Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Sartori
Hi Megan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Animals are practically part of my DNA. Growing up in a large family in CT, our house was always full of furry and feathered friends…gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, parakeets, cats and, of course dogs! At that time my main passion was riding horses. I was an active member of Pony Club and enjoyed competing in local and national shows. In lieu of playing after school sports like my siblings, I worked at a privately owned horse barn.
I graduated with a business degree from Clark University in Worcester, MA in 1995. There I was happy to continue participating in my favorite hobby of horseback riding and joined the equestrian team. As captain I supported our team in Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) competitions. Little did I know that my passion for, and dedication to, horseback riding and training would lead to a career in DOG training…
Upon graduation I moved to Cleveland, OH and entered the “real” workforce as a sales representative for a well known sealant and repair product manufacturing company. It’s an understatement to say I struggled to find my passion in this work. It was a good job with an positive career trajectory, but I didn’t want it. I very much wanted to work with animals but didn’t know in what capacity. After A LOT of self inspection, thought and research I landed on guide dog training. For as long as I can remember I was fascinated by guide dogs for the blind but didn’t think I had the right education or background to be considered for this career. As it turns out, horse trainers make great dog trainers and in 2001 I was lucky enough to realize my true gift of becoming a professional dog trainer by way of the highly esteemed Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation in Bloomfield, CT.
There I completed a rigorous three year apprenticeship followed by three more years training and placing guide dogs with clients with visual impairments all across the United States. I also gained priceless experience working with hearing dogs, seizure response dogs, and service dogs trained for people with physical disabilities and children with autism as a field representative and instructor for Paws with a Cause, a leader in the assistance dog industry.
Training these extraordinary dogs and seeing firsthand how they enrich people’s lives is incredibly powerful, yet at the end of the day what really brings me joy is spending time with MY dogs! The Stellar Dog, LLC was founded in CT in 2009 so I could share my service dog training experience with companion dogs and their owners. My husband and I relocated to Cedar Park, TX in 2014 (10 years ago!) where I re-established The Stellar Dog, LLC. It was definitely a bit scary picking up and moving across the country, closing one business and opening another, but the greater Austin area is such an amazing and dog-friendly city that The Stellar Dog is thriving.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As with all growth there are times of exponential learning and development as well as challenges and setbacks along the way. Initially it was a lot of education in addition to being an apprentice. This was not so much a challenge or obstacle but something that required self starting and time. I was fortunate to have had plentiful opportunities to attend lectures and seminars (this is well before Zoom webinars!) with well known trainers, behaviorists and veterinarians. In CT we were close to Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine in MA which held regular seminars on training and behavior.
One thing about guide dog training that was absolutely a challenge is the physicality of the work. A trainer is responsible for between 6 and 8 adolescent dogs at a time and will easily walk 8 to 10 miles a day, mostly on concrete sidewalks. This was one reason why I transitioned away from guide dog training into opening my own private dog training business. Initially this saddened me, especially because I truly thought that I had found my dream job in guide dog training and that I would never need or want a different job, but essentially it led me to open my own business which is my current dream job!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Stellar Dog exists to offer quality care and professional dog training for pets and their owners in the greater Austin, TX area. We specialize in private, in-home dog training. We ALWAYS work in the client’s home and the specific environments and situations where their dog struggles. The client is included every step of the way to ensure the very best results. From the meet and greet to day training and human-coaching sessions, we keep things easy for the client, their schedule, and their dog. We are truly “empowering people and pets” and together we build behaviors that will last a lifetime so that people can enjoy their lives with their dog at their side.
We do NOT offer cookie cutter training. Dog training is a science AND an art. We focus on the individual person and animal and customize the training sessions accordingly to get simply the best results. We pride ourselves on not only being experienced dog trainers, but also on being excellent human communicators. A major piece of dog training is people training! We go above and beyond to support our clients by offering resources for their reference as well as being available to answer specific questions and concerns that come up in a timely manner.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The industry is certainly trending more and more towards online training programs. I believe this aspect really began to take off during Covid. We have incorporated Zoom appointments into our offerings as well as added video training instructions as a resource for our clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thestellardog.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_stellar_dog/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheStellarDog/
