About Us
Welcome to our pack! Active K9 is a long inspired, hard work earned family run endeavor.
About Samantha
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I have been an animal lover all my life. I was raised with and have raised all types of animals over the years. Beyond just your basic dogs and cats, there were ferrets, chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats, guinea pigs, gerbils and even a raccoon. Even today the best compliment I receive is being told that I "have a natural way with animals". I tend to bond closely with the animals I work with whether only for one session or years of teamwork.
Being a fortunate soul I was very lucky to discover my passion young & to find that a career using that same passion was within grasp. Straight after high school I went off to Texas to attend Triple Crown Academy, a dog trainers school. There I learned an invaluable amount about dogs and there behavior, becoming a Certified Canine Training and Behavior Specialist. Upon returning home to Florida after achieving my Certification, I started my own business of teaching In-Home lessons throughout the local neighborhood. |
After a year of teaching dogs with problems such as Digging, excessive Barking, or Leash Pulling I found one consistent thing between them all. Lack of exercise! Dogs that had nothing else to do while they were home alone soon enough created bad habits.
From that moment on I have been working on designing programs to get bored dogs out of their ruts and off to becoming great dogs. For some just a walk around the neighborhood will settle their nerves, for others they need a more involved curriculum to entertain their minds more than their legs. Every dog is an individual so every dog gets a custom program just for their needs.
From that moment on I have been working on designing programs to get bored dogs out of their ruts and off to becoming great dogs. For some just a walk around the neighborhood will settle their nerves, for others they need a more involved curriculum to entertain their minds more than their legs. Every dog is an individual so every dog gets a custom program just for their needs.
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About Triple Crown Academy"While the state does not require dog trainers to be certified. I feel that without my education from Triple Crown Academy I would not be the trainer I am today.
My classmates & I took classes in everything from Basic Obedience to Service Dog Training. Learning canine body language and communication, as well as the delicacy of teaching people along with their pets. It was truly an irreplaceable experience." ~ Samantha Bednar CTBS |
About the Family
Mike is lovingly seen as "Uncle Mike" and all dogs love him. He is Active K9's office manager and helps keep things running on a daily basis. Mike is devoted to Service Dog rights after seeing first hand what the fake service dog trend is doing to legitimate, properly trained service dogs. He is owned by Annie, a 12 year old retiring medical alert service dog as well as his new service dog in training.
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Carmie always has a lap for the littles. Life long animal lover, forever vacuuming and passionate about Bite Prevention. She started our Blanket Project that has provided over 70 blankets for Children Survivors of Dog Attacks. Her little, Darla, has proven that little dogs can do just about anything bigger dogs can!
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"Mr. Fix it", Jon, constantly keeping all things running and repaired! Jon has the "crappy" shift and scoops more poop than anyone we know. Often caught playing music for the dogs - which they love!
Jon changed our lives by bringing home a very special pup in 1999. His current furry pal is a resident dog that took to him and is well maintained thru lots of maintenance. You can usually spot them at our local Home Depot. |
How it all started
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Active K9 became possible starting in 1999 with the arrival of a surprise Christmas gift. He was an adorable, velvet soft, intelligent 8 week old Golden Retriever/Australian Shepherd cross. His name was Joe.
His puppyhood was one of much laughter and amazement. Learning faster than we could teach him. He was welcome by the community, even our mom and pop movie store would let him bring the movies to the counter. It was through Joe that we discovered our love for a well trained dog. When he was 1 year old his behavior was so amazing that we were offered $1,000 for him. Since there was no way we were letting him go this opportunity instead became Samantha's first paying job. At 13 years old she trained her first client dog. An introduction to a career and passion was made. Joe continued to teach us far more than we taught him in his 13+ years with us (& that is saying a lot). |