I’ve been an animal lover for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was involved in 4-H, loved going to horse camp, and fawned over all my friends’ pets as well as my own. My family owned 2 dogs who were very loved but very untrained. When I was 16, I applied for a job at a dog boarding and daycare facility where I worked for 3 years before working at a second one closer to home.

With all that exposure to hundreds of different dogs, I gained experience with all types of dog temperaments, from ranch dog to lap dog, hyperactive to geriatric… I was responsible for their care and safety and often put in charge of making and monitoring play groups. Experience alone taught me a lot, but I still found myself experimenting frequently to figure out how to interact and communicate with the dogs. I became increasingly interested in learning about dog behavior and working with dogs long term.

I ended up adopting a puppy in December of 2016, and I was determined to raise her to be the best dog ever. I wanted to go above and beyond with my new kid, Hollie, teaching her to be well-behaved in public, reliable off-leash, and maybe even become a therapy dog or get involved in dog sports. I tried to teach her good habits at home and signed us up for some classes, including rally and agility. However, I felt like we just couldn’t advance past a certain point; my dog was just too distracted and she didn’t listen to me at all off leash. I talked to multiple trainers and searched many resources trying to learn all I could about dog training and the different methods out there, which is how I discovered Sit Means Sit.

I started out as a client but applied for a job as soon as I heard they were hiring. Since then, I have made so much progress with Hollie. I get to include her in a growing number of activities in my life because we’ve learned how to communicate with each other better and succeed in training where I couldn’t before. I’m so proud of her, and that’s a wonderful feeling that I want to help all dog owners experience. The Sit Means Sit family is dedicated to being the best at what they do, even if it means going the extra mile or trying something brand new. I’m proud to be part of a team that is so committed to helping people and their dogs have a happy relationship by building up their confidence and trust in each other.