I’m Laticia Balser, a Certified Dog Trainer, wife, mother of seven, and grandmother of five. My husband Ben and I have two remaining children at home, teenage twin boys, and two German Shepherd Dogs.
I’ve been around animals all of my life. I’ve had cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, and too many others to name. My children share my love of animals. My oldest son would bring home every stray puppy he found and my daughter would bring home every stray cat. At one point I actually owned more cats than I should have at one time. I mention the cats because I will be adding cat training to my services sometime in the near future. I decide to become a Certified Dog Trainer for several reasons.
At one time I lived in a rough neighborhood. On several occasions, I came home to find a new adult Pitbull chained to my neighbor’s fence, injured from fighting. I would always rescue them, clean them up, bandage them, feed and water them, and love them until they healed. I would rehab them into the loving, devoted dogs they were bred to be. I never allowed them to be abused again. They stayed with me and my children either for the rest of their lives or until I found good homes for them. I’ve helped deliver and nursed newborn puppies and learned puppy CPR long ago.
After my husband and I married we decided to get a dog. He found a dog from a reputable breeder and emailed me the pictures. I didn’t know this was an “I’m getting this one” picture, so I didn’t input much except that she was cute. Shortly after I got another email with the purchase agreement. He bought his dog. Oh, not just any dog either, but a female German Shepherd Dog. A very smart, extremely energetic, “keep you on your toes” kind of dog.
Two months later I’m at a local dog park and was talking to a woman who told me about Red Stick German Shepherd Rescue. I browsed their website and found a male White German Shepherd Dog that was utterly adorable. I showed the photo and description to my husband and cheerfully explained that he would only pay a fraction for a rescue of what he paid to a breeder. We applied for the adoption, interviewed, had our meet-n-greet. When Dalton’s foster mom brought him over for the home visit, Dalton was home for good and never left.
With two young dogs in the home, and training them daily, my husband mentioned that I should do it professionally, a thought that had never occurred to me. Over the next year and a half, I graduated Animal Behavior College and have taken many other courses. I’m also working to become certified with the NADOI, CCPDT, IAABC, IACP, and APDT.
Through my experience and education, I’ve seen a lot of “discarded” pets because they were untrained and the family could not care for them anymore due to disruptive, dangerous, or destructive behaviors. A lot of this is preventable if the dog and its family are taught properly how to interact with each other. Training is not just for the dog, but more so for the human family. We have a responsibility to the pet we chose to bring home or are gifted. That animal is a life-long commitment and not a commodity.
– Laticia Balser
– Exceptional K9s
