Famous Austrian animal behaviorist
Konrad Lorenz inspired Astrid to want to understand animals better and to
constantly search for ways to help animals and their owners. Her winding road
started in 2001 and leads from volunteering at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in
Utah numerous times, to attending a 5 day long intensive workshop there on “How
to start your Own Animal Sanctuary”. This experience would later become crucial
when she had an integral part of helping found Lucky Dog Rescue in July of 2010
and she is now the Vice President and Secretary of LDR.
Her journey continued by volunteering
at Helping Horse therapeutic riding program, by helping children with various
disabilities experience the magic of a horse and helping them learn how to
ride, to working with the Animal Legal Defense Fund (A.L.D.F.) on a precedent
setting puppy mill case, helping rescue, rehabilitate and place 400 dogs in new
homes. After moving to Colorado Springs she completed certification for Pet
First Aid through the American Red Cross and put her private pet care
experience to good use, developing Lucky Dog’s at-home Pet Sitting Service.
Since February 2010 she has been studying under Angie Neal, CDBC, in her
training apprentice program, where she has worked rescue dogs as well as her
own dog Sierra in the Levels Program and has started to assist with training in
November 2010. Astrid has become
an approved Canine Good Citizen Evaluator with the American Kennel Club in
January of 2011 and began conducting tests in February of 2011. In October of
2012 Astrid received her first Certification (CPDT-KA) through the
Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). With her second
certification in June of 2013 (CPDT-KSA: Certified Professional Dog Trainer –
Knowledge and Skills Assessed) she became the first in Colorado Springs to hold
this certification. Astrid is a professional member of the Association of Professional
Dog Trainers (APDT) as well as supporting member of the International
Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) #849 and is continuing to
educate herself by attending workshops and conferences with her next goal of
achieving certification in behavior consulting.
After speaking to a troop of boy scouts
about dog training, Astrid realized she’d like to reach more children and thus
became a licensed “Be A Tree Program” presenter, which teaches children about
dog safety and how to prevent dog bites.
Astrid's two dogs Moritz and Sierra are
both Canine Good Citizens and were recently featured on "Dog Talk".
Her menagerie is completed by cat Cedric, one of a sibling pair of three whose
feral mother was smart enough to give birth to the kittens at the puppy mill
shelter (see above) and who were subsequently adopted by Astrid and her sister.
