"D"

As long as I can remember I’ve loved animals. Growing up my Dad would never allow me to have a dog. He did compromise with me and allowed me to have rabbits (not the same). As soon as I moved out I got a dog, then another, and another. I now have a pack of 10 dogs. Loving animals I wanted to be a vet so I got a job working in a vets office. Pretty soon I discovered that being a vet was definitely not for me, so I researched other professions in which I could be close to dogs and at the same time make a difference. I stumbled a cross dog training. Teaching dogs and their owners new things, teaching them how to make that connection with their canine companions. I decided to go to school in the US to become a certified as a Dog Trainer and Behavior Specialist. In school we learned about how dogs learn, different methods of teaching, recognizing behaviors, altering behaviors, and almost every dog sport you can think of. This is where I fell in love with the sport of canine disc. However, when I got home to the Island, the only canine activities I could find were obedience training and protection/ bite work so that is where I started. Then I got invited to join a show called DOGS the incredible dog show, met some amazing dog trainers that influenced us in all the incredible dog sports we do now. I fell in love with traveling and performing with the dogs, it was at that moment I decided that performing was what we wanted to do for a living. Since then I have traveled the world for commercials, dog trick competitions, disc competitions, diving dog competitions and of course performing. I am so grateful for my pack and the opportunities that I've have had in this dog life. One of my most proud moments was with Sky, one of our ACD mixes. She was invited to the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge Eastern Regionals for their diving dog event. I can remember watching the IDC on instant streaming back in Puerto Rico thinking, “some day we’ll get there”, and I did! I can’t describe the feeling of being on the dock that day. My favorite part about training dogs is the connection you make with them. We learn how to communicate with each other. Its just an incredible feeling when playing with your dog, connecting, understanding each other. I love watching how happy they are to be performing. You can see that they love this life anxious to take the dock or the field. At the same time performing allows for the opportunity to educate the public on rescue and adoption. During the summer I travel around the US performing, training, and competing with our dogs. In between work and play we all love to decompress camping, hiking, and exploring nature. It’s my ultimate reward.