New Doggy Blog

Hi, I am Dolores Blake, the newest blogger on Davis Patch.

My blog will talk about dogs, occasionally cats, and I'll pepper in any other animal stories I think might be of interest to you. I have been a professional trainer for 14 years. 

I have loved animals my entire life, having an array of them during my childhood; fluffy little critters like chinchillas, chipmunks and hamsters. I loved those little critters, but I wanted a dog. My mother was fine with critters because they lived in a cage. She didn’t have to touch them or have them running around her house. She was not keen on adding a dog to the family. 

I wore her down by gathering the neighborhood dogs that all seemed to get loose.  I would collect them one after another and put them into the garage where I would feed them hotdogs or bread or whatever I could find in my mother’s pantry. 

I was their very first treat trainer! My mother didn’t allow dogs because she was really afraid of them, so when she would come home to a garage full of them, she had to start facing her fear. She finally relented and allowed me to have a dog of my own. 

My first dog was a rehomed show champion Cocker Spaniel named CH King Fauk. Named after the 10th ruler of Egypt, he was a stunning black cocker who started my love of Spaniels. Since Fauk, I have owned and loved other dogs, pure breeds and mixes. Currently, Springer Spaniels fill my heart and my house 

Life takes you on many different paths, some that cross and some that bring you home. My early paths led me to raise a family and enjoy a corporate career in the food-service industry.  My last corporate position was as Regional Sales Manager for Reynolds Metals Company. During that time, I trained and competed in dog sports with my dogs.

The next path led me back home to what I love to do, which is teaching and training dogs.  In 1997, I left the corporate life and opened The Cultured Canine, a training and pet care service. 

I also had a retail store of the same name in downtown Davis at the beginning. Over the past 14 years, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many of the dogs of Davis and the people who love them. They have come through my training classes, had us come to their home for private training or have used our pet-sitting service.

I have a good wealth of knowledge and some valuable stories to share. My hope is that you will enjoy this blog and participate in a discussion around all things related to dogs, cats and other critters.

If you have pet-related questions for Dolores, please feel free to share them.