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About the Sit Stay Dog Training Team
Lydia DesRoche Lydia is the co-founder of NYC Dog & Cat Rescue group, A Cause for Paws. Since it's establishment in June of 2000, ACFP has helped rehome over 1000 animals throughout the country while providing education and training to new adopters. The rescued dogs often came with a wide range of emotional scars due to past neglect or abuse, and Lydia found she had a knack for turning those behaviors around. Wanting to deepen her knowledge of dog behavior and training, Lydia enrolled in a 2 year Apprenticeship program with a well-established training group specializing in aggression and other behavior problems, Who’s Walking Who. This enriching program provided Lydia with exposure to hundreds of dogs from different breeds and backgrounds while honing her skills as a handler and trainer. In 2004, Lydia established Sit Stay Dog Training in NYC offering private and group training for her clientele. Lydia treats every dog as an individual and designs a program that helps each dog and its Guardian meet their goals and needs through dog friendly positive reinforcement based training. In addition to her private clientele, Lydia is currently designing educational training courses that reach out to the community.Lydia has appeared on Good Day NY, Fox 5, & WNBC promoting adoption, giving agility demonstrations with rescue dogs and has been featured in The Daily News, Time Out NY, and Daily Candy to name a few. She can be seen daily walking thru Central Park with her own dogs, shown above, Blue (left) & Lizzy (right). Read what other dogs and humans are saying about Lydia.
Heather Lutkin Heather rescued her first dog in 1997, from a Chicago pet store that was going to “get rid of her” because she had been returned as “unwanted.” Being an energetic Border Collie mix, Lulu was more dog than Heather imagined, so she quickly entered them in a group obedience class at a local pet store. Thus began a path with her dog that has brought Heather more joy and satisfaction than she ever imagined. One thing Border Collies teach you: Dogs love to learn! Once Heather shared an “I got it” moment with her dog, she was hooked. Wanting to deepen her understanding of how dogs learn, and advance her own dog training skills to keep up with her super-smart dog, Heather completed a two-year apprenticeship program with a top dog obedience group in the city, Who’s Walking Who. This rigorous, hands-on, training program advanced Heather’s teaching expertise while providing exposure to hundreds of dog breeds, behavior situations, training methods, equipment, and styles. Heather is a strong advocate for empowering dog owners to use positive teaching methods, and to use all available resources to educate themselves about pet care. Finding out how to communicate in a teaching way is what dog “training” is all about. And learning all you can about veterinary care, nutrition and exercise is an important part of what dog ownership is all about. Heather and her dog, Lulu, have appeared in various parks and venues throughout the city performing agility, tricks and obedience sequencing. As part of the Lucky Dogs, a rescue-dog, non-competitive, agility & tricks team, they performed at the first two Great American Mutt Shows in Manhattan to standing ovations. They can frequently be seen entertaining children and adults in and around Washington Square Park, in Greenwich Village.
Mindy Everett Mindy grew up with dogs, only parting with them when she went off to college when the dorm rule-book said something about a no-pet policy. Upon graduation, she filled the void of being away from her beloved Dave and Hailey by volunteering with A Cause for Paws, the NYC rescue and adoption group co-founded by Lydia. After a hectic first day, she was, to her great surprise, sent home with two kittens to foster. Mindy swore not to return to ACFP, but couldn't hold out. She became a team leader for ACFP, all the while mysteriously being sent home with foster animals. In the winter of 2001, one particularly feisty foster stole her heart, and Mindy sealed the deal by adopting ACFP alumna Piglet, a Stafforshire bull Terrier.
Amanda LaPorte Amanda LaPorte has been walking dogs and cat sitting for her neighbors in Brooklyn since she was 9 years old. During March of her sophomore year in high school, a friend told Amanda about a dog training program being offered at New York City Animal Care & Control by Sit Stay Dog Training. She enjoyed her experience so much that when the program ended, Amanda continued to volunteer with the Sit Stay Dog Training Team assisting with behavior evaluations for the shelter. Lydia noticed Amanda's natural ability and handling skills and asked her to assist in obedience classes and to walk some of the more difficult training clients. Amanda continues to assist in classes while finishing high school and plans to become a certified dog trainer in the future. Currently, Amanda is beginning to foster puppies and dogs in order to place them in loving homes. She also studying for her SAT for college...good luck Amanda! |
graphics created by: Grace Lerner Sharfstein
website friendly dogs: dogs loved and trained by Sit Stay Dog Training