About us...

Hello! My name is Vivian and I'm the founder, president, and head trainer of Dogs Got Souls. I have been a dog lover ever since I mastered the word "dog" as a toddler. Growing up, I never passed on any opportunities to learn about dogs. I practiced training and went to obedience, agility, trick dog, and puppy classes with family's and friends' dogs. I also did transport for rescues whenever I could, and taught the few foster dogs basic commands. After working through grad school, I finally got my very own pup, Dexter, in 2016 and completely delved into advanced dog training, especially service dogs training for my Narcolepsy Type 1. As I took him on more outings, people began to stop me and ask if I could train their dogs for them. The next trainer I went to actually offered me a job, and I can't appreciate him enough still to this day. I would still be working for him if it wasn't for my Narcolepsy progressing to the point that driving long distances became a challenge. Fast forward to now, I've had successful experiences training several hundreds of pet and rescue dogs, as well as selecting, raising, and training multiple psychiatric, medical, mobility, and allergen detection service dogs. The more I work with dogs, the more incredible I find them to be. Dogs are way more intelligent than most humans give them credit for. Through working with dogs, I've also met and made friends with many wonderful people.

One day, I received a very special voicemail from a generous person who wanted to donate towards service dog training. I called him back to let him know my appreciation, but we weren't a Nonprofit yet, though it is my dream for us to be able to help as many people and dogs as possible. He replied, "Oh I know someone," and proceeded to connect me with my amazing mentor. Thus, my dream started to become a reality.

I believe that every dog is their own individual, just as every human is different from each other. Just like how some people learn better through visuals while others learn better through instructions or texts, the same training method that works for other dogs may not necessarily work for your dog and your own lifestyle. The key for you and your dog living the best life possible together is to learn to understand and communicate with your dog. Furthermore, humans like to use the words "training" and "working" that are often associated with stress and arduous labor, but I believe that it is essential to recognize that "training" a dog is creating a bond and favorite games with your dog that they absolutely love to play and want to participate in at any moment.

Meet Our Team!

We are a team that has come together to show our love for dogs and how they can improve the lives of others.

Vivian

President

Head Trainer

Founder

Earl

Vice President

Website Developer

Advancing Trainer

Jenevi

Board Member

Rescue Liaison

Jenevi's Pet Services