One year ends...and another begins!

December 31, 2018

In a few short hours we will say goodbye to 2018.  These years always make me reflect back to all of the awesome things that have happened in my life.  I have been and am so lucky in so many ways.  I am declaring the year 2019 to the year of being grateful.  I am grateful for all of the growth The Canine Campus has made, the AMAZING trainers and office manager I have, and LUCKY enough to call them all friends as well as co-workers.  Grateful for the many dogs I have been able to know, and we as a team have been able to help, especially those that we have saved their lives.  The picture above was taken quite a while ago while I was in Seattle, Washington getting my Team Training Course Instructor License....which I let go of this year.  2018 was definitely a year of looking for the TRUTH in things and instead of being sentimental (like I tend to want to do), I made CHOICES to actively walk away, or let it go.  Being mindful and letting the universe guide me to MY truth.  It has made all of the difference in the world!  In the words of the AMAZING John Lennon, "We have grown, we have grown.  Let's take a chance and fly away.  It'll be just like starting over."  And it has!!  After much investigation, Lorri and I have chosen Alliance of Therapy Dogs to work with for our therapy animal work.  It has been so refreshing and fun!  We are graduating the first graduates the first week in January, and we are looking to rebuild K-9s for Compassion to share the love of pets with everyone we possibly can!  But...this wasn't the only change!

At The Canine Campus, we have grown an unbelievable amount.  We have added our Boardman location, which is already hugely successful!!  (THANK YOU!!). After months of working on the building, it is finally just as we want it.  November 2, 2018, my Dad's birthday, we celebrated a very successful open house (with no parking and not much room to move around!) and honored The Day of The Dead.  (Dia de Muertos)...This had extra meaning for me since it was also my Dads birthday.  Then in the SAME week as the open house at Boardman, we moved from our old location, where The Learning Dog was, and then The Canine Campus for 2 years....(in less than 24 hours!!) to our new facility that we purchased!  A 12,000+ sq 2 facility with 3 buildings, and something we can call our own!  Renovations are still under way, and we are all commenting on how it doesn't feel "new"...it feels like we have been there forever, AND IT DOES!  The space is amazing, and our opportunities are endless!  I have to paws and give a HUGE HUGE shout out to my dearest of friends here...Lorri Matey and Ron Cooley.  Without the 2 of you, I couldn't have done it.  You are amazing, amazing friends.  Only limited by our minds, we will begin doing daycare, playdates, competition training, a canine club....plus many new classes that we are adding.  I am also beginning a rolling beginner obedience class to the mix.  You will be able to start any week you want!  As soon as you are ready, we are ready for you!  Depending on our success we will do this with other classes as well!  There are so many surprises coming your way, you won't believe it!  If you have something you would like to do with your dog and have an idea...please let us know!  We are open to it!  We will offering kids camps at both locations, Camps with adults and your dog building the human-animal bond and having a fun filled week with your dog (consider taking a staycation and living it up with your dog!), we will be offering week long clicker training classes with your dog, training for the serious dog lover using shelter animals, and so much more!

And we have announced that we will be expanding yet again to the Warren/Champion area.  We will open in the Spring, and details will be announced as they are happening.  Here we grow again!!!  We also are expanding in our species...yes dogs will always be our main species.  But we are starting to have some classes with cats, and we do behavior work with pigs, goats, sheep, many exotics, birds, and some horse problems.  As I said, LOTS of growth, lots of amazing-ness.  Lots of magic.

And for The Together Journey, our service dog non-profit....we have a most wonderful, amazing women who lost her son in Iraq.  While we can't begin to understand the pain, she has chosen to take that pain, and has gathered several awesome friends to do fundraising for veterans to receive service dogs with much of the payment deferred.  I know that your son is smiling down on you and guiding you through the amazing, selfless things you are doing Jean.  SOO SOOO proud of you.  

I am thankful.  Thankful for opportunities, for lessons learned, for those who came before us and embraced us, and those who challenged us or walked away.  You are all part of the journey, and an essential part of who we are, and who we are becoming!

I also need to give a shout out to Kristen Young for achieving her CPDT!!  You rock, Kristen!!  There are quite a few of our trainers who will be going for their CPDT this next year!!  Team Campus...you are truly the best!!

The year 2019 I am vowing to take my credentials even further.  In our area, I am the only licensed veterinary technician who is also a CPDT-KA, Human-Animal Bond Practitioner, and Certified Fear Free Professional Level and Associate Certified IAABC member.  These credentials give me the ability to help all of our clients-to see problems faced with animals in a unique way and gives me the ability to trouble shoot any problem to help you, or guide you in the right direction!  This year is going to be the year I am going to go for the full certified IAABC member (this guys are AMAZING...I hope to accomplish this to be in their greatness!) and I am working this entire year to be able to attain my specialty in behavior through the AVBT (Association of Veterinary Behavior Technician) in 2020.  This specialty will take me to levels I haven't even come close in my past.  I want these 2 credentials to help more animals, and to make myself the very best I can at what I do.  And who knows what credentials I will find during my search for getting these!!!  This will also allow me to share and continue to push forward all of my absolutely amazing trainers that I have.

And so, 2019...my resolution is that I will do blog posts at least 4 days a week.  (This has been greatly neglected this year!) I am going to make a very big statement here, but I will stand by it...we are going to knock your socks off this year.  You will leave getting more than you expected at The Canine Campus.  We are all unitarily ready to give 150% of ourselves to your beloved animals.  AND  we will continue to WOW you with what we offer!  Can't wait to get started!  Go celebrate the last 2.5 hours of the year.....we have work to do!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

-With love, The Canine Campus