Hannah Ashmore, Lead Advocate, Educator & Trainer
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Since 1998, through taking, assistant teaching, or leading classes, Hannah has been a part of a dog's life.
Nowadays, Hannah is bringing her fun-focused, and reward-based dog training approach to Southeast Michigan. While Hannah wants to help all dogs and their humans learn through play, she has a fondness and gift for working with puppies, fear-based, and teenaged dogs. The dogs that belong to what she calls the "extreme ends of the spectrum" are most responsive to clear communication and a positive reinforcement, force-free training approach. And puppies? There is nothing Hannah loves more than having enormous amounts of fun with spongey puppies and helping learn the ways of this world.
Notable accomplishments:
- Clicker training since 1998
- Apprenticed with Sit Stay Dog Training, NYC, 2006
- Member of Pet Professional Guild
- AKC Canine Good Citizen & Trick Title Evaluator
- Nationally certified dog trainer via CCPDT since 2017
- Actively training with Michigan Search & Rescue since 2017
(One more level & Hannah/Dougal are deployable!)
- Certified Scentwork Instructor via UKCSD since 2019
PERMADOGS
Hannah is currently 'owned' by 4 dogs...whoops! Make that 5.
Many of y'all know Hannah calls her personal dogs #PermaDogs. The label is given mostly to differentiate between all of the dogs that flow through her life via foster, training, or just hanging out downtown.
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Kali, 1995-2012
The dog that began the journey! Born in Abu Dhabi, in 1995, Kali was the runt of an accidental litter between a hawking Saluki and a desert dog. She entered Hannah's life in 1998 and turned it upside down for more than 14 more years. She was pint-sized (and definitely reactive) yet giant-hearted.
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Maverick, 1999-2013
A first foray into living with a puppy that Hannah swore she would never repeat, Maverick was also her first Coonhound, a Bluetick. Maverick was adopted from the Wake County SPCA in Raleigh, NC and moved to 4 more states and countless apartments as Hannah's Guarder in Chief.
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Dominic, 2010-
An exercise in fostering that lead to forever! Dominic has the distinction of being Hannah's first foster dog, from the Buster Foundation. He left the former Women's Prison Training Program and walked straight into Hannah's life. He's a (recovering) fear-based dog who is proof that consistent work and environmental exposure can increase a dog's confidence a thousandfold.
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Livvie, Olivia when she's naughty, 2010ish-2023
Livvie arrived in Ypsilanti as a foster dog through American Black & Tan Coonhound Rescue. Word on the street had her at about 1-2 years of age. Fast forward a few years, consensus has her at quite a bit older. Hannah 'jokes' that Livvie is her canine mirror image: she talks all the time, sticks her nose into everything, eats constantly, and does whatever the heck she wants...when she wants.
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Dougal, 2016-
After 18 years of successfully saying "NEVER again" to living with a puppy, Dougal, the EAR-l of Meadowland, waltzed into Hannah's life when she was consulting with the Humane Society of Livingston County. His shy, floopy-earred self has helped launch a new era of Longsnouts and is actively helping to define our plans for the next few years. Dougal and Hannah are training with Michigan Search & Rescue to become an Airscent Wilderness K9 search team.
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Cilla Bean, 2019-
Hannah got a message from a fellow volunteer about an emaciated, pointy-earred girlie at Detroit Animal Care & Control and was she a good fit for The Un-Shelter* to pull into rescue. She was! Hannah fostered her for several months (except when she swapped fosters during Heartworm treatment) before finally admitting there was no way Cilla could leave. She was officially adopted, becoming Cilla Bean, First of the Wildlings. Hannah is currently encouraging Cilla's innate scenting abilities in Barn Hunt and Nosework. The girlie is GOOD!
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Kenna, Borne of Fire, 2021-
After fostering 5 Belgian Malinois puppies for a few weeks, Hannah realized there was no letting "Nugget," the runtlette, go to another home. See, a 4.5 lb puppy crawled into her lap from moment one...and that was it. Labeled #tinytyrant and #biteybaby - she's both in equal measure - Kenna fits right into the melee with a massive personality that her body is growing into and gumption to spare. The current plan is for her to be a scent sports dog with her idol, Cilla.
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* Hannah is a Board Member for The Un-Shelter and often fosters, promotes, or tries to matchmake for humans/dogs via The Un-Shelter. If you're interested in getting involved (fostering, Pack Walks, and more!) send 'em a note and say we sent you!
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