Event Horizon (noun): The theoretical boundary around a black hole beyond which no light or other radiation can escape.

I have been obsessed with dogs for as long as I can remember. This obsession for me started when my grandmother, a Long Haired Dachshund breeder, gifted me a copy of a breed book that had photos and characteristics of each breed at the age of 3. I read this book and looked at the photos so many times that eventually the spine eventually gave out and disintegrated in my hands. When asked what I was going to be, even from the age of 5, I proudly and confidently stated that I was going to be a Veterinarian. In high school I got the opportunity to watch a few surgeries, and it was right then and there that I decided I didn’t have the stomach for that kind of work, but I still needed to work with dogs. I started my professional career in dogs by becoming a groomer soon after that when I got out of high school. I loved working with dogs every day, learning their body language, and learning breed specific haircuts, but grooming was very hard physically on my body. After five years, I developed several medical conditions that would change my life forever. I became disabled, unable to get out of bed, let alone go to work to groom dogs. My life suddenly felt like a black hole that would swallow me up, inescapable and dark, with no real future. Until I met the dog that would change my life forever. It felt as though I was at the event horizon, the escaping ray of light, and finally able to escape the looming darkness.
My journey as a dog trainer started with Xander, a male Doberman. He was full of spirit and energy and needed a lot of guidance as a puppy, but he was able to naturally alert to my condition, and was the perfect size for mobility assistance. I began the long two-year process of training him to be a service dog, and he did extremely well! He had his own medical condition however, and needed to retire after only four short years by my side.
Callisto fell into my life in the strangest way, just when I needed her. My roommate and I got a call about several 12 day old puppies that needed a soft place to land. Their mother had abandoned the litter and they needed to be bottle fed. When it came time to place the puppies, I just had a feeling to keep one. Callisto has grown into one of the best service dogs that I have ever met, and has also had a lot of success in dog sports such as Rally, Obedience, Barn Hunt, and Dock Diving.
I am currently in the process of training my third personal service dog, a Curly Coated Retriever named Kepler. We still have a long way to go, but by taking all that I have learned with my previous two dogs, he is doing extremely well and has succeeded in every challenge presented to him. He is also in training for various dog sports as I want to try everything.

Images shot by Photos by the Bucket.