A Furry Tail Ending - Altona

I grew up dreaming of a life that involved working with animals. I took advantage of every opportunity to spend time with any and every dog I could. But it wasn't until the week that I was graduating high school (2009) that I got my very first dog, a little black "hippo" girl that I named Kylie. I learned a lot from her. She loved everyone, loved to adventure and explore, eat, dive for rocks, catch flies, bark and eat out of the garbage can. She had been my constant companion for almost 12 years and I thanked her everyday for everything she was. My girl unexpectedly passed away February 10th 2021 leaving a huge hole in our hearts.

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When Kylie was a few years old I got a job as a Dog Daycare Attendant at The Pawsh Dog in Winnipeg. It was right then and there that I jumped head first into the world of dogs. This is also around the same time that I started looking to add another furry member to my family.

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I worked as a Daycare Attendant / Sales for a few months and then decided to give grooming a try. I started as a bather/prepper and very quickly moved up the ladder as a Finishing Groomer under the supervision and mentor-ship of some of Manitoba's top Master Groomers/Show Handlers.

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May 2012, a little black and tan German Shepherd puppy joined the Lavallee family, we named him Oakley. He didn't know which way his ears were going or what his feet were doing but he has developed into a very loyal friend who would do anything for me. He would chase a ball till his heart stopped, he'd swim to save my life, he loves to chase squirrels even though he'll never catch one and he wears his heart on his sleeve. With him came puppy classes, obedience classes, a Canine Good Neighbor certificate and conformation shows. Oakley's sire was being shown by my boss, the owner of Pawsh Dog, who encouraged me to jump into the show ring with a very young 6 month old Oakley. 

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Every step lead us to a new adventure and an opportunity to grow and meet new people. Over the years I have trained in/competed in competitive obedience, agility, herding, conformation, dock diving, rally obedience, trick training and achieved CGN titles and successfully trained a St John Ambulance Dog. Oakley will be learning how to Skijor/Kicksled this winter and miss Kylie will be training for Barn Hunt! We're always learning and evolving.

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I left the Pawsh Dog the summer of 2014 to open A Furry Tail Endings doors September 2014. A Furry Tail Ending opened as Canadian Professional Pet Stylist all breed grooming salon with the hopes of evolving to offer more services which happened quickly. Since opening I have become a distributor of Perfectly Raw and Big Country Raw and added a team member in Winkler. I run Daycare/Day Adventures once a week. AFTE has some of my favorite products for sale including supplements, treats, toys, handmade collars, and more!

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Most recently I have become an Owner of Prairieburn K9 Academy. My journey becoming a trainer started when I met Debbi McArthur 6 years ago when we were showing our half brother German Shepherd dogs in ring together. We became friends, she traveled to Cesar Milans Dog Psychology center in California and the rest is history! She helped me with some behavioral training with my own dogs and I've been mentoring under over the past 6 years. I became a contracted trainer Summer of 2018 and just became an Owner November 2018. I am so excited to be apart of team Prairieburn and look forward to our future!

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It's been 7 amazing years running A Furry Tail Ending, and I look forward to many many more years!

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