30/12/2025
A huge loss for the behaviour world💙💙
It is impossible to put into words the impact that Sarah Fisher has had on us all.
A dear and treasured friend of both myself and my husband, Sarah was a fiercely loving mother, the ultimate advocate for animals’ wellbeing, and a truly irreplaceable light in our world - both within and well beyond the realm of dog training and behaviour.
Sarah was that rarest of breeds: one of those very special few who leaves behind a legacy destined to impact exponentially vast numbers of living beings - far more than the lucky few who were blessed to know her, watch her genius work with animals, and share space with a powerful woman whose brilliance was matched only by her beautiful grace.
I was blessed to have met Sarah many years ago, and she has remained a steadfast friend beyond just her professional work. From the beginning, Sarah was different. As a speaker at every Dog Behavior Conference since its inception and a VSA faculty member sharing her genius with our UK-based students, Sarah’s willingness to share her work without pretense or ego was marked by an unmissable generosity that infused every room she entered with a sense of calm and peace.
She was one of the true ‘good guys’ - always able to cut through the noise and BS of the sometimes unforgiving world of professional dog training with her uncannily no-nonsense and accurate reads on whatever extraneous debate topic du jour was dominating our headlines. We connected so deeply in part due to a shared intolerance for anything that didn’t directly benefit the wellbeing of the animals we worked with.
Sarah’s sense of commitment and loyalty to those who shared her simple but powerful passion for making animals’ lives healthier, richer, and better understood knew no bounds, and I will forever feel blessed to have benefited from it. Sarah shaped my work as a dog behavior consultant perhaps more than anyone I’ve ever met, and her wise and gentle touch will remain a guiding presence in my life and career forever.
Sarah used her beloved Tilley Farm near Bath in the UK as ground zero for ACE Free Work, helping so many people expand their vision into animals’ life experience with a passion and determination to continuously unpeel the layers of the animals in all our lives. We had the privilege of sharing some precious time with her over the past few months, exchanging ideas over lunch and going for a walk through Tilley Farm’s lovely grounds. That piece of land has a special history, having found its way into Sarah’s orbit years ago via remarkable circumstances. It exudes a special energy - when you’re there, you cannot help but feel Sarah’s reassuring presence all around you, including her deep connection to the animals under her care there.
As my husband shared with her the last time we talked shortly before her passing, Sarah is unique among us as someone whose presence feels truly timeless. Her energy, passion and graceful power feels like it has always been here - long before she walked among us and long after she’s gone.
The deep insights that came to her so often and so effortlessly were so obvious once she revealed them, you wondered how you didn’t think of that yourself and marvelled at how she translated what she felt and saw into such accessible, digestible and actionable takeaways.
I will miss being near Sarah, sharing space - both privately and professionally - with someone so deeply generous, brilliant, empathetic and powerful. Her loss feels insurmountable, and while we are bereft in the realization that she’s gone, she would also no doubt be sharing her timeless wisdom in how she felt we should try to tackle this: “Sit with your grief, honor what you’re experiencing, then get up and take action to make a difference where you can.”
We will, Sarah.
Everything I do in this industry is infused with your wisdom. You taught me, inspired me, made me see things in a different light. You lifted me up when I felt overwhelmed and supported me when others didn’t. My family and I are blessed to have known you and we will forever be grateful for your insight, your grace and your courage. You were and will continue to be a champion for animals and the people that love them.
