She worked at a local shelter as an adoption counselor where she acquired her first white German Shepherd Sam! Through the years of many different ventures, her passion for dogs and business continued on. She worked at other kennels and eventually started leaning towards training where she has worked for several corporations teaching dog training, receiving accreditation’s and mentoring others on how to train. She also volunteered at the local humane society in Sheboygan where she and a team of trainers helped save lives, learn more about stressed and manic behaviors among shelter dogs and build her impact in the community. She currently runs RUFF Academy Real Life Dog Training, a dog obedience school along with in-home private training in Sheboygan, WI. Working with families through classes, led to building a dog training mentorship program through North High School(RUFF Mentorship Program,) with Deb Trcka, a reading program at Cooper Elementary School where children read to Certified Pet Therapy Dogs(Relax With Rover,) and now to a non-profit to train service dogs for children with autism(Pawsitism Inc.)! After peeking into the world of service dogs, she was hooked. She liked being able to see the impact that dogs can make with families and especially children. Her top passion has always been training dogs in public so that people can be educated and see how well dogs can be! She came up with the idea of training service dogs in this area for children with autism as there is a need for it and autism is something that her company can stand behind. With the different organizations that she has started in the community and what her main focus has been about, it just made sense to add this as another project. She then collaborated with a couple other visionaries to then make it what it is today! Rebekah has many connections within the community and dog world, so working together with people is not uncommon. Putting together her love for the community, strength through networking, passion for dog training and business and adding a noble cause, it has now created an amazing organization that is in its first year of development has grown quickly! Pawsitism Inc. has been blessed with dogs donated to the program, local businesses and organizations joining forces and Rebekah’s vision in training to help the dogs work toward successful Autism Assistance Service Dogs for a child in need! She is donating her training services for the first 18 months to help these dogs set the bar for others coming up! Just to give you an idea on time and cost, she trains each dog over 18 months. That equates to 800 personal training hours and $40,000 in training costs! Service dog training not only takes time, but dedication to the cause. Rebekah stays true to the overall goal, helping provide a child with autism with a professionally trained service dog! She currently lives in Sheboygan with her two Weimaraners, Romeo & Juliet. In her spare time, she likes to do pet therapy with Juliet, go hiking with Romeo, travel to new places meeting new people and continue her dog training education. She is currently certified in Pet Psychology and Behavior, an AKC CGC Evaluator, ADPT Member, and an Accredited Dog Trainer. She also carries Dog Is Good Apparel and Products through RUFF Academy! She is a passionate dog enthusiast and loves to help the community!