I have said many times that without the help of my pack, I could certainly not do the work I do especially when it comes to the rehabilitation aspect. To see Morgan, Tanner and our kitty work a damaged dog is an amazing experience. They bring just as much if not more then me to the table and I am constantly amazed to see them in action. As a dog trainer, I have trained thousands of dogs. I truely feel honored to help any family with their issues and every case brings up new challenges. Sometimes I work so closely with certain dogs that they become surrogate members of my pack. These are the stories of a small number of my pack. Members may come and go and some I see more then others but once you are a member, you are always a member.
Morgan: Yellow Lab
Owned Since: 2006
Rescue
Morgan is my first dog. He came to me through a friend of a friend at six months of age. She owned him and while she loved him, she realised she could not give him the home, the attention nor the time he needed. He was brought to me to look at for friends of my parents. I took one look at the big goof ball and fell in love. My life changed forever.
He was wild but I enrolled us in obedience training. He graduated “Top Dog” in Level One and Two obedience and I started using him as a demo dog. He then became a Therapy Dog with St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program.
He has taught me soooo much over the years and given me such love and affection that I still melt when I look at him. Morgan is an all around great dog. You want a dog for obedience, Morgan cannot be beat. You want a dog to cuddle, Morgan is extremely talented in that respect. You want a dog that can go all day, Morgan is definitely up for that. He is my right had when it comes to teaching submissive and unsure dogs how to be dogs.
Tanner: Maremma
Owned since 2007
Rescue
Tanner is my second dog. He came to me on Canada Day weekend of 2007 when Heavenly Creatures called me up saying they had this dog coming in that was going to be put down if something could not be done about him. He had been through three other organizations, had tried to be adopted out but was too aggressive, too dominant, too unmanageable. I agreed to take him in on a temporary basis. The meeting story is a lesson I tell all the time in class but I will leave it for now.
Tanner came to my house and adopted me. He absolutely refused to leave my side since. Eight weeks into the foster, I adopted him.
Tanner is my right hand man for dominant and aggressive dogs. Tanner is very much the Alpha Male. He is a dog that owns whatever room he walks into, could not be bothered with most other dogs and is one of the most loyal dogs you will ever meet. His sole goal in life is to be by my side...where ever that may be.
The Kitty: Also known as Our Kitty, Miss Kitty or just Kitty
Owned since 2009
Rescue
This little girl also came to me through Heavenly Creatures. She was 10 weeks old when I got her and came from a cat hoarding situation where there was over 30 cats in the home along with litters of kittens. Fleas were inevitable as well as cat flu and worms. I got her to break my boys of chasing cats...they wanted to eat cats. I brought her home as a foster with the intentions of adopting her out after a couple of weeks. Well you know what they say about intentions.
Morgan and Tanner quickly accepted this little ball of fur. Tanner actually became her protector...no dog can go near the kitty if they do not have good intentions. She does not see dogs as a threat one bit. She is the most well adjusted cat ever. She is the only cat I know that can travel anywhere including a vehicle with no kennel. I have had her to the Pet Expo, doing talks and demos...nothing phases her.
For some dogs that come to my home, she does as much work as Morgan and Tanner. One dog in particular which I will talk about below, Angel, the Kitty was instrumental in Angel’s rehab.
She never grew much past her kitten size. She is still just a small ball of fur but is very very loved.
Rigger: Pit Bull
Owned Since 2010
Rescue
This girl had a rough life before I got her. I have heard many stories about her previous life over the years. I have heard she was used in the dog fights, I have heard that she was used as a bait dog, I have heard that she was used as a protection dog guarding various shady operations. Bottom line is that she was dumped at Topsailstar Pet Center by her previous owner. She was very very dog aggressive. She would be what is classified as a "Red Zone" dog. She could not even be left in runs next to other dogs as she would immediately attack them through the chain link fence. She spent almost two years there. The owners of Topsailstar saw how bad she was but being dog lovers, did not want to put her down. I started working with her in January of 2010. It was a rough go. She was a challenge for sure. She refused to be walked, she attacked anything and everything that startled her and she was horrible with other dogs. Slowly I gained her trust and built up expectations. By March of that year I was walking her with other dogs, by June I brought her home with me. Since then, I have tried to adopt her out a couple of times but due to no fault of her own, these adoptions did not work out. She is now a permanent part of my pack. I bring her into demonstations and talks all of the time. She is excellent with most people especially kids. To see how far this girl has come in such a relatively short period of time is amazing.
Angel: Cairn Terrier Cross
Adopted in 2008
Rescue
Angel was one of the saddest cases I have ever dealt with. She was a dog that was completely and absolutely defeated. She was scared of EVERYTHING and was due to be put down because of it. You could not get next to her without her completely going catatonic.
Heavenly Creatures brought her to me and I seriously had no idea what I was going to do with her. She lived in my laundry room for 2 months...she ate, slept, peed and pooped in there refusing to come out. When I went in, she would run out and hide, then run back in when I left.
Slowly but surely though the Boys and Our Kitty worked their magic on her. This was taken a couple of days after Angel finally came out of her shell and started to be a dog. She was so scared. This started her off and six months later she was in both Santa Parades and loving every minute of it. She is in a great home now with a couple who loves her to pieces. She stays with me whenever they go out of town for extended periods. She comes here and cuddles with the Kitty (I have pics to prove it) and absolutely loves Tanner and Morgan. Matter of fact, Angel is the only dog that Tanner will let away with walking next to my side between him and I.
Bronx
Bull Terrier
This beautiful boy is ownered by Jessica. Jessica is the type of owner I really enjoy dealing with. She contacted me when she agreed to get Bronx stating that she wanted a dog that was good, that she could bring anywhere. She realized that with the type of dog Bronx was, the public perceives these dogs as dangerous. She knew Bronx had to be better then most. I gave her all kinds of advice leading up to Bronx's arrival, did a one on one within days of Bronx arriving and have been involved with him ever since. He is young and full of himself and foolish but he is going to be a dog that I am very very excited to see a year from now. He loves my pack and is going to be a dog that I am going to use for years to come.