Lydia DesRoche CTDI

Lydia became interested in training when her first dog, Lizzy bit the trainer she hired to set her up for success on Lizzy's first day in her new home. The trainer recommended another trainer who specialized in aggression. That trainer recommended euthanasia. Lydia went on a mission to train her dog. She read every dog training book she could find and hired several trainers. Lizzy is now 16 years old and has never bitten anyone since that very first trainer. 

Six months after adopting Lizzy, Lydia and a friend co-founded NYC Dog & Cat Rescue group, A CAUSE FOR PAWS. Lydia became fascinated with dog behavior and figuring out how to prevent dogs from losing their homes due to unwanted behavior. Realizing she had a knack for canine behavior modification, Lydia enrolled in a 2 year Apprenticeship program with a well established Training group, Who's Walking Who. The program exposed her to hundreds of dogs from different breeds and backgrounds honing her skills as a handler and trainer. During her time at Who's Walking Who, she created a training and scholarship program open to volunteers and adoptable dogs of all Mayor's Alliance for NYC participating rescue groups. She traveled to Manhattan Animal Care and Control to evaluate dogs and choose the dogs who were most likely to thrive in a New York home environment. She often returned from MACC with a foster dog whom she would train and place.