Dear Friend,
I was born and raised in Kenya, East Africa. My family and I moved to England when I was 14, and a year later we packed up to move to Florida (USA), where my home has been ever since.
As a child, I was always very drawn to animals - all creatures. As I grew older, my love for birds, dogs, and elephants grew in particular.
I recall sitting on our rooftop with my favorite book, “The Field Guide to Birds of East Africa”, and watching the migratory birds fly overhead. I quickly flicked through the pages to mark the birds I saw that particular season.
My favorite family vacations were safaris. This is really where my love, respect, and appreciation for animals stems from. During those experiences, I took wildlife observation etiquette very seriously… and to this day, it has allowed me the opportunity to have some of the most profound experiences in documenting the relationship between humans and street dogs around the world.
My childhood dream was to help prevent the extinction of elephants. Moving away from Kenya was one of the most troublesome segments of my life in more ways than one. Knowing I would not get that opportunity in the United States, I spent days, months, and years drawing from the precious experiences I was so lucky to have in my youth, so I could build a future that was just a little different than my childhood dream.
I feel very strongly about wild animals, who have the need for space and roaming - being restricted in captivity. Through my research and fieldwork, the animals I've encountered have taught me a lot about what I know, teach, and apply as a dog trainer today.
I have followed only two species (Homo Sapiens and Canines) through many forms of existence, documenting their relationships as collaborative and cooperative, in an attempt to better understand the abnormal, non-collaborative and non-cooperative forms of existence.
I find dogs to be very fascinating. Their need for co-dependency has allowed them to be one of the few creatures who possess the ability, desire, and values (intrinsic and extrinsic) to endure the pressures that mankind imposes on wildlife, and still, they co-exist and cohabitate with us.
There is so much that we can learn from the natural environments that animals choose to live in, and the conditions they seek to make them strongest in their efforts for survival. The lessons I have learned from these living beings shaped the creation of Doglando in 2003.
Doglando is an enrichment campus for restricted canine companions. It is a place where dogs can truly "be dogs" and live a fruitful and purposeful lifestyle.
I had the vision of using the lessons that dogs can teach us in a multitude of ways. I am humbled by the impact that our educational programs (such as Camp Doglando, for youth, and Canine Enrichment LIVE, for dog professionals) have had on both Homo Sapiens and Canines. I am thrilled to invite you to join me in the next step of our own evolution as a learning organization.
Canine Enrichment may be a new path, but it is not a new mission for me.
Whether you found me through my work at Doglando, at my speaking engagements around the country in the dog industry, through our forest Kindergarten program ("A Barefoot Village"), or through our Doglando Discovery Days, I welcome you to spend time at Doglando and evolve your vision through our strategically-designed, immersive learning experience.
Join me - and the entire Doglando team - as we create a tribe of change-agents who seek to “give life,” by creating a new future of enrichment, freedom, and growth for ALL living beings.
Here’s why I am so excited about Canine Enrichment LIVE!
As I look around, I believe that trends in the dog industry have really become out of control lately. It’s as though we have forgotten two things:
1. we are all living beings, and,
2. we are dealing with living beings.
It’s time to go back to the basics. At the nucleus of Canine Enrichment, you will re-connect to the mammalian part of your brain to bring to life three basic fundamentals of leadership, the roots of all life-giving relationships: Trust, Honor, and Nature.
I know that no one else is talking about Canine Enrichment in the same way… and I’m willing to take the risk of being the first to do so, because I know what this unexpected experience can create for you and for your team, your family, and the living beings in your world at large.
Here’s the thing: most leadership and business development programs are all about developing YOU - but when you learn to make it about you AND the way you are shaping the environment of the living beings in your care, you’ll see a HUGE difference in your team, your company’s culture, and the quality of your time.
What I am inviting you to experience is a life-giving approach to doing business. It's a model of care that will allow you to play big in the most natural, and nature-inspired way.
I look forward to sharing this journey with you!
Yours in Enrichment,
-Teena