Elizabeth Carbone
Owner/Director, Dog Logic LLC
It is Elizabeth’s heartfelt belief that there is always something to learn in life, and that animals are among our best teachers. She opened the doors of Dog Logic in 2007 based on this philosophy, and continues to live it through the promotion of education, understanding, and relationship building between dog and owner.
Elizabeth’s love of animals, and a passion to understand them, began at a very early age. She grew to appreciate the bond that can be nurtured between humans and animals through witnessing the interaction between her grandfather and a menagerie of animals on his Connecticut farm. He always seemed to know exactly what the animals needed. It was his silent and gentle understanding of the animals, as well as her love for her dog, Midnight, that inspired her to learn to train dogs with her mentor, Theresa Richmond, of Mahogany Ridge, and eventually to compete.
Theresa’s tutelage, and Elizabeth’s natural ability with dogs, allowed for early accomplishments: taking first place at the Belgian Turvuren National specialty at age 16; teaching her first professional obedience class before age 18; and starting private consulting at age 20. She then graduated from SUNY Plattsburg with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Since that time, she has studied with leading trainers and behavioral scientists completing nationally recognized programs in her quest to continually update her skills. Some of these programs include: Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine’s course, “Solving Canine Behavior Problems”; Jack and Wendy Volhard’s annual Dog Training camps; and Wendy Volhard’s Healthy Dog Conference.
Elizabeth believes that the relationship between owner and dog should be one of the greatest mutual respect. The focus of her teaching is to center the owner’s learning on respecting the dog’s needs and drives in order to most effectively teach him/her to respect theirs. She also considers the overall family dynamic, learning style of the people involved, commitment level, personality, motivation, expectations, and resources in assessing the direction of her training approach. By continuing to follow the latest research in canine behavior, and participating in ongoing training to keep her knowledge current, she is able to grow as a professional, a teacher, and as a dog owner herself.
Elizabeth has trained her own dogs in obedience, rally, agility, K-9 search and rescue, and conformation. She shares her home above Dog Logic with her husband, Dave, and their three dogs – Jeep, Tara, and Rio. And from time to time, a foster dog is welcomed into their home for some much-needed love, “pack therapy,” and rehabilitation.
Kelly Sanford
Day Care Manager, Dog Logic LLC
Kelly was the kid who came home with snakes, turtles, and salamanders which her tolerant parents allowed her to keep for awhile before returning them to their native homes. Dogs and cats, as well as birds, fish, rodents, and a rabbit were part of her family as she grew up in Warrensburg. Therefore, it was no surprise when she went off to SUNY Geneseo to pursue her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, including a focus on Equine Science which she completed in Ireland her senior year.
After graduation, Kelly pursued her love of animals and learning through working as the Stable Manager for Leg Up Stables where the owner, Kim Sanford, taught her about working with animals in as natural a way as possible to keep them healthy and happy. Kelly gained valuable knowledge of training, behavior (both human and animal), and animal husbandry which was also supplemented in her role as a veterinary assistant at the Livonia Veterinary Hospital.
Life’s twists and turns brought her back east to Washington County to live on a small farm with her husband, Doug, and various animal family members including chickens, cats, dogs, and horses. A Canine Good Citizen test brought her to Dog Logic for the first time, and that serendipitous event began her easing into a growing role here as well as bringing many new canine and human friends into her life! When she’s not at Dog Logic, Kelly does some freelance horse training and rides and drives horses. She also does agility and therapy work with her beloved dogs, Murdock and Jenga.