My Story

Here I am at the (top left) Nisqually Kennel Club with American Kennel Club Judge, best in Show Belgian Malinois and owner.  Excelon foundation Belgian Malinois with puppies (bottom right).

I have always known what I want to be when I grow up.  When I was a child, I wanted to breed and train police dogs although I had no idea what that meant.  My father took me to the South Sound Mall (Now Target Store Complex) and showed me the purebred dog show hosted by Nisqually Kennel Club every year until they stopped holding it there.  Quietly, I watched the police dog demonstration in absolute awe, the dog was so powerful, agile and obedient.  When I approached the k9 handler afterwards, I asked what kind of dog is that?  The officer said, a German Shepherd from Germany. I then asked, “Where can I get one? He laughed, looked at my dad and pointed to a woman who had a booth there.  We walked over there of course.  I learned that she trained and bred German Shepherds for Thurston County Search and Rescue and police work. I spent my youth years learning how to train   and breed working German Shepherds.  She mentored me for years through books, articles she had written, hands-on training in her club and then one day I was ready to breed my own working dogs.

 (top) Foundation German Shepherds of Excelon, my trained program dogs.

TCSO K9 Jaxx from my program.

Growing up I learned how to be handy and resilient; we were taught how to use what was available to us.  My family was green before green living was popular.  My dad has a degree in forestry and mother with a passion for plants. My dad and mom moved us from Thurston to Mason County for more land surrounded by nature, fresh air, trees and flowers instead of people and their noise.  My parents set us free to roam the woods that surrounded us. Our land has a rustic log cabin built from the very old trees that once stood on our land.   Over the years my dad shared his knowledge of trees and mom shared her joy of plants by creating large gardens.  During this time, both of my parents shared their knowledge of crafts and building things of repurpose.  My childish imagination dog dreams were shaped and began to become life for me.

(top) The rustic log cabin is built from old trees from our land.

The kennels we built for our dogs.

As a young, dedicated dog enthusiast I worked every summer as a volunteer at animal control in Thurston County.  I knew I wanted to be a dog breeder and trainer.  This meant I needed experience in dog training. These experiences turned out to be foundational to my later success in breeding and caring for dogs. My hands-on, self-taught approach began. At the age of eleven, I acquired my first male German Shepherd for breeding, which sparked a deep interest in dog behavior and training. I began dedicating significant time to learning about dog care, behavior, and training techniques through books, articles, and observation.

 My certificate of obedience training with first German Shepherd-Max.

At age sixteen, to gain practical experience, I volunteered at Adopt a Pet in Shelton.  I had already been training my own two dogs, so I was excited when they gave me the opportunity to train other breeds of dogs beyond German Shepherds.  This role provided valuable insights into the behavior of various dog breeds and the challenges faced by dogs in different environments.  At the animal control facility, I learned about multi-dog housing indoor facility style. At Adopt a Pet, I learned to care for dogs in a natural outdoor environment.  Here I got to learn to handle and care for dogs with diverse backgrounds and temperaments, which was crucial in developing a comprehensive understanding of canine behavior. While attending community college 2001, I continued my self-guided dog training education and dog breeding.

Delta Society pet partners team training.

 Excelon foundation Labrador retriever and pups.

In my late 20’s I was naturally good assistant to several local dog trainers. These mentor-ships allowed me to observe and participate in professional dog training sessions. These multi opportunity experiences in training dogs for various competitions, including obedience, agility, and protection work help me gain more diversity. This hands-on training helped me refine my techniques and develop a deeper understanding of effective training methods that led to the birth of Excelon Kennels in 2008.  My roots were already deep in German Shepherd breeding and training which led me to locating my Belgian Malinois foundation stock and later Labrador Retrievers.  Cultivating genetically healthy dogs that are affordably trained for family protection, police and disability assistance was my connection to nature and greatest joy.  I tended to my mothers, observed raw unbridled dog behavior, learned the rhythms of birthing dogs and helped develop puppies into trained dogs from birth.

This understanding of natural dog breeding, birthing, pairing rhythms and cycles was integral to most of my program. Perhaps one of the biggest disconnects we feel with modern dogs is we have little connection with natural breeding, instinctual mother and attentive father dogs and their ability to raise their young without human hand through a system of canine hierarchy.  By starting my little dog breeding program in my backyard, I gained direct connection with circadian rhythms and the grading system of mother, fathers, yearlings and future generations.  I was assured of quality dogs that are raised to be trained “natures way”.   Woven into this web of primitive dog behavior, my tiny young dogs grew into mature purposely trained companions, protectors and working dogs for our South Puget Sound community.    

Historically some of our favorite dogs were working dogs that served people from the time of origination.  A step back in time, 100 years ago Rottweilers pulled milk carts from the farm to the town, stayed with the cart while the farmer walked about selling their milk.  Should someone attempt to steal from the cart, the Rottweiler deterred folks from doing so.  Alaskan dogs of no race were used as a team to deliver medicine, food or supplies to the people of the deep snow-covered land.  German Shepherds served as military dogs bringing supplies carried on their backs to the wounded soldiers in harsh conditions and had extraordinary endurance to cover miles at a time faster than humanly possible without being detected by the enemy.  Labrador Retrievers before they were known as Labrador Retrievers, willingly jumped in frigid waters of the Gulf of St Lawrence to efficiently retrieve fishing nets with ease and this vary trait took interest of the English.   Belgian Malinois served the military as well and had the muscle power to pull machines guns with basic rigging harness, but they originated from peasant farms of Belgium as livestock guardians.  How was this possible?

(top) My foundation male Kaos, German Shepherd & I get our certificate of defense in French Ring Sport.

Excelon foundation male, Riot and I get our certificate of defense training.

Sound structure is the key to purpose training dogs and was my focal interest while enjoying my 30’s with my foundation dogs and their progeny.  If you see muscles, your dog is probably healthy with genetic muscle composition, and this was not by chance.  Today our favorite dogs are performance bred dogs that allow dog fanciers such as me demonstrate obedience, agility, power and train-ability as a way of preserving their heritage and suitability for breeding.   To build healthy dogs suitable for training 2014 to present, my foundation stock dogs and I trained in these such sports.  Schuzhund, as it was called then, today it is renamed IPG sport and the prized French Ring Sport is a suitability test for Belgian Malinois and German Shepherds.  As athletic participants, I catered to our team fitness needs with daily outdoor workouts of the mind and body.  Admirable muscle composition and bone structure, these sports enhanced my desire to explore elevated fitness and hone my understanding of off leash obedience control.   

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