Growing up with dogs, cats, horses and whatever other reptilian creature I could sneak into the house, it seemed only a natural fit that I would pursue my life long dream of working with animals.

I had always wanted to be a vet; it was one of the first words I could speak. I began volunteering at vet clinics in 1996 and obtained a position as a vet assistant. I moved to PEI for a few years continuing to pursue my interests in the animal world and working at a vet clinic. While there, my beloved Rottweiler Heidi had to undergo cruciate surgery – twice on the same knee. I was devastated and wanted so badly to help with her recovery but felt lost.

Heidi was the inspiration for Pawsitively Pooched. I wanted to create a facility that would help clients through the emotional and physical turmoil that they had to endure, clients and their dogs alike.

Moving back to Calgary, August 15th, 2005, the doors to Pawsitively Pooched opened! Heidi got back on her feet and was a great spokesdog for Pawsitively Pooched. Her progress was outstanding.

I feel very privileged to be able to offer this service in Calgary, and to be able to help clients and their dogs when it seems hopeless. Welcome to our family! We are dedicated to spoiling your pet as much as you do!

• B.A from U. PEI majoring in Organic Chem
• Reiki Master Certified
• Canine Water Therpist
• Yoga Therapist

After spending four years in Vancouver, BC Candace has returned to Calgary and joined the staff at Pawsitivley pooched. Bringing along not only her two pups, Nakita, and freya but also her talent and passion for grooming .  A skilled pet stylist with over six years of experience, She is dedicated to keeping your pets grooming experience as safe and pleasant as possible.  Candace is also expanding  her skills in the pet care industry and is a "certified master trainer" as of June 2011.

 

 

My love for grooming animals came at a young age when I began showing horses. What began as a necessity, grew into an obsession. I have been riding horses for 13 years, and competing for 8 years. My huge passion for animals lead me to my first job; bathing dogs for a small grooming salon. I loved my job as a bather so much that I pursued my career as a groomer more seriously. I was offered a wonderful opportunity to attend a Grooming Academy in Regina, Saskatchewan. I have now been a groomer for 2 years, and I love every minute of it. I treat every dog I groom as if they were my own. From the largest horse, to the smallest dog, grooming is what I love to do!

 

 

 

After 17 years of grooming, you definitely can see her love and passion for grooming in all that she does!  Loving being a part of the hardworking and awesome team at Pawsitively Pooched, Barb is really quite excited for the future and teaching grooming!  She believes she has the most rewarding and exciting job you can have and feels very fortunate to absolutely love what she does!  She truly believes that all young girls should become groomers – it is life changing she says!  Love having you a part of the team too, Barb!

For the past eight years I've worked with animals - specifically dogs. Although I've always been passionate about animals, working within the animal field came by chance or 'fate' (for those of us who believe in fate) and I've never looked back.
 
I started off as a kennel assistant at an animal boarding facility in Montreal. Even though i didn't speak a word of French, I built a strong relationship with both owner and dog just by being patient and caring. This gave the owners (and pets) the faith to know the pets woud be well taken care of.
 
Moving to Calgary almost five years ago, I walked into Pawsitively Pooched and spoke with Carrie about working for Pawsitively Pooched. Before I knew it I was hired on and remained with Pawsitively Pooched for almost 3 years. The past year I went to college and worked at an animal hospital as a supervisor. I found this experience empowering and completely different.

I believe I've grown even more in this past year and have a lot more to offer PP. I am extremely excited to be a part of this group again.
 
Outside of doggie life, I enjoy reading, the outdoors, road trips. As I'm not really a winter loving person I decided to get out there and try snow boarding which I love!!!! now I can enjoy Canada year round.

Rachael has completed her Canine Water Therapy Certification – Level I. Rachael brings her knowledge, kindness and loving and gentle encouragement for each dog she swims with. Dogs love swimming with Rachael.

Alysia started with Pawsitively Pooched in December 2008.

She has always had a passion for animals; dogs in particular. Owning Pit Bulls all her life, she has a great understanding of the many complicated and misunderstood breeds. She continues to educate herself and strives to help others with the everyday complexities of canine behavior. Her compassion and patience is a great asset to Pawsitively Pooched.

 

I moved from Saskatchewan to Calgary in 2006 to be closer to the mountains to fuel my passion for outdoors and adventure including hiking, camping and snowboarding.  This year I decided to make a career change from one of my other passions cooking.  Growing up I always had dogs and cats in my life, which made my decision to change career paths to working with animals an obvious choice!

I started dog walking and absolutely loved it from day one! I could not believe I was getting paid to have fun in the sun with dogs all day. I later came across Pawsitively Pooched and found that the services they offered were so broad that I can really expand my knowledge and experiences with dogs in almost any direction. I am very excited to be a part of this team and love coming to work every day!

Having pets all her life, Vicky knew that she wanted to work with dogs but had no idea where to start!  When Vicky joined our daycare team she definitely was the perfect fit!  She loves working at Pawsitively Pooched – getting to know the dogs and learning about the incredible dynamics between them.  Something different happens every day and she always goes home with a story or two from the day!  Born and raised Calgarian, spends most of her free time going to hot yoga, and is hoping to begin volunteering at the Children’s hospital in the very near future!

I moved from the East Coast to Calgary in 1997 for bigger and better things!

At that time I had no idea where my adventure would lead! I have always had a passion for animals and after owning my dog Charley, became more involved in working with animals--first as a volunteer at the vet clinic I frequented, then working part-time, then a full switch from people to pets! I started over and went to school to become an Animal Health Technologist, acquired a few more pets and now have a brood of five critters, three cats and two dogs! While I am passionate about the health and well being of animals, after Quincy, my shepherd began to have troubles, I wanted to find a way the medical side could be entwined with the emotional side of pet rehabilitation. That is when I discovered therapeutic swimming, and the benefits it provides emotionally and physically, and yet another path I wanted to follow!

Traci is a Certified Equine Massage Therapist, Canine Water Therapist, and has her Kinesiology Degree.

Member of CKC and Rottweiler Club of Canada, Traci has devoted her life to her Rottweiler’s and to her clients that come for Water Therapy and Massage Therapy. Traci is an incredible asset to Pawsitively Pooched and has an incredible gift with the dogs that have come into her life! Call now to book a water session with Traci!

 

 

 

 

Kirsten is a certified professional dog trainer specializing in puppy training, family-related dog training services, and aggression cases. She went through the challenging internship program at Calgary Humane Society, where she continues to teach classes and help adopters train their dogs. Kirsten regularly attends workshops with the best instructors in the dog training industry to stay at the forefront of canine behavioral science and training technique.

Kirsten uses positive reinforcement training techniques based on the latest canine behavioral science. This humane training method involves using things that naturally motivate dogs (food, play, praise,
attention, etc.) to reward behavior we like—and instead of punishing unwanted behavior, we either ignore it or remove a reward. Positive reinforcement training produces attentive, well-behaved dogs that love to learn.

Daniella was born and raised in Calgary.  Throughout her life she has had several pets – cats, dogs, horses, and birds and fully believes that time spent with animals is time well spent.  Daniella heads to Old’s College in July to get her Animal Health Technologist Degree.  All the best Daniella and see you in September!