About Me
My background and who I am.
For the past 2 decades I have worked as dog trainer specializing in behavioral problems including fear, anxiety and dog/dog aggression. In this field you have to remain a forever student so I regularly attend seminars and workshops so I am able to stay up to date in the industry and grow my skills and knowledge. My desire for continued education and wanting to provide the best service possible I also pursued a certification as a death doula and life coach. These certifications allowed me to offer a higher level of quality to my services and gave me the tools needed to best serve my clients and their pets in a variety of situation.
While dog training has been my main focus for the past few decades, I have also spent countless hours improving my art skills and growing my art business. I spend a lot of my free time working in a variety of artistic mediums including sculpting, painting, felting, embroidery… the list goes on. Since working with animals is my normal day to day routine, my art reflects my passion for pets across the variety of mediums I practice.
Why “Sweet Paws Path”?
Everyone has that one dog that they place on a pedestal and for me, Sweetwater was that dog. She helped me heal from a lot of personal trauma and for years she was my partner and taught me so much. At 6 years old Sweetwater was taken suddenly by a mysterious illness but who she was and the lessons she shared will live on.
The Sweet Paws Path is the road she taught and the lessons she shared. Walking the path of loving kindness, continued growth, terrier tenacity, and embracing the nature of “you”.
My current furry family
Baxter my big brown buddy was a pandemic puppy. An “oops” litter born across the street. My husband Zach and I had been talking about bringing in another dog and this was the perfect time to stay home and dedicate some time to the pups for training. Baxter is a special boy and suffers from idiopathic epilepsy, which is a fancy way of saying “we don’t know why your dog has seizures.” Despite the ‘shakes’, he is a happy boy who loves to work and is the most gentle cuddle bug you’ve ever met.
Moon the pug thing is a more recent addition. He came from a hoarding situation in Texas. I knew I would have a lot of work to do with him, but wasn’t fully prepared for what was in store. I quickly realized that we had more than just a potty training issue. We also had to work through some serious separation anxiety and mysterious alopecia issues. Despite his set backs he settled into the routine and his new life here in Colorado. While Moon may not have made our life easier, he definitely made it better.
Not liking his photo taken is my loving husband and business partner Zach. The endlessly supportive rock under my feet that’s always lifting me up while keeping me grounded. Zach works behind the scenes helping me with book keeping and all of the background work that goes into running a business. I couldn’t do any of this without him.