At happy-dogs.net, we know first hand the strong bond possible between a person and a dog, and the benefits such a relationship provides to the owner, the dog, the entire family, and even the community as a whole.  Unfortunately, most Americans never get that far in their relationship with their dogs.  We believe that this is caused by a lack of education about dogs, a lot of available misinformation about dogs, and the influence of our culture.  We believe that the average dog owner is poorly informed, only semi-responsible, and not getting the most out of their relationship with their dog.  We believe that this is the root of all dog-related problems in our country, including overpopulated shelters, high euthanasia rates, the horrors of puppy mills, attacks, dog fighting and breed bans.  We also believe that all of this can change.  That is our mission - to change American culture so that the average dog owner is an excellent, responsible, and well-informed dog owner, thereby reducing or eliminating all dog-related problems in our country.

The inspiration for happy-dogs.net was provided by Bandit, who taught me more about dogs, life, and possibilities than I ever could have learned from any human.  He was with me as I made my way through college, five jobs, seven moves, three boyfriends, a marriage, a daughter, the death of my husband's dog Colt, and the adoption of our current dog, Juneau.  He put up with me as I learned and experimented with various training methods and philosophies.  He was always right, even when I wouldn't listen, but he would do anything I asked of him to the best of his abilities.  He saved my sanity on numerous occasions and my life on one.  He changed me from an ignorant, average dog owner to an expert dog owner, and sparked the obsession that drives my insatiable desire to learn everything there is to know about dogs and to use that knowledge to the best possible effect.  Bandit was one in a million, and he will never be forgotten.