Meet Our Pack
LAUREN: I grew up being a huge animal lover. I rode, showed, and trained horses from the time I was seven years old. I always had pets at home: cats, dogs, birds, and hamsters. I made friends with the stray cats, and would fearlessly go up to loose dogs to return them to their owners. I trained my family dogs to do tricks and commands, and had them jumping over obstacles pretending they were horses. I was on track to be a horse trainer and moved to Georgia from Florida for a horse training job.
Right away, I adopted a dog. He was a pit bull mix who turned out to have a number of behavior issues. He was a wreck and I became very hurt, stressed, and embarrassed over his behavior. I worked with a local trainer and instantly picked up on the training. Luke turned out to be an amazing dog after I applied simple leadership and guidance. I realized right away my passion for working with behavior issues in dogs and began volunteering with rescue organizations, working with their most difficult dogs that they struggled to find homes for. So many of them had issues that were keeping them from getting adopted, but were actually a simple fix using balanced dog training methods.
During this time, I learned so much, gained experience, adopted 3 more dogs of my own, and fell even more in love with helping dogs and owners using simple, balanced methods. I decided that I would start my own dog training business with the goal of helping as many struggling owners and dogs as I can. I have always enjoyed teaching others and realized my passion for working with dogs, so it only made sense for me to become a dog trainer. It is truly the most fulfilling thing for me to be able to help, empower, and motivate people that are experiencing the same pain and frustration I once was.
Lauren’s PACK
Name: Capri
Age: 10
Breed: Blue Heeler
Background: Capri has been with Lauren since she was 8 weeks old. While with her littermate still, she was coined the nickname "butterball" for being chunky and stealing all the food from the other puppies, which still suits her today!
Personality: Capri is quite the character- she's full of sass and knows how to get the attention on her! Capri loves to play fetch with anything and is Lauren's best snuggler.
Role: Capri is an excellent teacher for puppies and young dogs who lack boundaries and don't understand social cues from other dogs.
Name: Ivory
Age: 9
Breed: unknown
Background: Ivory came to Serenity K9 as a completely feral dog. While she always loved other dogs, she had the instincts of a wild animal and would protect herself if people got too close. Ivory was a foster but it was determined she would be able to live up to her most potential and be her happiest as a part of the Serenity K9 pack.
Personality: Ivory now enjoys gentle pets on her head, napping with the cats, and being a part of our client interactions. You can find her greeting people with a low tail wag and sweetly following behind as clients have their training sessions.
Role: Ivory has a nice skill set of meshing well with any type of dog as she's most comfortable in a group of dogs.
Name: Amici
Age: 8
Breed: Pomeranian
Background: Amici has been with Lauren since he was 8 weeks old. His name means "friends" in Italian which couldn't be more perfect for this little guy as he loves everyone and everything!
Personality: Amici is the life of the party! He is a little energizer bunny with more energy than all of Lauren's other pack members combined!
Role: Amici helps us to teach bigger dogs how to behave around smaller dogs and is also a great friend for the more shy guys.
Name: Galil
Age: 7
Breed: German Shepherd
Background: Lauren added Galil to her pack when he was 12 weeks old. Galil is the biggest but clumsiest member of the pack, and is known for his content and unfazed demeanor. He's a gentle giant and loves to use his soft mouth to retrieve items for Lauren like her cell phone or remote.
Role: You can find Galil working alongside Gunnar to help us with reactive, aggressive, and overstimulated dogs.
Name: Nora
Age: 6
Breed: Chihuahua
Background: Nora came to Lauren at 7 months old and at the time was very hyper and snippy.
Personality: Nora is now quite laid back and takes her naps seriously. She is a huge snuggler, happy to be on anyone's lap or buried under blankets. She loves truck rides and will even jump up into our big truck all by her little self! While Nora used to hate water or dirt, you can now find her running with the pack in any weather condition (as long as she has her jacket)!
Role: Like Amici, Nora helps us to teach dogs how to behave around smaller dogs. She will also establish boundaries for a young, pushy puppy.
Name: Tali
Age: 2
Breed: Australian Shepherd
Background: Tali joined Lauren's pack at about 12 weeks. Originally, Tali was being raised to be adopted out. The connection and bond between Lauren and Tali was instant! It was decided early on that Tali would be staying as an official member of the pack.
Personality: Tali is filled with personality! She has always had a more mature nature about her while still having so much character and playfulness. She is a vocal girl- talking to you when she's excited and happy to see you!
Role: Tali is a gentle but assertive disciplinarian for young puppies and sets an overall good example for others. She is happiest right by Lauren's side, working as a team with her person, and getting silly and playful with the family.
Name: Bustelo
Age: 3
Breed: Belgian Malinois
Background: Bustelo joined the pack at 8 weeks old. He was picked especially to be a sport competitor and demo dog for Serenity K9. Bustelo has lived up to this and beyond!
Personality: Energy and drive! Bustelo is always looking to Lauren for his next job/task. He is always ready to work as a team, perform, play..whatever is needed!
Role: His full focus on his handler and neutrality to his environment makes him a fantastic helper dog in client sessions.
Name: Fig
Age: 1
Breed: Working English Cocker Spaniel
Background: Fig joined the pack at 10 weeks old. Lauren fell in love with the breed after training many lovely English Cockers. Their versatility, drive, energy, sociability, and compact size make them a perfect addition to the pack! Fig is working towards competing in different sports, bird hunting, and is the perfect family and travel companion.
Personality: Social butterfly in fast forward always looking for her next task! Fig loves everyone and is up for whatever, whenever!
Role: Fig is a perfect playmate for the younger playful dogs.
Name: Westin
Age: 3
Breed: Giant Schnauzer
Background: Westin joined Lauren's pack just before he turned one. He was trained with SK9 as a puppy and spent lots of time with us in boarding before officially joining the pack.
Personality: Westin has a strong presence and a big sense of humor! He is a bit of a "troublemaker"- knowing how to turn on hoses, open doors, etc.
Role: Westin is unphased. He serves as a confident presence for all different types of dogs and makes a great helper dog in any environment.