Today we’d like to introduce you to George Matheis
Hi George, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In SEP 99 my son Frank was born 5 weeks early and I almost lost him and my wife during childbirth. Frank was born with a heart defect. He actually died at Johns Hopkins, and they brought him back and he spend five days on the heart lung bypass machine. He had two open heart surgeries as a baby. In FEB 00 I was working as a police officer and was involved in fatal police involved shooting. Later that year I was diagnosed with PTSD. I was targeted by my agency for seeking treatment, so I tried to keep it all in and handle it by myself. In 2007 I was forced to retire due to my PTSD. By this time, I had three kids, Elizabeth, Frank, and Emilie. Emile was born with a chromosome abnormality that only six people in the world have. She is on the Autism spectrum. She is legally deaf, blind, and has many other medical including orthopedic issues. I left the department in April, and May my mother (best friend) was in a motorcycle accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury and was paralyzed from the waist down.
A lot happened and I basically spent the next 10 years trying to cope with my PTSD the loss of my high-status career with booze and pills.
In 2017 Elizabeth joined the Navy and new I was going to need support. She got me an Olde English Bulldogge puppy named Odin to train as my service dog. I met my Dogfather Bob Fink and his service dog Johnny Cash. It wasn’t long before I was apprenticing under Bob and soon started training dogs for extra money. At the time I was working with adults with intellectual disabilities. Before long I was training dogs full time. I also began to attend Freedom Biker Church in York PA and Celebrate Recovery.
Since 2018 I have worked with over 3500 dogs, many other trainers could just not reach in last chance scenarios. I now have over 640 Five Star Facebook Reviews. I have been clean and sober for 7 years. In 2018 The Dogfather and I along with Pastor Jmmy started Cover Six Canines as a ministry of the church. Our mission was to provide support to Veterans and Frist Responders by providing dogs and service dog training. Cover Six Canines is now a non-profit.
In 2023 we moved to Fort Worth TX from York PA when Elizabeth and her husband DJ settled there when they got out of the Navy. Now the whole family works in the business. I am the head trainer, Frank is my other trainer, Elizabeth is in charge of marketing and social media, Lisa my wife of 30 years runs the office, and Emiie provides comic relief.
Now with the whole family back together we are dedicated to helping people recover and heal by mindfully handling their dogs. We do our best to support anything related to do with dogs, Veterans, first responders and kids, especially those with autism. I am currently writing my autobiography, and how to use dogs for healing. It’s called The Way of the Dog – Recovery Through Intentional Dog Handling as a Pathway to Peace.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Having two special needs kids, being homeless and broke, my struggle with PTSD depression, anxiety, booze and pills, my mom’s accident, eventually losing her. Moving cross country and starting over again.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about MCS (My Canine Salvation) Dog Training?
I started training with the Dogfather but created my own way called Focused Based Dog Training. The only time I talk to the dogs is when giving praise and I don’t use treats. I cut traditional dog training time by 90% and work with dogs of all ages, breeds, and backgrounds. I specialize in working with packs and hard to reach dogs. Actually, I don’t train dogs, I train people to handle dogs intentionally and lead their dog with mindfulness and stability.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
My life has been all about taking risks. My Grandmother always said, “no guts, no glory”. I am not affraid of failing. I work with aggressive dogs that nobody else can touch. How many times you fail does not matter, it is how many times you get up and try again.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mcsdogtraining.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcsdogtraining_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mcsdogtraining
