Humane animal captures, proper handling and caring of pets and the overall welfare of animals on the island are the top priorities for the San Pedro SAGA Humane Society. For this reason and many others, Katia Marin, Board Director of SAGA HS, traveled to United States to train with leading dog experts.
Katia Marin, owner of Pampered Paws, one of Belize’s leading pet grooming centers, is an animal lover and board director of SAGA HS. She received her certificate as a professional groomer and veterinary assistant in Houston, Texas. At first Pampered Paws only offered grooming services and pet supplies but in 2003 Katia received her Master Degree in Dog Training in New York and began to offer overnight boarding, pet “day care” and dog training.
Katia has attended several animal welfare conferences and in early June of this year she traveled to the US to attend two workshops with leading dog experts. The first workshop she attended was at renowned Cesar Millan’s Dog Psychology Center where she was a volunteer at the workshop entitled “Training Cesar’s Way Clinics”. She learned about pack walks, behavioral courses, E-Collar training, pool dog swimming and dog herding, to name a few.
Heather Beck, also a director of SAGA HS and owner of K-9 Lifeline in Utah, held a 3D Workshop (Dealing with Difficult Dogs) which is a combination of interactive lecture and hands on work with dogs. Under Heather Beck’s guidance, Katia learnt how to deal with difficult dogs, socializing for reactive dogs, leash handling and collar training, among other essential techniques.
Both Heather and Katia commented to Ambergris Today that they plan to put all their training to good use on the island and also train an officer to be the official dog catcher for Ambergris Caye. As directors of SAGA, they believe that by attending these workshops and seminars their knowledge of handling dogs will come a long way for the betterment of the dog population on the island.
Katia Marin receiving her certificate from K-9 Lifeline 3D Workshop
