Growing up I always had dogs, mostly rescued off the street. As a teenager I was a volunteer at a local animal shelter picking up a lot of knowledge as I went along. After a move to live in Vancouver, Canada I realised my dream of becoming a veterinary nurse. It was while working with a vet who studied dog behaviour that I became interested in what makes a happy dog.

Since returning to live in Ireland I have pursued different career paths, none of which gave me the same satisfaction as working with animals. It was a work experience day with my own vet that launched me on my dog listener life. At the clinic I met Ruby, a jack Russell cross who was looking for a new owner. Our beloved dog of 14 yrs had passed away and I knew that Ruby would be loved at our home. It was the first time I hadn’t raised a dog from puppyhood and it soon became evident that she had some behaviour issues. I realised that what I had put in place with my previous dogs had worked, but how could I change behaviour in the more mature dog. This led me to do some research and I found Jan Fennels Dog Listening Method. I bought her books and saw her BBC T.V. show The Dog Listnener. Using this method with Ruby brought great results and the improvements came after only two weeks and through it all Ruby has blossomed.

I was convinced I could teach this method to other dog owners and enrolled on my Foundation course with Jan Fennell. Having successfully completed the course I then went on to do the Advanced training with Jan. I now hold the certificate of Advanced Canine Communication and am helping dog owners to establish leadership of their dogs in a kind manner respectful of their dogs nature and instincts.