Sarita Pellowe M.Sc. CPDT-KA
Originally from Blackpool, UK, Sarita graduated with honours from her B.Sc. Zoology degree at the University of Manchester in 2011 before moving to Newfoundland in 2012 to undertake her M.Sc. in Biology at Memorial University of Newfoundland. For the last 4 years she has developed her handling skills not only with her own dogs, Kupo and Denzel, but with many rescues from local organisations. In late 2015, Sarita started work as a training assistant under Ken Reid at A Dog’s World (Torbay), and quickly developed her teaching skills to become a certified dog trainer. Sarita was recently awarded the CPDT-KA title (Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed) from the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT).
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I graduated with honours from my B.Sc. Zoology degree at the University Of Manchester (UK) in 2011 before moving to Newfoundland in 2012 to undertake my M.Sc. in Biology at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Both of my degrees had a heavy emphasis on animal behaviour, physiology and evolution – my undergraduate degree also had a large field course component allowing me to travel to France, Greece, Scotland and South Africa for research projects including conservation, ethology (animal behaviour) and ecology. For my M.Sc., I worked on a collaboration between the Ocean Sciences and Medicine departments researching the effects of temperature on the cardiac physiology of fish, for which I submitted my thesis in 2015. Aside from academia, I have volunteered with multiple outreach and education organisations over the last 10 years, including running Peer-Assisted Study Sessions for undergraduate students in Manchester, working as a teaching assistant at Memorial University, volunteering in animal care & outreach at the Sea Life Centre (UK) and visiting local schools with Let’s Talk Science (NL). For me, working as a dog trainer is as much about enjoying talking to and educating people as getting to work with their dogs.
For the last 4 years I have been developing my handling skills not only with my own dogs, Kupo and Denzel, but with many rescues from local organisations. I have been lucky enough to work alongside the St John’s SPCA, Furever Young and Heavenly Creatures both in behavioural assessments and rehabilitation/rehoming of rescue dogs. In addition to my own dogs becoming certified therapy dogs with St John Ambulance, I am also an assistant evaluator for the program. In late 2015, after my thesis had been completed, I had more time to pursue my passion in dog training. I started work as a training assistant under Ken Reid at A Dog’s World (Torbay), and quickly developed in confidence to advance from sideline helper/chief dog petter to teaching full courses. Alongside Ken, we offer a range of classes from Foundation and Level 1 Basic Obedience, through to Level 3 Masters Obedience and My Dog Is Awesome. My methods encourage fear-free, reward-based training with a heavy emphasis on teaching owners how to effectively communicate with their dogs and setting their dogs up for success at home. Once I see the lightbulb turn on above an owner’s head – their dog’s tail starts wagging, they get unwavering eye contact from their dog and both start to smile and have fun – that’s the feeling that keeps me teaching. It’s a beautiful thing to watch, and even more special knowing I helped them get there. When we’re not educating in the training room, we are out in local schools, daycares and after-school programs teaching local youths the importance of dog safety – public education in my opinion is key in decreasing the likelihood of negative human-dog interactions, whether it’s fearfulness, breed bias or bite statistics.
I was recently awarded the CPDT-KA title (Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed) from the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). I operate in compliance with the CCPDT’s Code of Ethics and Training and Behaviour Practices Policy, and I regularly participate in online courses, seminars and additional reading to ensure the information and practices I provide to clients are the most up-to-date, effective and scientifically supported. I chose the CCPDT for my certification because while many schools teach dog training and offer certification, they reflect the teachings and quality of a particular school. Not only this, many organisations offer “take-home” tests for certification, thus would not be monitored to ensure completion of the test without assistance or collaboration. Becoming certified with the CCPDT required not only extensive, recent teaching experience, but also successful completion of an exam compiled by dog professionals worldwide and a requirement not only to operate under a strict ethical policy but also to pursue continuing education in order to remain certified. I appreciated the independent, unbiased nature of the certification process through the CCPDT - I am proud to have joined the ranks of over 2000 CPDT-KA certificants worldwide and look forward to pursuing further certifications through the CCPDT.