I am self-taught or, better-put, dog-taught. Experiences and lessons with the many dogs in my life is what gave me the foundation I now stand on to support my pack walking and socialization work.

It all started with Woody in 2012.

Like most of us, I sought the companionship of a dog because I wanted the comfort and love that only a dog can unconditionally provide. Woody was two years old when I adopted him from the shelter. A ragged mess wandering the woods (hence his name “Woody”). He was Lyme positive and high-anxiety, especially around dogs. I had no idea that Woody with his soulful eyes and survivor’s spirit would lead me on a journey of self-confidence that ultimately would lead us both to helping other dogs overcome their social limitations.

While some reactive dogs aren’t necessarily aggressive, Woody was both. He was unsocialized, fearful, and a handful to manage whenever we encountered other dogs. His initial reaction when he saw another dog was intense: anxiously whining, pulling, lunging, and snapping. Because he behaved in such a way, even a friendly dog would often growl or bark back at him. If an off-leash dog approached Woody (who was always on leash), there would most definitely be a fight. And with each fight, or episode, where fear and reactivity won, Woody’s fear-aggression worsened.

I quickly realized that I would need to do the hard work to bring this dog from fear to love if I intended to have a stress-free social life with him.

I began to immerse myself in dog psychology, watching training videos, finding friends with dogs to work with, and enrolling us in ongoing weekly obedience classes, where we’d practice socializing amongst other dogs and handlers. It was a long journey, but one worth taking, as I began to see positive changes in Woody.

About a year later, I adopted a female puppy for Woody because I wanted him to have an intimate experience in bonding with another dog. Woody did an amazing job raising Juno, a rambunctious pit bull, who required an enormous amount of training herself as she was very headstrong. Together for two years, we worked on obedience and socialization in classes and with dog friends.

I started volunteering in 2014 for Paws New England, a foster-based dog rescue organization. For the next seven years, I would learn a great deal about dog rehabilitation, having 36 dogs in my foster home, all of whom needed socialization work to recover from their abusive or neglected pasts. Woody and Juno assisted me in this rewarding work. Every foster had to be slowly introduced to them and live with us for an unknown period of time until they were rehabilitated and ready to be adopted.

In time, Woody was transformed with each positive experience around a dog. He even achieved his Canine Good Citizen certification and now had a number of dog friends! He was happier and calmer overall, and his reactions to other unknown dogs was getting better, not worse. He got along with every foster dog that came into our home, through slow introductions and managed interactions.

In addition to handling the adoptions of my own foster dogs, I also became heavily involved with processing adoption applications for hundreds of other dogs, conducting home visits, and introducing dogs to new households. I traveled the country, quite literally rescuing dogs from the side of the road, bringing them home, and rehabilitating them. The observations I made during these seven years integrating dogs into my household, rehabilitating my fosters and my own dog as well, gave me invaluable understanding. Each one was my teacher, and I embraced each lesson every chance I got and learned to speak their language.

A passion for rescue work and dogs grew stronger and stronger within me, as I witnessed remarkable changes in Woody and all the foster dogs that I rehabbed. I learned a lot about myself during this process, including how to be the calm assertive leader they needed to feel safe in order to overcome their fear. And I learned that change is possible if you put in the effort and believe!! Dogs are incredibly resilient creatures. The work we devote to helping them only serves to develop and deepen our own character and confidence in ourselves. It’s a win win!

Today, Woody and I bring what we’ve learned to a new community of dogs and people. Woody is entirely non-reactive now. Even when a dog reacts to him, he is calm and neutral, politely ignoring the behavior and intentionally giving the dog space, which in turn makes the anxious-reactive dog feel safe, calm, and open to trusting.

I feel so fortunate to be helping dogs be happier and more balanced in their everyday life by creating social environments by which they thrive and express themselves freely. My mission is to serve the dog community of Vermont by offering my heart and wisdom to teach, transform, and support happy dogs and the humans who want the best for them!

-Alexandra, a Dog Lover, Walker, & Trainer