Ann Allums, Certified Pet Dog Trainer
Ann Allums, certified pet dog trainer for Dogtown, began work at Best Friends in 2004. Her work at Best Friends includes assessing the dogs for temperament and behavior and creating a training plan for each dog to help them reach their potential. Her ultimate goal is to make the dogs more adoptable and to help give them the best life possible while they're living at the sanctuary. She also educates dog caregivers in training techniques and advises people about adopting dogs from Best Friends.
Ann's passion for working with dogs stems from her admiration of the wonderful canine qualities of unconditional love, loyalty, forgiveness and truthfulness. She enjoys the challenge of understanding each dog as an individual, developing a relationship based on trust and training so that the dog has fun and knows what to expect. She also enjoys helping people to have better relationships with their dogs.
Best Friends has been special to Ann since she first read Best Friends magazine in 1997. She was intrigued by a place that centered on caring for animals. When she joined the team as a dog trainer, she knew that she'd found her dream job!
Since 1989, Ann has been volunteering at humane societies, walking dogs and giving them much-needed attention. She started her dog training career as an instructor for a pet superstore, where she taught 12 classes a week, ranging from basic puppy training to advanced classes. During that time, she developed a program with her local humane society, bringing dogs from the shelter to work for training, socialization and increased visibility for the purpose of adoption. She also created and coordinated a 100-member hiking group that met regularly with their dogs for hiking, play, training tips and socializing.
She keeps up her skills by attending training seminars and conferences across the country and reading avidly about dog training and behavior. She also receives plenty of on-the-job training by working closely with around 500 dogs and their caregivers.
Ann has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Lamar University in Texas. She worked for 10 years as a network administrator, which helped hone her analytical skills. The rewards she received from training her own dogs, however, ultimately led to her career change.
Ann's interests include traveling to new places; she has visited all 50 states and 14 countries. The differences in culture and landscape have helped enrich her perspective and helped her understand that whatever the differences, we all have shared experiences. She enjoys hiking, Frisbee and reading. She is an accomplished flutist; a music scholarship paid for her college education. Ann lives with one dog, two dog-loving cats, a goldfish and an occasional foster dog.
