My Life Unleashed Dog Training & Animal Assisted Therapy

I’ve known Lisa for probably six or seven years now, and over that time I’ve gotten to know her both professionally and personally. I originally connected with her online and then met her in person through a seminar she taught in Orlando. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to watch her work with and raise dozens of dogs through both her program dog and co-raising programs, see her work with lesson clients, travel and work alongside her, and eventually develop a relationship where we refer clients back and forth to each other. As another professional dog trainer, I’m very particular about the people I’m willing to refer clients to, and Lisa is absolutely someone I trust to send people to. One of my favorite things about Lisa is how creative she is as a trainer. Her background and master’s degree in psychology bring such an interesting perspective to the way she works with both dogs and people. I’ve watched her find solutions to training challenges that are genuinely outside of the box, from teaching dogs to pull carts to using a laser for retrieval work and so many other things over the years. She doesn’t just follow a cookie cutter training plan. She looks at the individual dog, the individual handler, and what that team actually needs. I’ve also gotten to see the side of this industry that clients don’t always get to see. I’ve seen how Lisa’s dogs are trained, traveled with, housed and cared for behind the scenes. Her home and property are always incredibly clean, organized and well maintained. It’s refreshing to see someone who cares just as much about the quality of care a dog receives as she does about the training results they produce. Lisa is also just a genuinely kind person who cares very deeply about the people and dogs she works with. Her passion for service dog training and for the handlers she gets to help is obvious. Even after doing this for years, she is constantly looking for ways to improve her systems, methods and protocols. She’s open to new ideas, willing to collaborate with other professionals and equally willing to share her own knowledge and ideas with other trainers. I’ve watched her make an effort to build community wherever she goes, which is something I really respect about her. Lisa and her husband Jeff make a wonderful team, and the work they do together is incredibly special. If you’re looking for someone to train a service dog who is willing to think outside of the box, listen to what you actually need and find creative ways to help you reach those goals, I would absolutely recommend Lisa. She is worth every penny. When you get a dog from Lisa, you’re not just paying for a trained dog. You’re paying for years of knowledge, an incredible amount of thought and care, and someone who genuinely cares about the dog and the person on the other end of the leash. On a personal level, I’m also incredibly grateful that this industry brought Lisa into my life. She has such a kind soul, she is a wonderful advocate for dogs and animal health, and she genuinely cares about making this industry better. We need more people like Lisa and Jeff in the service dog and dog training world, and I think a lot of people’s lives are better because they chose to do this work.

Meeting Lisa in 2019 has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and I honestly don't know if I will ever have enough words to explain how grateful I am that our paths crossed. I originally came to Lisa as a client to train my service dog, Elektra. Elektra is now retired, but she worked wonderfully as my service dog for several years and continues to occasionally task when needed. More importantly, though, Elektra became my a best friend, my protector, and the one constant who stayed beside me through everything. She gives me a sense of security and peace of mind that is difficult to put into words. There is something incredibly comforting about knowing that I am not alone and having this little furry piece of my heart beside me, loving me as much as I love her. Lisa played such a huge role in making that possible. But what makes Lisa so special is that she never treated me like "just a client." From the very beginning, she cared about both sides of the team: the dog AND the handler. She took the time to truly listen to me, understand my needs, and understand who Elektra was as an individual. She was always willing to talk, listen, answer questions, and help me work through things, even when those things weren't strictly about dog training. And when our contract ended, she didn't simply disappear. She continued checking in, asking how we were doing, and reminding me that I still had someone I could reach out to if I needed to talk. That level of genuine care is something I will never forget! Working with Lisa also completely changed the direction of my life. During our time training together, I fell in love with understanding dogs, learning how they think, and discovering how their behavior can be shaped through communication, trust, and understanding their individual needs. That experience ultimately inspired me to change paths. I am now pursuing a career in psychology and neurocognition, with the goal of eventually becoming a service dog trainer and scientist and combining these two areas to bring more knowledge and evidence-based understanding into service dog training. In many ways, Lisa helped me find my calling! What started as a trainer-client relationship has grown into a genuine friendship, and I feel incredibly honored to be able to call Lisa one of my closest friends today. She is not only an incredible trainer, but one of the most caring and genuinely good human beings I have ever met. She has shown up for me in ways that go far beyond anything a business could ever be expected to provide. She has literally driven three hours because I desperately needed a hug, and she showed up with one. That tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the kind of person she is. If you are looking for someone to train a service dog, I cannot recommend Lisa highly enough. She doesn't just train dogs. She builds teams, listens to handlers, understands the human behind the disability, and genuinely cares about the lives she touches. Her work has had an impact on my life that goes far beyond training Elektra, and I will forever be grateful that I found her. Lisa, thank you for Elektra, for everything you taught me, for believing in me, for listening, for always caring, and for becoming so much more than a trainer. I am incredibly grateful our paths crossed in 2019, and I am even more grateful that what started with a service dog eventually became a lifelong friendship.

Lisa helped me train my service dog, Koda. With her guidance, he has grown from a baby velociraptor into a reliable and gentle service companion. I am able to confidently take him anywhere and know he will not only be on his best behavior, but he will effectively task and alert me to my medical and psychiatric needs. I could not have raised such a special service pup without the amazing training from Lisa.

We can't recommend Lisa at My Life Unleashed highly enough. We came to her to train a psychiatric service dog for our teenage daughter, who is taking the lead on much of the hands-on training herself. It is a big undertaking for a young person, and Lisa has supported us with so much skill and heart. We're still in the process of training, but wanted to share what a positive experience it's been so far. What stands out the most to us is how Lisa works with our daughter directly - explaining things clearly, being patient, and genuinely listening. She's generous with her knowledge. She's responsive, empathetic, and clearly cares about the whole picture, not just the dog work. Lisa's ability to combine dog-training skill with care for our daughter has made all the difference for our family. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

I have been truly grateful to work with Lisa since 2019. She has helped me with several dogs over the years. What I learned helped me become an AKC Evaluator. Lisa is extremely knowledgeable in dog psychology and behavior. I highly recommend her! She has helped me with service dog work leading to my dogs becoming service dogs. She also knows the law extremely well regarding service dogs. Over the years, her kindness, patience, and extensive knowledge have shone through in every seminar and training session with numerous dogs. She is genuinely the best—so caring and dedicated. I often see other dog trainers turning to her, she is a trainer of trainers. She cares for client needs and the well being of the dogs. 💕🐾💕