How I came to be a dog trainer

Hi Upper Pup parents! It’s been a while since I’ve written something , so here I go. I wanted to let you all know how this became the passion that I strive to advance at all the time with new and innovative ways to communicate with our dogs.

One can day it started as a toddler, when my golden retriever was my best friend. I’ve always had animals in the home and did everything possible to be outside and see any and all animals. I went to college, in hopes that I’d learn how to save wild animals from our human ways. Well, it was quite the opposite but I continued on to get my Bachelors.

When I graduated, I moved to Boston and decided to work at the MSPCA Animal Shelter in Boston. It was overwhelming, under paying, heart breaking, heart saving and a whole lot more. It was there , at 22 yrs old, I learned that people weren’t surrendering their animals due to allergies or a new baby; that was just an excuse. They were returned because they were untrained and destroying their peaceful home.

I did my best with my limited knowledge on dog training to train these dogs to be adoptable; I poured my whole self into every animal and when they couldn’t be adopted out , I reached out to breed rescues, sanctuaries, etc…

Putting animals to sleep is something that most people can’t do; I did it often and I even insisted on doing it so I could be with those animals in the most loving way I could. Well, that sure took a toll on me and after a few years, I decided to move back to NYC. I dove into the world of veterinary medicine and got immersed and sucked in for a good 20+ years; I loved it but after 2 shoulder surgeries, my body told me it wasn’t doing me any good anymore. That inner tick of behavior stayed within my veterinary journey and whenever a behavior case would arise, I was open ears.

I had always loved Victoria Stilwell from It’s Me or The Dog. She possessed this confidence and calmness that was so well perceived by the clients she saw. Well lucky me, I found she had a virtual training program so into the her universe I went. It was more than I could have ever hoped for. While I was training, I also started working for the first only virtual dog training app ; I’ve been with them from the beginning where there were a handful of us and now there are over 100 trainers.

I love being in the comfort of my home and training people from all over the world but I saw that there were no “listed” positive dog trainers in my area and that blew my mind. With much help and support from my husband, I decided to create this private dog training company and I couldn’t be happier to be a woman owned and operated business of me!

Thank you for coming along for the ride!!