First
of all, my last name is pronounced GEE (like, gee whiz) ROO (like kanga-ROO).
Gee-roo. Giroux!
My husband and son and I moved here from Ottawa, Ontario in
summer 2003. Since then I've been teaching obedience, agility and flyball.
I reside in the beautiful Codroy Valley of Western Newfoundland.
I've been doing dog training since 1992 when I got a dog called Molly, a
Lab/Border Collie cross. She is the reason that I am doing what I do
now. I made some terrible mistakes with her, and through trying to fix the
situation I had created (severe on-leash aggression and anxiety) I learned about
a whole world of knowledge that I had never known existed. I took classes,
attended seminars, and became involved in dog sports such as obedience, agility,
and flyball.
Although I never totally "fixed" Molly, she did get better and we went on to
successfully get titles in agility and obedience...one of the first mixed-breed
dogs in Canada to get a Companion Dog obedience title in the North American
Mixed Breed Registry. She had her Agility Dog of Canada title, and it was
through taking classes with All Dog Sports Club in Ottawa, Ontario that I got
the opportunity to begin teaching the sport. I taught for
Dreamfields for a period of time as
well.
I bought an Australian Shepherd in 1996
(see Vegas, a dog of a lifetime)
and began seriously pursuing "dog stuff." With him I have competed in
flyball, agility, obedience, conformation, and working stockdog.
At that time I was teaching flyball, agility, and working at Petsmart
full-time as an
obedience trainer. I was one of the long-time members of the
Afterburners in Ottawa and
helped start the FBI, Flyball
Insanity team with Jason Stewart. I continued to self-educate and compete and participate
in dog activities.
While working at Petsmart for one short year I taught
over 500 dog/owner teams. During that time I became intensely committed to
helping families and pets have better lives together, and began to focus on
aggression therapy and general management and prevention of problems.
Although I continued to be interested in dog sports, my goals changed...I saw
huge problems in general everyday management of pets, and I vowed to do whatever
I could to make things better.
I then answered an advertisement for
Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind and was hired on as Puppywalking
Supervisor. My job at Guide Dogs involved finding foster families for Lab,
Golden Retriever, German Shepherd and Standard Poodle puppies. We handed
those pups off to these volunteer homes at 7 weeks of age and they raised them
to 18 months old, during which time I saw each puppy at least once a month and
supported the families in their socialization and training, as well as providing
written reports about the dog's development and suitability for training.
(As a result I am basically an expert at dealing with Labs and Goldens, so if
you've got one give me a call! I feel your pain! Gotta love those
rambunctious retriever breeds!) At 18 months old, the puppies were given back to
the school to begin formal Guide Dog training. For 5 years I saw 45-60
puppies a month and travelled all over Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia,
visiting families and walking dogs. This job was an incredible learning
experience for me and I enjoyed it very much. I would like to publicly
thank all the staff and clients that I met at CGDB for the amazing opportunities
for learning that my job gave me. I was able to interact with people from
all over the world with years and years of experience under their belt and it
was probably the best intense "dog training" experience that anyone could ever
have.
In July 2003, my husband (Canadian Navy) was posted here to Corner Brook and we were thrilled to discover
how wonderful Newfoundland is! Pretty much the moment our wheels hit the
pavement off the ferry, we decided we wanted to put down roots
here, and my husband has taken a job that allows us to stay. He retired
from the military after 23 years and we are happy as clams!
My goal is to create a really great dog community, provide public education,
and to try to improve the lives of families and pets. I feel like I've
made a good start, with a large number of folks now doing dog sports and also
providing general education to anyone they meet.
At the moment I am writing a book about dog
training. I work on it about 6 hours per day while Kevin is at
school.
More about me...
My husband and I have one son, Kevin, who is
autistic and legally blind. He's a really cool kid but keeps
us on our toes. I am fortunate to be able to have the career
that I do, because it allows me to schedule my own time and provide
Kevin with a reliable routine. Kevin is smart, good-looking,
funny, a wicked Playstation fanatic, and the best boy in the whole
world.
