Puppies for Dummies

Paperback, 356 pages, 7.5" x 9.5", 2000 edition, written by Sarah Hodgson.The first thing that comes across clearly when you meet Sarah Hodgson is that she's mad about her profession - teaching dogs and training people. For her, it's a life's passion, not a job. From early childhood, her infatuation with animals and what they were communicating was apparent to everyone. Although she didn't grow up in an animal-centered environment, she soon surrounded herself with all sorts of creatures: from domestic dogs and rodents to wildlife that she rehabilitated. Her first exposure into the dog world was when she began working at a local kennel at age 12. Soon after, she locked into the magic of teaching dogs, and she became a self-proclaimed dog nut. After teaching her own, she went around the neighborhood and offered to train everyone else's dogs. Sarah entered the pre-veterinarian program at Michigan State University. Although she finished her degree in biology with an emphasis on Psychology and Animal Behavior, she had already found her life's calling: teaching dogs and training people. At first she trained dogs to earn money through college, but is was clear long before graduation that training dogs was what she loved to do. For her, there was never any other option. In upstate New York, Sarah has sustained a dog training school for 14 years. During that time, she has built in her love of writing - completing several training books and serving as a corresponding columnist for The New York Times. From 1990 to 1995, she also worked as the press escort under Thelma Boalby, giving her invaluable introductions to those influential and well-respected in the dog circles. And the greatest influence on her training methodology came from Job Michael Evans, a former Monk of New Skete. Sarah continues to teach dogs and people under their business name Simply Sarah, Inc., in Bedford, New York. In addition, she enjoys participating in public events and media appearances to raise canine awareness. But her favorite time of day is when she takes her own dogs, Hope and Shayna May, hiking in the woods. She says that's as essential to her day as drinking water.