About
The brainchild that is Adventure Dog started in 2017 when Kaitlin and Sarah met working at a doggy daycare. Over the years as Sarah and Kaitlin’s friendship grew, so did the idea of what this company would look like.
What you know as Adventure Dog Unlimited today is the result of hard work, a dedication to the craft of training and dog gear, and, of course, a love for dogs. With more than 10 years of experience working with dogs between the two of them, Kaitlin and Sarah strive to provide high quality and trustworthy services to dogs and their owners in the Steuben County area and surrounding.
The vision for Adventure Dog is so much more than just training and gear, and it’s the hope of all involved that you’ll follow along on this ever expanding adventure.
Sarah
Ever since I was little with my first kitten I knew I wanted to work with animals. They’ve been a constant theme in my life as I’m never without at least a few! I now reside on my small farmette in Lindley, NY with my four dogs, 3 cats, a small herd of cows and Gypsy, the horse.
My passion for animals has never changed and I’ve channeled that into Adventure Dog Unlimited. I first got a taste of the “dog world” when I worked at a dog kennel in Corning, NY. It was then I realized that I have a real passion not just for the dogs themselves, but for the whole picture of life with dogs.
While I’d grown up with dogs, and then gotten my own Bernese Mountain Dogs, It wasn’t until Seneca joined the pack that I started to really work with a puppy on training and learning techniques. Not only did I teach Seneca, but she taught me. It’s been a real journey as we worked through her different challenges and found what worked best for her. We still train as a lifestyle to this day, and solid training is one of the main foundations we’ve built Adventure Dog Unlimited on.
As I started embracing dog training and changing the way our pack functioned, the picture of adventure dogs started to form. Everyday adventures to local lakes, walks on Market St. in Corning, and bringing our dogs on vacation with us became a reality. We went through several types of dog gear finding something that would mesh with our lifestyle, and finally settled on biothane. It was not long after finding it that I decided I needed to level up and start making my own biothane gear! I have loved how making biothane gear with Adventure Dog Unlimited channels my creativity and contributes to our theme of adventure!
Kaitlin
It all started with the age-old question; “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. I always answered with “I want to work with dogs!”.
For the longest time I didn’t know what that would look like. Then one day I’m 20 and I’ve just been hired at a doggy daycare, and I’m in heaven. That’s when I figured out what working with dogs would look like for me, and I started throwing myself into learning as much as I could.
For the last 10 years I’ve been building on a knowledge base I started as a kid, when I would train my grandparent’s Shih-tzu after school. Mr. Buttons was really the first dog I ever trained to do anything. He would sing and dance, he would jump over makeshift hurdles, he would sit and wait and then come running to find me when I gave him the cue. He was a good dog.
Ever since my first dog, a Beagle named Sammy, we’ve always had a dog in the house. For years my parents raised and showed Boxers. I’ve watched litters being whelped, I’ve seen puppies grow and learn together, I’ve seen show dogs trot around the ring. I’ve seen my dogs live full, happy lives and I’ve mourned over the loss of them. I’ve known and loved many, many dogs over the years, and they’ve all taught me something valuable.
My latest endeavor in learning has been getting my CACTP (Certified Advanced Canine Training Professional) and CCTBS (Certified Canine Training and Behavior Specialist) designations through the Animal Behavior Institute. ABI has helped me build my technical vocabulary of dog training, prepped me for different behavioral problems, and given me the knowledge to build training programs with long-lasting effects that will help owners and their dogs have the best adventures together.
Melora and Seneca
Melora and Seneca; the little adventure dogs that really got this whole thing going.
In the summer of 2020, both Kaitlin and Sarah were ready to add a new dog to their packs. So, how about littermates? While they may not look it at first glance, Melie and Sen are sisters and, as it turns out, best friends. Having littermates that remain close has been so much fun for not only the dogs, but for Sarah and Kaitlin, too.
Melie and Sen have become the mascots for ADU as Kaitlin and Sarah found their footing and saw the success of balanced training with these girls. They’ve become the poster children for how enjoyable and fun life can be when you’re able to take your dog on adventures. They continue to provide Sarah and Kaitlin with valuable lessons as they learn and grow as the best little adventure dogs they can be.
Fun Facts:
- Melie and Sen both LOVE to swim, they can’t get enough of the water, and they’ve gotten pretty good at dock diving.
- While Melie is a frisbee girl through and through, Seneca prefers to play fetch with the ball..
- Melie lives with her humans, Kaitlin and Greg, her Boxer housemate, Megan, and her kitty housemate, Lulu.
- Seneca lives with her humans Sarah and Hannah (whom are sisters), her 3 Bernese Mountain dog housemates (Promise, Jamie and Denali), her cat house mates (Maple, Cannoli, Indigo and Squishy), and a barnyard herd that includes a few cows and a horse.