Meet our team
Erin - Certified Canine Training and Behavior Specialist
Erin is passionate about offering engaging, quality training to benefit the mental health of our first responders and veterans while simultaneously improving the quality of life of their dogs. She believes that when done right, dog training increases fulfillment for all parties involved.
Erin is a balanced dog trainer meaning she uses both rewards and corrections to best communicate with dogs. She trained in the use of diverse tools and methods in order to meet the needs of the various learning styles of dogs and their people.
Erin is a Certified Canine and Behavior Specialist (CCTBS). She attained this training at Starmark Academy for Professional Dog Trainers where there is a 25 year history of certifying industry leaders from around the world. Erin chose this program, in large part, because they educate their students exclusively with rescue dogs. This design simultaneously empowers students to learn from more challenging behavioral cases while giving the dogs the skills and training they need to get out of shelters and live successfully in homes.
Erin is dedicated to life-long learning and is always pursuing the latest science for what maximizes relationship with dogs, as well as fulfillment for dog and guardian alike. In addition to her formal education, she has spent countless hours volunteering, shadowing and in apprenticeships, not as a resume builder, but because she just can't get enough.
Walter - CGC, CGCU, CGCA
Walter is a German Shorthaired Pointer who showed up in our lives at just the right time. His early development had minimal exposure to the indoors and human interaction, and he came home to us with a lot of fear, insecurity and regulation issues.
These factors, along with Walter's intelligence, high drive and need for far ranging off-leash time drove Erin and John to elevate their training, which ultimately facilitated healing for the whole family.
The training we received taught us how to listen to Walter and forge a structure of safety for him. While greetings and touch may never be his strength, we have been able to support his growth into a dog who truly LOVES people and who works harder for his people than we ever knew was possible.
Because of the foundation we invested in with Walter, he was able to attend 3 fire academies, where he enjoyed running drills with the recruits and became their mascot, even finding his way onto a flag.
Walter enjoys all things outdoors, especially big open space where he can run and sniff to his heart's content.
John - Firefighter
While John might not hold an official role at PAWS, his journey with firefighting and Walter is what sparked Erin to take the leap and make dog training her career.
He is passionate about redefining "Fit for Duty" to include support and healing for the invisible injuries so many of our first responders endure. The healing he experienced in relationship with Walter inspired him to launch TiGR Life Coaching, LLC. Through this platform he offers life coaching and Neuroptimal, both of which facilitate living more optimal, expansive lives.