Quick life story:
Born in Kansas City, Missouri
Have been an animal lover since the very
beginning of my memory.
Moved to Newton County Arkansas (the home
place of my mother and father) when I was 4. Lived in a
two-room cabin with no electricity and no running water until I
was 14.
Helped my sister Connie guide tours through
Diamond Cave from a very young age.
Learned to care for and ride horses with my
other sister Gayla.
Learned to be cautious from my crazy brother
Randy who constantly made me come with him on hair-raising
motorcycle, go-cart, and four-wheeler rides.
Had many beloved dogs which I raised and
trained. I was the girl with the dog who could do a
million tricks.
Moved to Independence, Missouri when I was
14
Attended William Chrisman High School from
1984-1988, graduating with honors. Edited a 14-page,
bi-monthly school newspaper and enjoyed writing very much.
Participated in a Concert Chorale group, acted or was involved
in every drama production my high school produced all four
years, became fairly proficient in the German language, took
piano and dance lessons, and (believe it or not) I was a
cheerleader. Need to stand on somebody's shoulders?
I'm your gal! *Those who know me now laugh about this. I
am so not the cheerleader type!*
Joined the United States Regular Army and
traveled to South Carolina for Basic Training.
Posted to Monterey, California for Russian
language training.
While in Monterey, worked part-time for the
Monterey Bay Equestrian Center, leading trail rides, training
young horses, and working horses for Working Cowhorse
competition.
Posted to San Angelo, Texas for *secret spy
stuff* training.
Posted to Augsburg, Germany for *secret spy
stuff* job.
While in Germany, took dressage and jumping
classes on giant horses in classes with strict unforgiving
teachers.
Met my future husband Moe in the hallway of
my barracks.
Traveled all over Europe watching Moe play
hockey on the Augsburg Woodstocks hockey team. FUN!!!
Improved my German to the point of total
fluency.
Got out of the Army 10 days before the Gulf
War started--just a fluke.
Married Moe, Canadian Soldier and also a
*secret spy stuff* guy
Had Kevin (in Germany)
Posted with Moe to Kingston, Ontario, got
Molly, started flyball and agility.
Learned French from Moe's mom Luce.
Moved to Ottawa
Moved to Pasadena, Newfoundland
Bred two litters of Aussies
Moe got out of the military and joined the
Canadian Coast Guard
Moved to the Codroy and here I'm staying!
No more military postings!
Now
we come to a big part of my life story. After I came here to
Newfoundland I met Bettina Lori and Herbert Schuhmacher, a Swiss
couple who each have years of experience in K9 Search and Rescue.
They heard about my obedience classes and came to me to talk about
starting a team. We did, and I am very proud to say that
Search and Rescue has become a huge part of my life. I became
the Training Director of the Bay of Islands ground search and rescue
team and held that position for three years before moving here to
the Codroy. I currently am the Training Director for
K9SARNL..
Volunteer Activities:
Search and Rescue (various)
Website development (dog training)
Australian Shepherd Rescue and Placement
Helpline (ARPH) representative
Private dog rescue
Past member of Education Committee for the
Australian Shepherd Club of America
First
of all, my last name is pronounced GEE (like, gee whiz) ROO (like kanga-ROO).
Gee-roo. Giroux!
I bought an Australian Shepherd in 1996
I then answered an advertisement for 
Now
we come to a big part of my life story. After I came here to
Newfoundland I met Bettina Lori and Herbert Schuhmacher, a Swiss
couple who each have years of experience in K9 Search and Rescue.
They heard about my obedience classes and came to me to talk about
starting a team. We did, and I am very proud to say that
Search and Rescue has become a huge part of my life. I became
the Training Director of the Bay of Islands ground search and rescue
team and held that position for three years before moving here to
the Codroy. I currently am the Training Director for
