Thankful for 21 years!

It’s Thanksgiving 2022 and boy, am I feeling thankful! It’s hard to believe that The Canine Connection LLC is wrapping up its 21st year serving Chico area dogs and their people. Twenty. One. Years. Wow! In the time I’ve built The Canine Connection, I could have raised a child and launched her into adulthood. But instead, I built this doggone amazing business and, truth be told, The Canine Connection really is my baby.

It all began with a vision, not a business plan, not even a goal to start a business. Twenty-one years ago, my vision was simply this… for every dog and their person to have the opportunity to experience the power of positive training.

Four years prior, I lived in Texas and had begun apprenticing under a most amazing trainer who was also a veterinarian. Dr. Kay Stephens was a pioneer in positive training, an early convert to this form of training, and she, herself, became a different kind of trainer and veterinarian once she learned about this way of understanding, communicating with, and teaching dogs.

I’ll never know why Kay took me under her wing, so many years ago, but by allowing me to enter her world, my own life was transformed. I fell in love with positive training and teaching people how to teach their dogs using force-free methods. And so, when I left Texas for California in 2001, I brought with me a passion, mindset, and toolkit for helping people and dogs. When I discovered no one was offering force-free training in my new hometown of Chico, I felt called to action. With a single brochure, left at my veterinarian’s office in January 2002, The Canine Connection was born and my life was launched on a trajectory I could not have imagined.

My mentor, Dr. Kay Stephens, and me, 1999(ish), College Station, Texas.

What an amazing journey it is and has been - a journey inspired by a generous mentor, fueled by passion, expanded by my clients’ trust, and traveled within a community I love. Though I began this journey alone, I’ve been joined by many others along the way. Over twenty-one years, thousands of clients have walked through the doors of The Canine Connection and many have left as friends. As the business has grown and expanded, many employees have come and gone. Some were dog lovers en route to another professional destination but some have become accomplished dog professionals in their own right and, of this, I am proud. The journey has also included work with many people involved with shelters, rescues and community projects and my cup has been filled by the opportunity to serve beyond the walls of the business. And then there are the dogs. So. Many. Marvelous. Dogs. How I love each and every one of the dogs.

And so, in this time of reflection and gratitude, I give thanks for the opportunity I have had to turn a passion into a vision into a little business with a lot of heart that has touched many people and dogs. I am so very grateful for all - those with two legs and those with four - who have joined me on the journey. As we head into this holiday season and toward a New Year, my wish for you all is that your journeys are joyful and bright.