05/04/2026
*** $20 OFF group obedience classes & behavior consultations! Use code 20YEARS - offer expires May 31st ***
20 years ago this month, I was in grad school to become an elementary school teacher and needed a summer job. Since I had taken several obedience classes, my dog trainer, Elizabeth Morgan, convinced me to apply to be a trainer at PetSmart, and that moment changed my life forever! This first photo in particular is so special to me. A student took it -- I wish I could remember who so I could thank them -- and I feel like it perfectly represents the joy I feel in working with dogs. Already, in this photo, I knew that becoming a school teacher was not.the thing I most wanted to do, but at the time I didn't believe that I could make a feasible career out of dog training. I just didn't have enough confidence in myself. So I finished my master's degree, taught for a year and a half, and... right back to dogs I went! 😂
My days at PetSmart, despite the retail aspect, were honestly some of my happiest days with friends. I genuinely loved my co-workers and my incredibly supportive manager, Tommy Wallace, who is not only a friend but who has been one of my biggest cheerleaders all these years. I met people like Janna Owen and many wonderful students who are now dear friends, like Lea Davis, Laurie Hicks, and of course Valerie Parker, Bronze's mom. For those who don't know, Bronze was my #1 star student of all time, who is now on the logo of Love Them Train Them. His legacy lives on!
I'm especially grateful to the late Katherine Ramsay, Debra Clark, Elizabeth Morgan, Leah Gangelhoff, and Lynn Rachkiss, who served as amazing mentors, some in the beginning and some still ongoing. I wouldn't be the trainer I am without you.
And lastly, there are no words to describe the gratitude I feel for my dogs, who have since passed, without whom I would have never taken a training class in the first place. Who knows where I would be now...
We all dream of having a job that gives us purpose. We want to believe that we are making a difference. To all of my wonderful students, past and present, you allow me to do that. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ♥️
