about me

I began my love for animals at an early age. From wanting a cat as soon as I could say the word to deciding I wanted to be a dolphin trainer by the age of 9. Animals have always been an integral part of my life.

During my school years, I would volunteer at animal shelters. This time allowed me to be exposed to a variety of personalities and to learn how to deal with those personalities.

To achieve my dream of a dolphin trainer, I attended and received my bachelor's of science degree in marine biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. I also discovered my love for psychology and attended many psychology courses, specifically in behavior.

Nine months after graduation and after a lot of persistence, I finally achieved my dream job, working as an animal trainer at Sea World of Texas. Sea World uses a positive behavior reward system in their training. They are the acme of animal training, and I was taught by the best trainers in the world. I was fortunate enough to work with killer whales, beluga whales, dolphins, walruses, sea lions, seals, and otters. The experiences and training that I learned there has been the foundation for my training that I use today.

After leaving Sea World to marry my military husband, we have moved several times over the years. During this time, I worked at animal shelters, was a dog trainer on the side, and worked at an elementary school. My behavior training and psychology background was a huge asset when it came to interacting with the students. I especially loved my time with the students that were considered difficult or special needs. 

I also have had several dogs since my departure from Sea World. I loved training them and they have made me a better dog trainer today.

So, you are probably wondering how I took the leap from my life into the world of service dog trainer? I am so fortunate to have a former Sea World coworker in Texas that has been training service dogs for many years. We reconnected and she convinced me to take the leap of faith and leave my education job to pursue this new endeavor. She is my mentor, my Yoda, my Go-To for anything relating to training. 

I have rekindled my training career and my absolute love for behavior. It is still challenging, and I am learning every day. I am so excited to have dogs as my coworkers and proud to know that the dedication and hard work of myself and my dog will result in the dog helping a human to live a more fulfilling and safer life. 

I hope you will consider me when you decide it is time to add a service dog to your family.

Thank you, 

Eileen Casey