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Melissa Kielbasa (Missy) is the founder and head trainer of Sandy Meadow Farm Obedience School. Graduating with a Bachelors degree in animal science, she worked as a certified veterinary technician for many years while studying and apprenticing with a diverse group of professional trainers. She began training professionally in 1988, and opened her own training school in 1993 on the farm property. She is an active member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, the International Assocation of Canine Professionals, the Massachusetts Farm Bureau, and is a certified evaluator for the AKC's Canine Good Citizen Program. She has lived with and loved German Shepherds for over 30 years and Border Collies for 20, and has successfully trained her own dogs to numerous competition obedience titles, therapy dog certifications, functional farm herding, AKC school ambassador programs, and to perform at various public demonstrations. She is the head trainer for the K-9's for Kids Pediatric Therapy Dog Unit, a group of dogs and handlers specially trained to work with physically, mentally, and learning disabled children.
Anne Crouss shares her home with a labrador retriever and our favorite pug. She developed an interest in learning theory and training after surviving the adolescence of an exceptionally unruly black labrador many years ago! She actively trains to competition obedience skill level, and has two dogs certified and working in the K-9's for Kids Pediatric Unit.
Pam Shinkwin is the owner of Bearfoot Creek Canine Boarding and has shared her home for many years with rottweilers. She is an avid performance trick trainer, and is in charge of the Tricks Can Be Fun training class at Sandy Meadow Farm. She trains to competition level in obedience, and also enjoys agility and therapy work, teaming up with her dog "Kizzie" as active members in the K-9's Pediatric Therapy Dog Unit.
Eric Gardell joined our team 9 years ago while rehabilitating two rottweiler mixes that he had recently rescued. Since then, he added a German Shepherd to his home and has successfully trained all three dogs to competition level obedience and performance level tricks. Eric is also a trainer for Fidelco Guide Dogs in Connecticut where he is responsible for training dogs to assist the visually impaired.
Cheryl McGraw lives with, loves, and trains Irish Wolfhounds and German Shepherds. She actively shows in breed handling, competition obedience, and lure coursing, and has trained her own dogs to perform for public breed demonstrations and theatrical stage shows. She worked for years at Fidelco Guide Dogs in Connecticut, training seeing eye dogs for the blind before leaving to pursue her second love of photography. She is the owner of Topaz Graphics, a photography company which specializes in pet portraits