CERTIFIED DOG TRAINING
My name is Irina “Ira” Vetsinova and I’m the owner and lead trainer of BarkCity Dog Training and Behavior Modification. A little bit about me: I was born in a small town in Estonia and grew up on my grandparent’s farm. As you may presume, life on a farm means life with animals. For me this meant being constantly surrounded by chickens, cows, horses, sheep, lions, forget that last one, and my favorite of all, dogs. Ever since I was little, I knew deep down inside that I had an extraordinary connection with dogs. The dogs in my town and I were inseparable, they would follow me everywhere and they always knew where to find me. This made me feel so special and loved that from childhood I knew I would devote my life to dogs.
One of the dogs following me around was a German Shepard named Volcano, who was truly my best friend and who I will never forget. Volcano and I met and became friends when I was just 4 years old and since that day he was my shadow. He would never let me go off the path in a forest or deep into the river. When I was sick he always sat beside my bed for hours. And so did other dogs. My grandmother would always say that when I grow up I could learn how to teach dogs good manners since I understand them so well.
One day my best fearless friend Volcano got poisoned by malicious neighbors. My heart was broken and I thought I would never smile again. Shortly afterwards my parents brought home a Rottweiler pup named Cinderella. My mom and dad told me that the dog was mine and I could teach her anything I wanted. And so I did. The first thing I taught the dog was how to bite. It wasn’t the smartest move, but what else could you expect from a child who just lost her best friend and was hurting so much? Cinderella’s aggression was pretty much under control, but she had to wear a leash and a muzzle in public.
When I was 17, we had to move to the US and leave all our pets with the grandparents back at the farm. Emotionally it was an extremely tough time for me since I believe we have to always hold ourselves responsible for the animals we make ours. I didn’t have any pets for a very long time since the move till one day I went on vacation to Dominican Republic with my family. There we met a stray dog that followed us around all week and we got so attached to her that I couldn’t leave her behind and had to bring her to New York with me. I remember I was thinking how I could live without the animals for so long? Now I have dogs, and cats, and even a rat living in the same space. And I realized that anything is possible if you’re willing to make it work.
I eventually started thinking about what my grandma said when I was a child about me training dogs and decided to become a dog trainer in order to help people understand their pets and create the best relationships possible. I graduated from the Animal Behavior College and continue to improve my skills by attending different study programs with the best trainers in the world. My ultimate goal is to help people understand their dogs and teach them how to deal with them, but make it as easy, fast, and affordable as possible.
Visit Sean Casey Animal Rescue to find your new fluffy best friend.