A little about your instructor....

 
Lee Ann Zerbian (left) with husband, Troy (right), and Border Collie, Dera (center) in Hollywood where Lee and Dera appeared on Animal Planet's "Pet Star" television show in 2003.

 Welcome to . 

I thought you would like a few facts about me as a performance dog sport competitor and instructor.  I'm a dyed in the wool performance dog sport hobbyist.  I have had dogs as a part of my life since I was a  child, but began my adventure into performance dog sports in Summer of 1998 with the adoption of my first mix breed dog, our founder, Rue, and began helping at a local dog training club assisting as an instructor for agility classes in late 2000.  I've been actively working for other training facilities as an instructor and assistant instructor ever since. 

I quickly found that strengthening my bonds with my dogs through training and education, attending classes and sharing what I had learned with others were among my favorite aspects of the sport of agility.  It quickly became evident that one of the benefits of the sport for me was being able to share the knowledge with others as an instructor.  In light of that, I decided to pursue passing a certification course as an agility instructor.  While in attendance of that program, I found the drive to work towards establishing a location in order to entertain and enjoy my friends, performance dog sports and host agility trials in a secure family-oriented atmosphere where 'fun' is at the top of the agenda.  This is at the heart of Roo Doo Dawgs Agility, Inc.'s philosophy.

Today, I am a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (www.apdt.com), am awaiting evaluation to become a CPE Agility Judge and am planning to attend a certification exam in late Fall 2006 to earn my certification as a Pet Dog Trainer.  I firmly believe in positive training methods (for both dog and handler) and continue to educate myself in canine behavior and training methods.

Through this journey, it has been the people and dogs in this community that have taught me, supported me and helped to me reach the goals I have today and look forward to tomorrow.  My thanks would be incomplete without mention of my greatest mentor and teacher, Pamela Juliano of Blitzen Canine Academy, Inc., without whom, I would never have found the right doors to open to the joy and fulfillment I've been graced with to date.
June 2007 Update Our students are now moving into competition!  It's such a proud moment for me to watch the 'new' generation of performance hobbyist enter the ring after only one short year from starting this endeavor.   As for me, it means only that I must continue to advance my skills to bring the best I can to my clients.  To that end, I am now entering my apprentice judging assignments as a CPE Agility Judge.  I will be judging two trials this year, and they're coming up soon!  (July and Sep).  This June, I will be serving as agility judge for the JRTCA's specialty in June.  (I'm very excited to have been invited to this event!) I am also entering into a virtual training course to continue to advance my skills as an Instructor with Amanda Nelson, www.fluidmotionagility.com.  In between I continue to show with my crew in AKC, NADAC and CPE agility rings around the area.  Dera is nearing her C-ATCH title in CPE now with just a few legs left to go and she'll add yet another notch to her list of accomplishments!  It's shaping up to be quite an adventure for the Summer of 2007!  In Fall, I plan on moving on to some more APDT Rally competitions too - you just never know what the next day may bring!
June 2008 Update I find myself often these days feeling much like a pot of water on stove.  Things are heating up and simmering slowly but the temperature of success to me is always rising steadily.  This year thus far has been challenging with losing Dera to her ACL injury and resulting surgery.  It's taught me many lessons and in a strange way it has brought Dera and me even closer together than we were before.  Flipside and Trek are picking up the torch from Dera and keeping me busy in the rings and providing a great outlet for the stress of coping with the open question of Dera ever returning to a ring with me.  I continue to receive CPE judging assignments from great clubs in the agility community that also helps me focus my energies and continue to develop as a judge.  My local students also are making great strides and developing their skills in the game and even putting them to the test which just thrills me to the core as I watch them and think back to those days when I was in their shoes.

I'm also putting my energies into RooDoos grounds and researching bringing NADAC agility to our doors in 2009!  This is just a great endeavor and I'm thrilled to be diverting energy to that goal as well.

I frequently muse over the wonderful people and teams I continue to meet across the country and in my backyard associated with performance dog sports.  Without fail, I find myself smiling and confirming in both my head and my heart - what I dreamt RooDoos would be someday not just for me - but for the community on many levels - was the right goal to set and it's fascinating watching and experiencing this journey with every passing day.
July 2008 Update Today mark the day became a qualified CPE Judge.  The word was official on July 7, 2008 - Flipside's 5th birthday of all days.  But now the adventure continues as I work to continue to develop my skills as a judge.

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