My name is Brittany Smith, and I am the head trainer at 2nd Chance K9. In 2013, I founded a foster-based animal rescue and as is common with rescuers, I ended up with several dogs of my own. Chance was the first dog in my pack but over the course of several years I ended up with other dogs I never intended to adopt for one reason or another. All of my dogs had unique personalities that very delicately meshed together. But in 2017, adding my 5th dog, a blind male husky who has sadly since passed away, changed everything. The delicate balance of personalities in my pack exploded. 

I made a lot of mistakes not knowing any better. The dogs seemed fine together so eventually they were left together unsupervised. One night, my husband and I went out to dinner but realized a few minutes later we forgot our wallets at home. As we pulled back in the driveway I heard a large commotion going on in the backyard. I sprinted around the house and found 4 of my 5 dogs in a fight with the new male getting the brunt of the attack. Sadly he had a laceration that had to be stitched up but thankfully was otherwise fine. I spoke with a friend who happens to be an accomplished dog trainer and decided the situation was the result of trusting them together unsupervised way too early. We went on with life with much more caution but the measures we were taking were not enough. About a month later, my husband and I had guests over for dinner and we put the dogs away like our normal routine back then. After everyone left my husband and I were putting away food and piece fell to the floor. Next thing we knew another dog fight broke out and my husband was bitten, sending us to the ER. I talked to that same trainer and asked if I needed to rehome the newest member of my pack for his safety and ours. But the damage was done. That delicate balance of personalities was not a reality even if we had rehomed the new male. My whole pack needed better leadership and guidance than what I was providing.

There was no way I could afford sending all five of my dogs to training. I was at a loss and needed help. Luckily, the trainer that the rescue used became a close friend of mine and ultimately became my mentor. She offered to let me shadow her at no charge. It gave her a free set of hands and gave me the ability to soak up her knowledge and get hands on experience. I shadowed her every chance I got for about a year. I watched all of the training videos I could get my hands on, followed the best trainers around the country on social media, and continued to take on fosters for the rescue that needed help. I became dedicated to helping my pack and being the leader they needed so after about a year and a half I finally had peace of mind with my personal dogs and learned I had a knack for the training. I developed a passion (beyond my love of animals) to give dogs balance and happiness. Some close friends knew of my journey and asked for help with their dogs. I was happy to do it because I wanted to help people. More and more people reached out to me for help. Thus 2nd Chance K9 and my career as a dog trainer was born. My goal is to help people enjoy life with their dogs; whether that is behavior modification to bring long awaited peace or a solid obedience foundation so owners can include their dogs in life and adventures. Every dog deserves to be the best version of themselves and I aim to bring owners that unimaginable bond they want with their dogs.