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Holly's Den Dog Training Services, Houston / Sugar Land, TX
| From the time I was a young child I have loved dogs, books and stories, but I didn't start out as either a writer or a dog trainer. Instead I got a B.S. degree in nursing from Baylor University and worked in a psychiatric hospital, also doing some short stints on a trauma unit and in the labor & delivery rooms. After that, I was a stay-at-home mom for a few years and it was during that time that I began to do some free-lance writing. |
Beverly & Holly--our first Christmas |
When my children started school, I went back to work at the Houston Convention & Visitors Council, writing everything from the annual report to speeches for the president. My next job was at Baylor College of Medicine in the Office of Public Affairs where I was responsible for initiating media coverage of Baylor’s research programs, coordinating special events, and for writing brochures, articles and news releases. While at Baylor, I belonged to Women in Communications and also chaired the professional development committee of the Public Relations Society of America, Houston chapter.
When my husband's career took us to the Chicago area, I worked as a writer-editor at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and joined a group called the "Off Campus Writers Workshop" where I had a chance to take fiction writing workshops with successful working novelists and with faculty from the University of Chicago.
Then another career move for my husband brought us back to Houston. By this time our kids were in college and to help fill our empty nest, one Christmas my husband got me the German Shepherd puppy I had been wanting! We named her "Holly."
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Time flies--6 years later, Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) obedience title! |
Holly and I headed off for puppy
preschool classes and enjoyed training so much that we never stopped!
After taking several advanced obedience classes, competitive obedience
became my hobby. Meanwhile, we joined a Houston animal assisted therapy organization called "PAWS for Caring" and I became a pet visit team leader for an adult day care center, a nursing home and a rehab hospital. Holly entertained patients by doing tricks and delighted hearing-impaired children by responding to their hand signals. Eventually, I joined the Paws board of directors as the membership chair and remained active in PAWS until a series of events led me to get involved with breed rescue volunteer work. For almost three years I ran the breed rescue effort for German Shepherd Dogs in the Houston area by myself, then started the organization that still handles GSD rescue here. Two years later, I walked away with memories of many dogs who got a second chance at life, and I kept one thing of inestimable value to me--my own adopted dog, Monty. |
In 2001-02 I joined the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and started Holly's Den. One interest that has remained steady throughout my life, has been a fascination with human and animal behavior. I enjoy both writing and teaching a great deal and I love being able to do hands-on work with puppies and dogs. I also need to feel that whatever work I am doing contributes something, even if only in a small way, to making the world a better place. By working with owners and dogs, I hope that I can help them have the kind of relationship that will enable them to live together happily and thus keep dogs in their homes instead of on one way trips to animal shelters. For me, this is what dog training at Holly's Den is all about.
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Holly's
Den
Dog and Puppy Training
Houston / Sugar Land TX
contact via email
Proud Member
Association of Pet Dog Trainers
APDT member #6125
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