About Us
Sam Helton
Owner / Trainer
I grew up in Bedfordshire, England and moved to the Northern Virginia area in 2007.
I previously worked as a Biomedical Scientist but left work to be a stay at home Mum after Abby was born. I live in Gainesville with my husband Jim, Abby, my son William and our menagerie of animals. I have loved animals since before I could walk but I wasn't allowed many pets growing up. When I left home, I made up for lost time, and have been surrounded by a variety of animals ever since! I am a member of Pet Sitters International. I am qualified in Pet First Aid and CPR through the American Red Cross. I also have certifications in Pet Sitting, Canine Psychology and Canine Nutrition and I am always looking to further my education in animal care and behaviour. I have been assisting in training puppy and fundamentals classes and also workshops for reactive and anxious dogs. I recently became an AKC registered evaluator and can evaluate AKC Star Puppy, CGC, Tricks and Home Manners titles, in person or virtually. I adopted my latest rescue dog, Maris, four years ago. Since then, we have tried our 'paw' at almost everything. I have taken various workshops with 'Do More With Your Dog' and I am now a Certified 'Triple Crown Trainer'! - Trick Dog Trainer, Canine Conditioning Coach and Stunt Dog Judge. Maris is an Expert Trick Dog and Novice Stunt Dog. She has her AKC Canine Good Citizen Advanced and Urban titles and has done agility, parkour, obedience, rally-o, scent work and tricks. We love performing in trick dog demonstrations. I recently decided I needed a puppy of my own in my life and Jethro joined the family. Jethro is a basset hound and is now almost 2 years old. He has really tested my training abilities as he is a bit of a handful but he has taught me a lot! Jethro has his CGC and Novice tricks titles and is also a show dog, I am really enjoying the new challenge! Abby Helton
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