An international business chain dedicated to addressing dog behaviour issues, Bark Busters helped Sarasin and her dog. The company’s secret? Helping owners better understand the pack law by which dogs live, and how they communicate. Sarasin immediately knew she’d found more than solution for her dog’s behaviour issues she’d found her life’s calling.

“On the surface, this was an impossible opportunity,” she says. “Getting the money needed was impossible. Leaving my job as impossible. Leaving my husband, dog and parrot to complete training in Oshawa was impossible – we’d never been apart.” But Sarasin says these obstacles were nothing
compared to her desire to fulfill her
dream – so she took a leap.

After going through an intensive 27- day training program, taking a four-hour exam and training in clients’ homes, Sarasin was ready to begin her new career, serving the owners and dogs of Ottawa East, Hull, Gatineau, Navan, Cumberland and Aylmer.

“My job is to help owners and dogs,” she explains. Often, owners seek out the services of Bark Busters as a last resort. Sarasin thrilled that owners choose this option, rather than the alternatives. “When a dog has behaviour issues, owners may have them de-barked, or surrender or abandon them. They may have tried several other techniques

that didn’t have a lasting solution, so they think there’s no hope. Nothing could be further from the truth. I’ve had owners say, ‘If you can’t help my dog, he has to go.’”

Sarasin’s job translates directly into saving dogs’ lives: “About 36,000 dogs in Canada are put down each year, often because of behaviour issues,” she says. Sarasin first meets with owners to discuss factors such as diet and the importance of setting up a retreat area for the dog, both of which can affect behaviour. And while many programs teach dogs to understand the human language – sit, heel, come and stay – Bark Busters teaches owners to “speak dog.” “Dogs have a natural social hierarchy of dominance and submission – they need to have a leader to follow,” says Sarasin. “When they don’t have one, they lead – by pulling on leashes, barking and jumping.” To address this behaviour, Sarasin works with the owner, teaching them how dogs communicate and stressing the importance of body language and voice control. In teaching owners about the natural hierarchy dogs live by, Sarasin points out actions – such as a child hugging a dog – that the dog may misconstrue as attempting to dominate, which can also lead to behaviour issues. Training is conducted in the home of the owner and dog, establishing a level of comfort and familiarity for both. Sarasin

says clients are amazed with the quality and speed of results. “People can expect to experience something phenomenal,” she says. “I’ve had clients cry they were so happy.”

Clients aren’t the only ones learning valuable and life-changing skills and knowledge. Sarasin says dogs – her own and those of clients – are her constant teachers. “They’ve taught me patience, perseverance, empathy and respect. If you give a
dog respect, you get it back.” Sarasin says, “Dogs have enriched my life.”

This doesn’t mean the job is always easy. Working for Bark Busters keeps Sarasin on her toes, as each dog’s needs are different. “Ideas are created out of need,” she laughs. “This job brings out my creativity – I always ask myself: ‘What would be good for this dog?’” And while the answer differs depending on the dog, the end goal is the same: helping each dog live a fulfilling life.

When Sarasin reflects on the 30-year path that led to her dream, she says it was her belief that made it happen. For other dreamers, she offers this advice: “Believe in your dream. Believe you can. If you believe, everything else will fall into place. Life gets you there.”

Now that Sarasin is living her dream, she’s not about to throw in the towel any time soon. “It took a lifetime to get here… I’ll be doing this until I can’t.”