08/02/2026
SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY: Meet Adrian. She is a certified dog trainer working with The Doggie Den and Wags and Whiskers. We are offering training during your boarding stay or during daycare visits! If you would like to read more about her, please see below:
While attending West Virginia University for nursing school, I had the opportunity to raise a seeing eye dog puppy, Jakeāan experience that sparked my passion for dog training. That passion led me to spend two years at the prestigious Tom Rose School for Professional Dog Trainers, where I earned both my Professional Dog Trainer and Master Trainer certifications.
For more than 14 years, Iāve dedicated my life to learning, living with, and training dogs. Iāve worked professionally in four different states, gaining experience in daycares, boarding kennels, private training, and behavior rehabilitation. Along the way, Iāve worked with hundreds of dogsāfrom family companions and puppies to rescue dogs, aggression and anxiety cases, and complex behavioral challenges.
Beyond helping families, Iāve spent the last 14 years owning, training, and competing with German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois in high-level protection sports. That experience has allowed me to develop advanced handling skills, learn from exceptional trainers, and assist with police K-9 training.
What has shaped me most, however, has been simply living with dogs. For over 14 years, Iāve shared my home with multiple dogs at a time, giving me an understanding of canine behavior that only comes from living alongside them every day. In many ways, dogs have been some of my greatest teachers, showing me patience, humility, consistency, and the value of clear communication.
More than five years ago, I returned home to West Virginia, where Iāve had the privilege of helping families build stronger relationships with their dogs.
I believe great dog training isnāt just about teaching dogsāitās about teaching people. My goal is to give owners the knowledge and confidence to continue their dogās success long after training is over.
Iāve shared the greatest moments of my life, the hardest ones, and all of the ordinary days in between with a dog by my side. Thatās why I believe sharing your life with a well-trained dog is one of the most rewarding relationships youāll ever have.
My mission is to help families build that kind of lifelong partnership through trust, consistency, clear communication, and training thatās tailored to both the dog and the people who love them.
After allā¦ Dogs Are My People.
