Tina is one of the two founding members of Walk This Way and was the one to come up with the name for the business. She quit her full time job in Social Services in September of 2007 to work and help manage Walk This Way. She has worked in many different areas - her degree in Developmental/Behavioral Psychology has helped immensely when trying to correct a dog's inappropriate behavior. Her experience in retail has proved invaluable when dealing with the public. Her writing skills, while lazy on some days, are impeccable.
She is also the official photographer for Walk This Way and many of the photos seen on the 'dog blogs' were taken by her. She has won awards for her photography and had her first gallery showing in 2008.
While she considers herself a Fine Art Photographer, she loves doing candid dog photography and encourages present and future customers to inquire about scheduling 'photo shoots' for their pets.
She has been quoted as saying that this is the best job she has ever had and feels she has found her niche in life. She has a great rapport with both dogs and their owners. She uses a combination of the techniques of classical behavioral psychology and the methods of Cesar Milan (aka - The Dog Whisperer). In the future, she would like to study to become a Certified Dog Trainer.
Tina also became profoundly deaf in 2004 after a lifetime of normal hearing. She had surgery in August of 2005 and now has a Cochlear Implant which simulates hearing yet is not at all like normal hearing. She can understand speech with minimal problems but also knows and uses sign language. She believes that the loss of her hearing has sharpened her other senses, especially her sense of observation. She refuses to let her 'disability' slow her down and hopes to shatter the stereotypes associated with deaf people and hopes to be able to educate people on how Cochlear Implants work.
This is one dog walker you will never catch chatting away on a cell phone while she is supposed to be focusing on the dog she is walking!
