Training with Heart & Cookies

29/11/2025

Happy birthday Hayley! My prison partner!

Happy birthday Hayley!
The heartbeat in the pen
Where hope walks on four paws
And healing starts again

Each week you step inside
With handlers by your side
Teaching trust and patience
Where new beginnings hide

You guide the dogs and people
Through lessons soft and slow
Showing every single one
A kinder way to grow

You watch fearful eyes turn bright
You see timid dogs stand tall
You cheer for every breakthrough
No matter how small

Your footsteps echo gently
Through the place where futures mend
And every pup that leaves the pen
Carries the love you send

Happy birthday Hayley
This program blooms because of you
Thank you for pouring in your heart
And changing lives the way you do!

Donations towards the Pups in the Pen program in honor of Hayley Francis Zielinski can be sent here
:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14NGS7vZFPt/

29/11/2025

As a professional trainers who was crazy enough to have 2 very big, very young dogs at the same time, this is something I have to remind myself of all the time! Adolescence is hard, your dogs are experiencing all kinds of changes which means that sometimes they're not exactly doing what they should....and it is very easy to quit doing the training, quit going out in public...because its embarrassing...but who cares? If someone wants to judge you, does it matter in the long run? Nope, what matters is you and your dog, and if you quit now, you'll miss out on the amazing dog that is waiting on the other side of Adolescence...

27/11/2025

I am so grateful for my wonderful clients, and supporters of Pups in the Pen, and TADSAW.
From my pups to yours, may you have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!

27/11/2025

Unfortunately I am out of town this week so I missed our Pups in the Pen thanksgiving! But this program is such a gift and we are thankful to everyone that supports us!

🦃🍁 Pups in the Pen Thanksgiving Celebration 🍁🦃

Yesterday was a day we will never forget.
For the very first time, our Pups in the Pen foster dads and program staff sat down together for a real Thanksgiving dinner — a table full of food, laughter, stories, and memories that will stay with us for a lifetime.

For many of our foster dads, it had been years… even decades… since they last celebrated this holiday. But yesterday, surrounded by dogs who love them, people who believe in them, and a program that gives second chances to all, something beautiful happened:

Gratitude filled the room. Hearts felt lighter. And a sense of family wrapped around all of us.

This program is about rehabilitation, about redemption… but at its core, it is about connection. Yesterday proved that when people come together with kindness and purpose, miracles happen in the simplest moments — sharing a meal, passing a plate, laughing until our sides hurt.

We are incredibly thankful to the amazing women who made this feast unforgettable:

Marie, Valorie, Stephanie, Hayley, Jessica, Dora, Maria, Nicole, Jeryl and Joanna —
your hard work, generosity, and love created a Thanksgiving memory that our foster dads will carry with them forever. You didn’t just bring food…
You brought dignity.
You brought joy.
You brought family.

To our foster dads, program staff, and every supporter who believes in Pups in the Pen — thank you.
Thank you for showing up, for caring, for giving second chances, and for helping us build a place where hope lives every single day.

Yesterday wasn’t just a meal.
It was a reminder of how grateful we are to have each other.

🍂 Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Pups in the Pen. 🍂

25/11/2025

More things to be thankful for: The godmother of the Pups in the Pen program has left the building! Sweet Gracie has her forever home! And sweet Zeke is on his way to experience some life changing time as he joins the program!

25/11/2025

Be kid and dog aware ...management, supervision and separation to prevent accidents while enjoying the holiday fun!

20/11/2025

I miss all the fun on Wednesdays! Check out these cuties that are getting ready for their forever homes!

17/11/2025

This is why we do what we do!

12/11/2025

With respect and gratitude we honor and appreciate all who have served. ( especially my own veterans)

08/11/2025

What a great turnout for today's race!!