FAQs
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I am a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. I am constantly attending seminars both online and in person. I have an extensive library of training books and videos that continues to grow. Continuing education in this field is the key, we are still learning so much about how our dogs think and learn. For example did you know that barking is inherited and that it is a dominant gene? Or that Terriers learn better through hand signals then voice commands? Or that howling is in a dogs DNA and they are calling out to others in response to the sound, like in 101 Dalmations? There is so much too learn in this field, I love what I do.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I have always loved animals. When I was growing up we had a wide variety of animals in our home. We had the traditional cats, dogs, chickens, geese, roosters and rabbits, but we also had some exotics. These included tarantulas, snakes, chuckawalla lizards, opposums, squirrels, rats crows, ravens, and a variety of baby birds that we raised and set free. While I was growing up my mom used to bring the tarantulas and the snakes to my classroom and educate our class about them, I remember those times fondly. One year my grandma even made me a spider costume for Halloween. I loved that costume. And each year thereafter for Halloween I was some sort of critter. When our animals got sick we took them to the vet who happened to be my Grandpa. So as you can see a love of animals goes way back in our family. After I moved out on my own I continued to be surrounded by critters. I volunteered for Living Free Animal Sanctuary, YAPS, BARC, and the San Bernardino Humane Society. I helped train friends dogs and helped with various pet related issues that arose. I also had my own critters which at that time included a Chow Chow, rabbit and rats. I attended college and received my B.A. in Psychology with an emphasis in behavior analysis. I worked for a few years as a counselor for victims of Sexual Assault and then returned to school for my Certification in Crime and Intelligence Analysis. I worked for a year as a Crime Analyst for the local Sheriff's Department until the grant funding expired. After that I went to work for a vet office and loved every minute of it. I worked as a Veterinary Assistant for 6 years and also started my petsitting business at that time. I also continued to train dogs for friends and family members as well as the local rescue groups. A couple of years ago I went back to school and got Certified as a Paralegal, I had to leave the vet office while I pursued this full time but maintained my petsitting business. Once I completed my certification the economy and job market crashed. It was then that I decided that I was going to turn my part time hobby which was my petsitting business and dog training into a full time business. I added many new services and now my business is thriving and I could not be happier. I am doing what I love. It has been a rollercoaster ride trying to discover what color my parachute is when the answer was sitting on my lap or at my feet the entire time. I was inspired to start and expand my business because I love animals and I am blessed to have this amazing opportunity to take care of and train all types of critters on a daily basis. Give me a call today, I would love to meet you and your critters.