About Me:

Born and raised on the prairies of Southern Alberta, my childhood home was a menagerie of stray cats and dogs whom my family regularly took in and rehomed over the years, alongside our own 3 cats (Dimini, Oggy, and Stumper, who had no tail) and 2 dogs (Dirty-Face and Booster).

Over the course of my life I have been particularly closely immersed with rescues, wolf-mixes, pitbulls, rotties, and herding breeds—with many of my teen years spent working with a plethora of dogs at the local vet (Valley Veterinary Clinic, Three Hills, AB) and on local farms & feedlots. My grandparents also owned an antique wool processing factory (Custom Woolen Mills, Carstairs, AB), which lent itself to a keen interest and some participation in the annual sheepdog trials & livestock shows at the local Calgary Stampede in the summers.

Throughout my 20's, my own dogs and I dove passionately into Positive Reinforcement Training, Agility, Schutzhund, and explored numerous various popular contemporary methods & trainers. During the years when my kids were smaller, I had a passion for fostering dogs and litters for local rescues, and for a while I offered behavioral therapy & doggie-dayhome services from my acreage home in Westlock County until relocating to the city.

Nowadays I approach all training & rehabilitation with a firm emphasis on time and patience, as well as nurturing a mutually-respectful bond between dog & handler(s). I look to ensuring adequate outlets—providing convenient stimulation and creative solutions where required—and especially work to foster accurate & efficient, frustration-free communication & leadership between handler(s) & dog(s).

Apart from Canine Behavioral Therapy, I'm a certified Emergency Medical Responder (2018), and over the course of my adult career I fulfilled my childhood passion of learning how to "build, restore, and paint custom hotrods from the ground up."

After I had "retired" into the comfortable niche of refurbishing classic vehicle seats from my home workshop, I experienced a profound spiritual awakening & existential crisis and came to the vivid realization that it was my wish to devote my abilities & energy wholly to caring for the innocent and beautiful creatures with whom I had been so privileged to share the first portion of my life —and whom I had so frequently been pulled away from against my will amidst life's demands.

Providing empowerment to struggling animals and their owners, with the knowledge and tools they need to thrive, is not just a career; it's my purpose. From fearful-aggressive pitbulls and anxious rescues, to extreme prey-drive CKC registered Rottweilers, I have worked with and can provide relief for even the most hopeless & high-risk cases.

Chantania
(shan-TAN-yuh)