WHY I LOVE DOG TRAINING:
There have been very few periods of time in my life when I did not have at least one dog, but more likely than not it was two or more dogs. When my children were young I got them a cocker spaniel puppy (okay, really I got him for me) and all of my wisdom with training up my children failed to help me with training my puppy so I resorted to attending a basic obedience course. In reality that basic obedience course was training ME more than my puppy, but in the end I had an awesome and mostly obedient cocker spaniel!
I might have continued with my dog training education at that time had it not been for the fact that I also had a life-long passion for nursing. So my educational path took me to Glendale Community College where I earned an Associates Degree in nursing. Yup, I was hooked on nursing so advanced my education, first earning a Bachelors Degree then a Masters Degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Becoming a nurse practitioner was fortuitous for me, as it was while I was working as
an NP at the VA that I met a Veteran with a service animal who introduced me to ASAS. I have been fortunate enough to bring two awesome standard poodles successfully through the ASAS program and am honored and blessed to have been asked to become a trainer with ASAS. I love our Veterans!
5 THINGS ABOUT ME:
I am a native Phoenician and married my high school sweetheart.
I spent three years as a Phoenix Police Reserve Officer.
I joined the Army at the age of 39.
I enjoy cooking, reading, quilting, going to church, and spending time with my family.
Some of my past favorite adventures include hiking the Grand Canyon, hiking Mayan ruins in Belize, watching the Aurora Borealis from atop a cruise ship in Alaska and riding my motorcycle from through Colorado, Montana & Wyoming.