I operated a wholesale distribution company for eleven years. I worked mostly alone for the first couple years until a dog named Winston came into my life.

He was a fatty tumor ridden Sheltie with horrible breath who loved going everywhere with me. My sister gave me Winston when he was eight years old. From the day I got him until the day he passed he went to work with me. I told customers he was the complaint department. Winston also won employee of the month every month, and yes I put that in the company product flyers. I wasn’t rescuing dogs or anything but it just seemed wrong to let this obedient, loving, fuzz ball go to a shelter. He and I got along great even before he came to live with me. After a while, working alone with all the pressure I applied to myself eventually took a toll on me both physically and mentally. Winston wasn’t trained but I can tell you that he helped me out of a bad situation a few times. I clearly remember sitting on the floor in my warehouse thinking I was going to die of a heart attack and the police were going to have to break the glass out of the door to get to my dead body. Then Winston walked over and just made things slow down and return to normal. Winston lived longer than any veterinarian ever predicted and passed at the age of 14 and half. I’ve had other great dogs growing up but Winston taught me how the right dog with the right person can be something incredibly special.There was no way I was going to wait too long to get another dog. I’ve always loved teaching dogs things and watching them. I decided to foster some dogs which was fun then a mutt I named Servo found his way into my home.

Servo was found on the side of the road. He was young at only around 6-8 months old, very underweight at 25.lbs and not human affectionate. As he gained strength and his personality came out I discovered he was hand shy and very dog reactive. In other words he was a real challenge. It was at this point I started truly learning about dogs. Servo needed my help and I needed to acquire the knowledge and skills to do the job right. At this point I also decided that Servo would remain with me for life. He is an absolutely stunning creature who surely would have been adopted and returned and possibly euthanized with an inexperienced handler or someone unwilling to spend the right amount of time to rehab him properly. If you set a dog up to fail they surely will but if you don’t properly push their comfort zones then they will never have a chance to succeed. We eventually worked through a few things and I decided that to really get him where I wanted I needed more dogs at my disposal. This is like music to a rescue operators ears. I remember someone saying to the effect “You mean you want to take the dog I can’t place and work on them!?!? Pick whoever you want!!” Slowly Servo has changed from a dog who was so afraid of other dogs he looked psychotic to a dog that seems disappointed when I don’t walk through the door with another dog. His transformation has been pretty awesome to witness. Along the way some dogs that were having trouble getting placed found great homes.

Then came Zoltan. The dog who would open doors for me. Zoltan was advertised on Craig’s List for free. His pictures just stuck with me and I ended up grabbing him a day before he was to be dropped off at a shelter were he most likely would have been euthanized. Zoltan is fun and incredibly smart. So smart in fact honestly he’s probably been the easiest dog I’ve ever trained. Jen and Donna from Stiggy’s Dogs came to an adoption event to scout for possible recruits and I practically wrapped the leash around Donna’s wrist and begged for Jennifer to give him a chance. He has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. Zoltan is one special service dog who lives a wonderful life with his veteran Jon. Then I found myself with Bentley who after some work I introduced to Jen and Donna. He was going to work for the Stiggy’s Program as well and the ladies from Stiggy’s seemed to think I knew something about dogs. We had a long talk about life that day and became good friends. Looking back at it they were really interviewing me for a position within Stiggy’s Dogs as a trainer which was offered a short time later. This was a dream come true for me. I closed my wholesale business and moved on to the next chapter in life.

Working at Stiggy’s Dogs has made me incredibly proud of what I do. I have a few family members and many friends who have served in the military. I’ve always greatly appreciated their service to our country and it’s an honor to be able to help those veterans in need.

We’re not miracle workers, but I get to see some things that are miraculous such as Terrance/Major, Mike/Barrett and the great man that Terran has become. I also get to learn from Donna who is in my opinion an absolute master of her craft. Jen told me that Stiggy’s isn’t about just training dogs and boy was she right. The dog aspect can be the easiest on many days but I love the human aspect of it just as much if not more. My life today is incredible and I have the greatest job in the world. I work at Stiggy’s Dogs helping real heroes get their lives back with the help of their best friend.

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