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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. I began to expand my skills to include holistic healing techniques such as Tellington Touch, body awareness training and mind/body connection work. Through my years of study, I have found that the addition of these tools greatly increased the success rate of the animals I worked with and provided my clients with the in depth support that they needed in order to be successful. 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 , art has also played a huge role. In my free time I spend hours studying and working in a variety of artistic mediums including sculpting, painting, felting, embroidery… the list goes on. Since working with pets and their owners was my main focus, it only made sense that my art would tie into the work I was already doing. So now here I am, drawing pet caricatures at fundraising events, accepting commissions for pet sculptures, painting pet portraits for clients, creating custom urns and pet memorials.
While I still offer pet training, (Please visit https://www.noblebeastdogtraining.com/ for all training and behavior inquiries) I also now work as a freelance artist specializing in pet and animal centric art.
Most people don’t get to do one thing that they love for a living, I am blessed in that I get to do two! Through my dog training with Noble Beast I am able to help pet owners from basic to advanced training and overcome behavioral challenges. Through Sweet Paws Path I am able offer support for those experiencing end of life transitions, and to help pet owners celebrate their beloved companions through art.
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 sharing the wonder and majesty that is “you” with the world is the Sweet Paws Path. Sweetwater never shied away from a challenge, was always eager to learn, kind to everyone but not afraid to stand her ground. She was gentle in what she did and firm in how she did it. This is what I want to share with the world.
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.