How it all Started
When I was 13 I got my own dog, Max. He had significant structural and temperament issues but we were welcome in 4-H and loved every minute of our time together, at home, in training, and in the show ring. I had always dreamed of participating in therapy visits but Max was fear-aggressive towards strangers so that goal along with any thoughts of progressing to off-lead obedience competition, agility, etc were put on hold.
At 17 I was offered co-ownership of Charlie, an enthusiastic young cream male who had the temperament to pursue all of my dreams!
Becoming a Trainer
Before getting Max I had raised a Poodle as a service dog for a local organization. After raising the pup I began to volunteer in their kennel, initially helping with kennel chores, then doing the grooming, and assisting multiple trainers. I took their training internship and trained a string of shelter dogs through their advanced tasks. I then flew across the country to attend collage at the Assistance Dog Institute (now known as Bergin University of Canine Studies), where I completed their thorough courses in Service Dog Education with additional certifications in the professional training and use of Therapy Dogs, and in their High-Schooled Assistance Dog program which teaches at-risk youth the psychological and physical skills for raising a puppy from basic manners and socialization through teaching advanced service dog skills. Upon graduation from school I founded American Poodles At Work, Inc, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to breeding/training/placing Poodles primarily as service dogs, but with the intention of expanding to encompass any working career. APAW as a non-profit no longer exists, but I am personally continuing the breeding lines and still using ‘APAW’ as an unofficial kennel acronym.
Deciding to Breed
I had always hoped that Charlie would be the foundation of my breeding program, but wanted to select a female extra carefully to mitigate health risks in his pedigree. By the time I had the right female to breed him to – what would be my 5th litter – Charlie was 9 years old and apparently infertile…. the first serious heartbreak of my breeding career. Charlie lived to be 14, and directly touched countless lives through his work as a therapy dog, a demo service dog (traveled with me to give presentations on the topic of service dogs and how they assist people with disabilities), and then reached even more people as the main Poodle representative on Animal Planet’s hit show, Dogs 101.
Other Training Experiences
Besides service and therapy training and the showmanship and obedience competitions I did through 4-H, I have also participated in tricks, rally, agility, freestyle, weight pull, coursing and conformation.
For a few years I had the wonderful opportunity to train as part of a Search and Rescue team, becoming a ‘ground-pounder’ myself and heavily training 2 of my Poodles for wilderness air-scent capacity, Atlas for live and Harmony for human remains detection; I ended-up needing to move out of the area and was too busy to rejoin a team so neither dog completed certification – one day I would love to return to SAR, but it is not a compatible lifestyle with raising kids or litters of puppies so it will need to wait.
Starting a Family
My husband Tim and I met in 2014; Chloe was born in 2018, Sias was born in 2020, and Aria was born in 2024. Tim runs his own architecture firm, enjoys astronomy, and had a Boxer named Brandi who passed in 2024. We value family time and being out in nature, and we homeschool our children in a Waldorf-inspired style.
APAW - Poodle Pups for Working Roles 