What does any of this have to do with Tailored Hounds? Well. Let me tell you what I learned from dogs like Elvis and JoeJoe.
Firstly, no dog is the same, and no dog is ‘perfect’. Every dog, especially rescues, will come with their own set of preconceived ideas about the world. This shapes their confidence, their understanding, trust and their fear responses. All of these things are beyond essential in ensuring a dog's success, and so many dogs are surrendered or left to fail because we don’t listen to them. They are talking to us, in their own way. We just need to be willing to hear them.
Secondly, the only boundaries a dog has are those we put on them. I’ve taken in so many fosters in my time, and I constantly made the mistake of saying ‘they will never be able to do x, y, z’. I can tell you now, nine times out of ten, those dogs exceeded my expectations. Their resilience, connection and love is genuinely unmatched. Believe they can do anything and give them the tools to succeed and your dog will soar.
Lastly, they guided me to this passion. They showed up for me everyday, and so I continued to show up for them. With time, patience, understanding and appropriate training I saw these dogs succeed in ways others had determined they never would. They have given me the skills, tools and intelligence to show up and do this work - to guide each owner and their dog to success no matter their story.
At Tailored Hounds, we strive to be a point of difference.
A place your dog can learn to be their best selves, while giving you the tools to do the same for them.
A bit about me
Hey hi! I’m so humbled that you have landed here, on this page, to read more about me and why dogs are my passion and soul calling. My name is Samantha and I am currently based in Wisconsin, my home state. I recently moved back to the states after spending 10.5 years in Melbourne, Australia.
About 6 or 7 years ago, I was drawn to rescue work. I was sent a post by a friend about a dog who needed a foster carer and his little face captured my heart. He had severe dog reactivity and separation anxiety. I brought Elvis into our home and worked with him for about three months before he went to a trainer within the team, to then eventually be adopted. To say this was the spark of something incredible would be an understatement!
Fast forward about 4 years and many, many foster dogs later, I took in a 110lb beef head named JoeJoe. He came to me at 12 months old, and was understandably very confused about the life he had been dropped into. Come to find out, he had four families before he was finally surrendered to the RSPCA where one of my good friends, Jax, was an animal attendant. She knew she had to get JoeJoe out quickly, as his size mixed with his behavior would not bode well for him in a shelter situation. After one foster was unable to handle him in the first 48 hours after release, he came to me. One night - I said - I can’t keep him longer than that. He challenged me at every turn, and I learned very quickly that he was constantly speaking to me in his own way. After only one night, I saw his potential, but also saw his risk. What if this beautiful, dorky, spastic dog ended up in the wrong hands? How could he succeed if he didn’t have the right guidance? The next morning, I messaged the team and said ‘he’s staying with me’. That one night turned into just over two years. I was so dedicated to him - working on every facet of his training and learning every step of the way. JoeJoe is now living at the rescue sanctuary, still waiting for his adoption - but set up with all the tools and training he needs to be his best self.