Carol DeLuca

Ever since I begged my parents for a dog as a child, I've had a dog my whole life. My first dog was a German Shepherd and then a black Lab was my friend through adulthood. For the past 25 years, I have owned Shelties. I love Shelties for their intelligence, loyalty, and desire to please. Oh, and their faces! Due to my condo rules, I can only have one dog at a time or I would have plenty more. I recently lost my 11 year old bi-color Sheltie named Mr. Right. I now have a sable Sheltie named Blaze.Mr. Right had earned a few titles for himself - Agility and Rally, Achiever Dog, and all levels of trick dog up to Trick Dog Performer. He had his CGC (Canine Good Citizen), CGCA (CGC Advanced), and was a registered Therapy Dog for over 9 years. We visited nursing homes and other facilities, and for most of his years as a Therapy Dog, he participated once a month in the city's Pawsitive Reading Program at the Virginia Beach Libraries. I'm hoping to have Blaze follow in his pawsteps and become a Therapy Dog as well.I'm a Canine Good Citizen evaluator with AKC and qualified to train and test for AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, CGC, AKC Community Canine, Urban CGC and Trick Dog. I am also an AKC Fit Dog Instructor.I enjoy helping dogs learn basic manners. A well-behaved dog can do more, enjoy life more, and have more fun. Let's not forget the other side of the relationship the owner. I have had a lifelong involvement in training and teaching people. I have a Bachelors Degree in Education and Psychology and a Masters Degree in Computer Science. My whole life I have enjoyed teaching children, college students and adults as an elementary school teacher, college teacher, social worker and software developer of training courses. Through all these experiences I have mastered training the other end of the leash and will help you to build better communication and a stronger relationship with your dog.