778 836 9907
brontepets@gmail.com
Bronte Pet Services was founded in 2012 and is currently operated by April Fahr and Shelley MacEachern. Both are passionate about animal welfare, and have years of experience working and volunteering with dogs.
Shelley MacEachern, CSAT
Shelley has always been surrounded by animals, sharing her life with dogs and cats through her childhood, as well as horses, bunnies, chickens, guinea pigs, rats, and even raccoons and a squirrel.
Her interest in dog behaviour began in 2000, when she adopted Nikita, her reactive, mixed breed, rescued "heart dog". They overcame many challenges and shared many adventures for 16 years. Today, Shelley shares her home with Mika, a senior cat with personality to spare.
Shelley completed dog training at the International Academy of Canine Trainers in 2013 and volunteered with local shelters and rescues to hone her skills. She ultimately decided to pursue her passion full-time and joined Bronte Pet Services in 2013, becoming our head walker in 2014 and a business partner in 2016.
Shelley became a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT) in 2017 after completing a rigorous program with Malena DeMartini-Price. She has also completed courses with Michael Sikashio (aggression), and Sue Alexander & Trish McMillan (behavioural euthanasia), as well as conferences like Clicker Expo and individual courses from leading industry professionals like Nicole Wilde, Chirag Patel, and Kathy Sdao.
Shelley specializes in working with nervous, fearful, and reactive dogs as well as separation anxiety cases. She is a strong advocate of positive reinforcement training and believes that forging a trusting bond with your pet, like all relationships, takes effort. But it is so worth it!
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April Fahr
April's passion for working with animals comes from her background in rescue. She has worked as a volunteer, foster home, and resource for many local organizations including Straight Outta Rescue Society, Loveabull Rescue Society, and local shelters. She is a co-founder of Wild West Animal League and a Board Member with Justice for Bullies.
April adopted Chica in 2008 and entered the world of leash frustration and dog-to-dog reactivity. While their first months of training were focused on calm behaviour on-leash, they saw immense improvement through positive reinforcement training and later enjoyed Rally-O, nosework, advanced obedience, clicker training, and trick training together.
April and her husband Josh have taken on several foster dogs over the years, including Notch, who ended up being a three-year palliative care stay and a fixture at our East Van Training Club!
It was her commitment to ethical rescue, responsible dog ownership, and positive reinforcement training that led her to start Bronte Pet Services. Her vision was to provide kind, compassionate and reliable services with a special focus on reactive and special needs dogs.
Our Team
Our team members are carefully screened and qualified. Most come from the fields of rescue/shelter work, or veterinary/kennel environments where they gain direct experience with animals of all breeds and sizes.
Shelley provides personalized, extensive training to each team member, with a focus on proactive handling, leash reactivity, fear behaviours, and low stress/positive reinforcement interventions. We also offer ongoing training and continuing education opportunities to current team members.
We require criminal record and background checks, as well as pet first aid certification. All team members are covered by our liability insurance and WorkSafeBC.
We will always give you the opportunity to meet your walker/sitter at no charge before they are charged with the care of your pet, so that everyone is completely comfortable with the partnership.
