About Me
My entire family has always had a love and desire to work with animals. My dad and brother are both veterinarians, and I’ve been doing volunteer greyhound adoption work since 1995, helping almost 2,000 retired racing greyhounds find their forever homes. It wasn’t until 2004 that God presented me with the opportunity to combine my passion with a career after being unexpectedly laid off. Little did I know after earning an undergraduate degree in Exercise Physiology and masters in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, that I would finally learn that combining my spiritual gifts and passion are what brings true fulfillment. How many people actually have the privilege of saying they love getting up for work every day?
I believe in using positive based training methods and that timing with reinforcement will make or break communication. That means giving rewards for positive behavior with either treats, praise or affection at the exact second the dog is exhibiting a behavior you want. Unwanted behavior gets ignored or re-directed. I have seen over and over how fast dogs learn by being rewarded for good and how yelling and negative reinforcement gets tuned out - or worse - makes your dog afraid of you. Most people don't realize that yelling at a barking dog only makes them feel like you are joining in the fun and why it's never a successful way to get the behavior to stop. Did you know there are 6 different barking classification and 30 different body language signals dogs give to each other and us to communicate? I believe your relationship with your dog will change once you fine tune how to read your dogs body language signals. It's natural to mistakenly interpret their behaviors and thoughts in human terms as opposed to canine - which is vastly different. It's also important to understand that dominance is not a personality trait, but a relationship between two dogs or a person and a dog (or two
people!) that changes depending on who's in control of the resources at
that particular time. More information will be posted on my site soon about training, food and health issues.
I have experience with reactive and fearful dogs through fostering and owning a fear reactive greyhound (Sherman). Ongoing training classes and socializing have made a huge difference in his behavior and in my knowledge of how to re-direct him and work to build his confidence. I finally learned that his personality wasn't something I could change completely, and my response to his reactions would either help calm him or make him worse. We now take one day at a time and I am committed to managing his reactiveness on a daily basis and simply loving him for who he is. The things I've learned through training with Sherman have now helped me train with other clients and adopters who have dogs with similar behavioral and personality challenges.
I
make it a priority to attend seminars as much as possible to learn
what's new in dog behavior, nutrition and health. I am a big believer
that feeding a good diet is a necessary base for allowing our pets to
not only thrive, but live life to the fullest mentally and physically. I
see the benefits of treating all animals with a holistic approach to care
(looking at the body as a whole) that incorporates both traditional
(western) and alternative (eastern) based practices and always keeping
an open mind to learn new things. What works for one dog may not work
for another...
Since 1998, I have voluntarily organized and participated in pet therapy programs once a month with various local nursing homes. I really enjoy taking my own dogs and any fosters living with us at the time to visit with residents. It's amazing how a visit from an animal will put a sparkle in someones eye and bring a smile to their face when nothing else in life can anymore.
I am a Christian and have a personal relationship with God. I am a member and active volunteer at an inter-denominational contemporary biblical church called Orchard Hill Church in Wexford. I usher every other Sunday and participate in an all women’s bible study once a week. Through studying the Bible myself and with others, I have learned that having a relationship with God doesn't make you perfect, it makes you forgiven. I think it's important for my customers and clients to know that throughout the day, whether I'm in your house taking care of your pets without you there, pooper scooping your yard, or am home sewing a dog bed for you, I think about being held accountable to a higher authority. I want all my actions and decisions to be pleasing to God and therefore, pleasing to you.
My pets are beloved family members and I can’t wait to get the chance
to spoil yours as if they were my own!
