I always had a dog in my house since the day I was born.  While visiting my uncle, at two years old, I met Spike, a pug. I liked him so much I asked my dad if I could have him. He helped me to ask my uncle. The next day as we were leaving to head back home, he had me roll down the back window to give me Spike. Spike and I grew up together. And what a great dog to grow up with. He came with me many places, and I learned how to handle a dog that didn't need a lot more than love as I learned more and more about dogs. 

Later, we adopted two more pug mixes, and through that we had puppies with Spike. Again it was a great learning experience for learning about how life forms. I still dearly love the dogs that were a part of my formative years.   

When I went off to college, I missed my dogs. I always knew dogs would again be a part of my life, as soon as I was in a good stable situation. In the meantime, I did some dog walking on the side until I could have one of my own. 

Six months after my husband and I married, we started looking for a dog. Frankie, our goldendoodle, came into our life soon after. This was my first experience into having a dog that needed regular grooming. Because we got him as a puppy, I learned again from an adult perspective, all that goes into taking care of a dog. I worked hard to train him on the basics, which I never really learned about as a kid growing up in a small town.  

A year and a half later, we decided we were ready for a second dog. This time we decided to adopt, and we quickly found Astro, our maltipoo, through Doggie Protective Services. Frankie and Astro loved each other pretty much from the beginning. Even to this day they cuddle with each other when we are out of the house.  After I got Astro, I started volunteering with DPS. I really enjoyed making sure the dogs had a nice clean environment, plenty of food and water, and plenty of exercise and love. 

Soon after that I started considering the possibility of working with dogs for a living, and considered both dog sitting and dog grooming as possible careers. From there I looked into grooming programs, and started a Dog Grooming Certificate from Animal Behavior College. That experience made it clear that dog grooming was for me, starting my career as a dog groomer. 

Ever since I was a child, I have loved mathematics. From the 3rd grade onward, when asked what I would be when I  grew up, I would say a "math scientist".  As time when on that translated to engineer, and I went on to an engineering college.  But I realized the common engineering paths were not for me, and quickly switched to become a mathematics major. Unfortunately my college didn't have many placement options for mathematics majors, and so I added computer science to the mix.