at 1-800-962-4611.
Kim Tank
Kim has always known she was destined to work with animals and has devoted her life to working in pet care. After living in Concord for many years, she relocated her family to Pollock Pines, CA, in 2016, to raise goats and (more) chickens. She has three cats, and a dog named Kevin.
Kim is a former registered veterinary technician with 13 years working in hospitals, a Certified Professional Pet Sitter with Pet Sitters International (PSI), a member of PSI, Texas Pet Sitters Association, Florida Pet Services Association, speaker at several pet sitting conferences, author of several articles in PSI magazine, earned a certificate in Pet Loss Support, a certificate in HR from CSU East Bay, and is a hiring coach for other pet sitters.
Kim splits her time between the Bay Area and El Dorado County to maintain a close connection with her sitters, her clients and their loving pets. When not working, she loves running, kayaking, mentoring other pet sitters and exploring El Dorado Wine Country.