Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy Greer.
Stacy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In college, I really didn’t want to finish. I only had 90 hours left to go to get a degree but I decided I wanted to train dogs. I thought my father would kill me (he was paying for college). I had found a “dog school” online that was located in Queens, New York. I would live in a Best Western in Queens and go to school 6 days a week for 3 months. My father said that if I could use the last loan to pay for this then, I could go but that would be my responsibility to pay that off. I agreed, it worked and I packed my bags in summer 1999 and headed to New York City from west Texas with my [then] crazy beagle, “Toby”.
I learned so much there, had a great time and came home with a certificate that read “Canine Behavior Therapist”. I moved in with my mother in Austin, Texas and started working at Petsmart. I remained at Petsmart for 3 more years and then branched out to work for myself and go into dog owners’ homes in 2003. I’ve not looked back since!
Great, 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?
Smooth road… is it ever?! My beagle, Toby, was a biter and had some behavior issues at the time that I knew nothing about resolving. He’s the reason I started to look for schools to become a dog trainer. I loved dogs my whole life but he pushed me to find out why he did what he did. He bit me pretty severely on the hand one day and that was when I decided I need to learn about dog behavior.
As I stated before, I started working for myself in 2003. In 2007, I got married and in 2008, I had my first child. That definitely added a whole new thing to work with as far as work and availability. Then in 2013, I had a set of twins — talk about challenges!
Sunshine Dog Training & Behavior – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My company has been through a few name changes. I wanted to find my niche and finally, after having my twins I realized I really wanted to focus on families and dogs. In 2016, I became a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator and also a private trainer through The Family Dog program. I help families that are expecting, with new babies, toddlers and kids of all ages.
Many times, there are so many things that can be done to prepare your dog for the baby as well as work around with toddlers than parents really have no idea about. I often see them assume they need to “get rid of” their dog due to one thing or another and very often it’s something that can be worked with to keep everyone happy!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’m very proud of the fact that brought a puppy into our home when my oldest daughter was 5 and my twins were 1 year old. I could easily see, even with my knowledge and experience, how challenging it is to have puppies and kids! I proudly helped my daughters work with her and learn about dogs and body language and training. They’ve been my inspiration and helped me with the clients I see today!
Pricing:
- In-Home Training Lesson $125/lesson (60-75 minutes)
- Boarding & Training in my home $85/day
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.sunshinedog.com
- Phone: (682) 777-4626
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunshinedogtraining
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunshinedogtrainingandbehavior
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dfwdogtrainer
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/sunshinetrain/pins/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
