Maria Schiefer

As a professional photographer, around 2009, I started photographing the dogs at local shelters to help them get noticed online. My husband and I adopted 5 dogs during that several year period, and I quickly realized I could do more by forming my own pit bull rescue.I founded and operated Bully Advocate and Rescue Collective (BARC) for 10 years before recently turning it over to one of my fosters folks. Through the rescue, I worked with pretty much every local force-free trainer in the area, and with their guidance, I have become a huge advocate for science based training. Since turning over the rescue, I've been concentrating on learning and competing in multiple dog sports with my best boy, Bravo, who I adopted as a BARC puppy in 2018.Bravo and I have taken over 40 training classes so far. Our favorites, hands down, have been the classes we've taken at HROTC! Positive Reinforcement is really the only way to go!!! (Science Rules!) This is how I eventually got sucked into‚ asked nicely to teach Rally classes here, and I've recently taken over the Training Director position.Bravo and I compete and have so far titled in Rally, Fast CAT, NADD (Diving Dogs), Scent Work, Barn Hunt, and we dabble in Agility. Bravo has his Advanced Trick Dog title, as well as his CGC and Farm Dog Certificate. Bravo is my high-drive soul dog! We are having so much fun together! You are welcome to follow our adventures on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FunWithBravoBravo, as of early 2024, is BARC‚'s Round of Applause RI FDC FCAT8 ACT2J SWA SCE RATO DJ DSX AJ ASA HDJ HDS CGC TKA. That's 41 AKC titles so far, and I look forward to adding more letters after his name. I also look forward to meeting you and your dog in class soon!