More about Lauren
I grew up half in the city and half on a farm. We lived on the west side of Denver, Colorado but when the school year ended my siblings and I were shipped to my Grandparent’s farm in rural Ohio for the summer. We spent more time outdoors than in, with my Grandma having to enforce mandatory indoor rest time so that we weren’t in danger of heatstroke. My mom was very outdoorsy as well and made it a priority to take us on many backpacking trips, snowboarding trips, and to introduce us to her love of horseback riding, even though we lived in the city.
Animals were always part of my life. Any struggling barn kitten, and one time a piglet, was snuck into my room for special attention while on the farm (against Grandma’s wishes, but usually with a wink and nod from Grandpa) At home in Colorado, our Weimaraner, Lila, was one of us - She and I had our own tent together on backing packing trips, and she slept in my bed every night.
I very vividly remember taking Lila to obedience training when she was about 6 months old. In the dim basement of the local recreation center we were instructed how to respond to any unwanted behavior: if she jumps up - knee her as hard as you could or pinch her paws until she yelped, if she nipped - twist her ear or squeeze her muzzle until she yelped, and so on. I was devastated, feeling crushed to the point of sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor - for which I was later sternly scolded by the class instructor as I had put myself lower than strange dogs near me and now they would “believe they were the alpha”. My middle schooler brain could not reconcile the pit in my stomach feeling of being expected to treat Lila this way just to have her snuggle up to me each night. Luckily none of us were “good” at this method of “training” and Lila lived out her 17 years as a happy, counter surfing, garbage diving, “misbehaving” member of our family.
In highschool, I spent time volunteering at an animal shelter and taking AP Biology courses wanting to “grow up to be a veterinarian”. I unfortunately did not excel in math, and was told by everyone around me that I was way too sensitive, so this dream did not seem like it would be my path. One fall Saturday morning, we awoke to a strange squawking noise in the courtyard of our complex. Upon investigation, we found there to be a fully flighted Greenwing Macaw high in one of the trees. The weather was predicting a major temperature drop and snow overnight, so it became clear that we needed to save this bird. As more people from the complex gathered to see what the commotion was about, we learned that one of the neighbors was actually a Keeper at the Denver Zoo and worked with exotic bird species. He and I proceeded to spend the rest of the day attempting to gently capture the bird, and finally succeeded late in the afternoon. Once in his house it became clear that the macaw was very handled and friendly and when no one claimed him, he became an ambassador in the Denver Zoo program. I became very interested in exotics, and the potential of a career as a Zoo Keeper.
Life took a few different turns and I ended up majoring in Business Management at Metropolitan State University in Denver. Every chance I got, I would head up to stay with mom and Lila, who were living in Winter Park, Colorado, so that I could snowboard. While at school I had adopted 2 cats, Coogin and Avary.
When we started talking about getting our first puppy, I knew that we did not want to use the methods from my childhood, so I dove headfirst into researching and found a few books on basic clicker training/positive reinforcement puppy training. Soto was an “easy” puppy, and I was somewhat competent at giving him treats when he did the right thing. When 6 month old Carli came into our lives my delusions of being good at dog training were completely shattered. She was constantly anxious and pretty much afraid of everything. Teaching her how to build confidence and cope in the world became my passion and obsession - and I eagerly fell down the rabbit hole of behavior modification based in positive reinforcement.
In 2015 I moved out of town onto some land so that I could finally realize my dream of having horses. I retirement-fostered for the National Sports Center for the Disabled’s Therapeutic Riding program, and then adopted 3 rescues, and a weanling. I also raised dairy goats, turkeys, ducks, chickens, and guinea fowl. During that time I also received multiple certifications in equine bodywork modalities and started a small business servicing Grand, Jackson, and Routt counties helping horses feel and perform their best.
In 2021 I moved to Colorado Springs to be closer to family. This gave me an opportunity to follow my original passion by working with animals full time as a Veterinary Assistant. I very quickly realized a need to be the voice of the dog and cat patients seen every day that were acting out of stress and fear, and not always receiving the best level of care due to their behavior. After everything I had learned by working with and advocating for the challenging members in our own family, I knew that I could make a difference and chose to not only do more internet deep diving but to pursue certifications in the field of animal behavior that had truly become my passion. I received my Masters Level Diploma in Animal Behavior Science and Technology from the Companion Animal Sciences Institute as well as becoming an Elite Level Fear Free Certified Practitioner.
I am fueled by working with animals who use less than desired behavior to try to express their needs, and by helping their caregivers gain better understanding and teach better skills so that they can navigate the world with more success together. I would love to help you and your dog, cat, horse, parrot or any other cherished member of your family.
