The One Who Started It All… The Z In ScentZ

Zuri is my first dog, my OG… but she’s more to me than just a dog… let alone my Novice A dog for that matter. She’s the one who took me on an adventure I never could have imagined when I brought her home in December of 2015 as an 8 week old puppy. What started with just getting a dog to be my companion and a therapy dog took a turn to become so much more of an adventure together.

Zuri has taught me the meaning of patience, understanding, and really learning to pay attention to what she’s telling me and how she’s feeling in a moment. Because of her, I finally started to see the world through a dog’s mind, eyes, nose, and emotions. I think that’s the reason why I fell deeply in love with the sport of Nose Work. In this sport, the dog is communicating to the handler what their world is all about and for that brief moment in time during a search our dogs allow us into their world. Nose Work is a beautiful dance that connects canine and human handler together in the sweetest of symphonies.

For this reason, no matter the dogs who come and go in my life, Zuri’s legacy, our journey together, the memories we’ve made, and the dreams realized together as we were both learning together will last well beyond our time together as a team. If it wasn’t for Zuri, I would have never discovered Nose Work, never would have pursued competing in the sport, and definitely would not have ventured into becoming an instructor, judge, certifying official, or trial host.

Zuri and I have been lucky to share our story to inspire many others to not loose hope and the power of Nose Work in helping dogs grow and gain confidence. We were lucky to be featured by AKC and you can read about how this sport has made such an instrumental change for both of us here: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/scent-work-helps-anxious-dog/