After getting married, Melissa and her husband found their first puppy together and began identifying concerning behavioral issues at five months of age. They sought out assistance from a professional dog trainer to help modify and manage her dog’s fearfulness, reactivity and social anxiety.

 

Through this training, Melissa began working alongside inspiring professionals who offered valuable insight past training alone. This process led her to create and implement a unique dog walking business in Philadelphia, Reactive Rover Dog Walking, which was tailored towards handling inner city dogs presented with special behavioral needs. Through this work, Melissa has gained invaluable experience helping a variety of behaviorally challenged dogs through their everyday lives in a stimulating urban environment.

 

Most recently, Melissa and her husband have added three children to their family which challenges her to balance the demands of being both a dog mom and a mom to her three daughters. Her innate love for children and dogs forces Melissa to think outside the box for ways to include all family members – ultimately working towards fostering a family that is dog aware.

 

Melissa is committed to teaching all family members to understand dog body language while also building confidence, empathy and patience in her daughters’ daily dog interactions.

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Melissa believes every individual - both human and dog - is different, dependent upon their learning style, past experiences, current lifestyle and goals. Melissa is excited to help you acquire the knowledge, skills, and accountability systems to help you find the right balance for you and your dog.