Having had dogs most of my youth, it was tough when I moved out and had to leave them behind.  A t the time, I was working shift work and living in a small apartment, so didn’t feel it would be fair to have a dog.  I lived vicariously through friends and family, always knowing I would have a dog again, just not knowing when.  When I finally was able to have a dog again, I found my friend Louis at the Welland Humane Society. He was a very sad Golden Retriever, desperately in need of some TLC.  I took him home and I couldn’t have asked for a more loyal friend.  He was an old man, but he bounced back and we had several good years together before he died last year.  In the meantime, I met and fell in love with Arson, my Aussie.  While Louis was well behaved and caused me little grief, Arson brought some adventure into our lives.  He was a love, but in need of some training and discipline (he thought the furniture was made for him).  I investigated different trainers, knowing that I wanted something different than what I experienced with our family dogs.  What I found was every trainer I spoke to telling me that treats were the only way to train a dog.  While I didn’t believe it, I couldn’t find any treat free training in Niagara, so I signed up with a trainer and went to classes.  Arson did well, but I still wasn’t satisfied and felt he could be better.  That was when I was told about Brad and “At the End of My Leash”.  I started watching his show and I was sold.  I started using his techniques and saw a difference in Arson immediately. 

In the winter of 2010, Brad came to Hamilton for an evening seminar.  That night started me on my journey to becoming a CTE.  When Brad returned to Hamilton in the summer, Arson and I spent two days having the time of our lives with about 45 other owners, their dogs, Brad and a group of his CTEs (my Mom was part of that group too).  It was that weekend that I decided that we needed a CTE in Niagara and that I wanted to be that person.  It’s my goal to show people that there is a way to build a phenomenal bond with their dog and make them superstars in their communities.