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My family currently includes one husband, two dogs (a black lab and a mutt we affectionately call our American Pabweegle), and one kitty we found on the streets. I have been fascinated with animals since I was a little girl. This fascination blossomed into passion and desire when I was about 12 years old and my family moved onto a ranch in Oklahoma. We had Brahman cows, mules, donkeys, horses, lots of cats, and every little stray dog that needed a home. I took a random psychology class in high school and it completely changed my perspectives on training. Since then, I have been training animals using the positive reinforcement techniques I acquired in a form of learning called Operant Conditioning. From wild donkeys, horses, and stray dogs to sharks, sea turtles, stingrays and animals in-between I have over 15 years experience in the training community. I am a full member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and am working on my certification to be a certified professional dog trainer. Mutts with Manners also works closely with our local animal shelter, Galveston Island Humane Society, and volunteers by training some of the dogs to increase their adoptability. I have countless hours of class time in behavioral sciences and bring this and my desire to teach people how to have a more positive relationship with their dogs based on mutual trust and respect to the table. All I need are owners who are willing to look in the mirror and modify some of their own behaviors, believe in their dog, and success is on the way!
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I’ve had a love for animals as far as I can remember. But decided I wanted to work with animals when I saw my first pod of dolphins swimming close to me in the Gulf of Mexico. I started volunteering at the Knoxville Zoo during the last two years of high school and was hooked on the zoo industry. I continued with the zoo on my breaks from college and graduated from Texas A&M Galveston with a degree in marine biology and started working at Moody Gardens with the marine animals I learned so much about. I have been actively training exotic animals since 2000, namely birds, reptiles, and mammals (pinnipeds, primates, carnivores, and rodents to name a few). I currently work in the rainforest and train otters and primates. I have also been training search dogs since 2004. I am the training coordinator for Greater Houston Search Dogs where we train dogs to look for missing people. I have given several presentations at training conferences around the country. I am a professional member and board member for the Animal Behavior Management Alliance. My goal is to help owners see what I see with behavior and pass on my training knowledge so you have a great, positive relationship with your dog. I currently have four dogs- three beagles and a mastiff- and three ferrets.
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Like most of us, I’ve been an animal lover from the start. I shared my popsicles with the family cat when I was one and was inseparable with the family dog until I left for college. I accepted my first zoo job while I was attending college and had the pleasure of working with and training lions, black panthers, chimpanzees, a variety of primate species, and even ostriches, which trampled me on several occasions. They were behaviorally challenged birds to say the least! I graduated from Russell Sage College with a degree in biology. For several years following the zoo position I was involved with numerous research projects, some of which included squirrels, black bears, dolphins, and whales. I then turned to fish at an aquarium where I was lucky enough to work with a team that developed training protocols with several species of fish including eels and sharks, yes sharks! I was also able to work with venomous reptiles, but much preferred to work with the water breathers with scales and teeth as they were safer and more predictable. During my years at the aquarium, I joined a K9 search team, Greater Houston Search Dogs, where I trained my dog to search for missing people. Once he was certified, his career lasted five years and he is now semi-retired and watching over me while I train his replacements, two of our newer mutts to the family.
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