About Danielle Wilson
Danielle earned a B.S. in Education from Slippery Rock University with a specialty in reading and early childhood. She continued her education in North Carolina pursuing further training in special education and reading education at the graduate level. In North Carolina she became involved with the Felicite Animal Sanctuary engaging her passion in animal training and learning more about ethology. She started an obedience training program with Park Veterinary Hospital in Durham and has been training many different breeds of dogs since 1988. Canine U opened thereafter and has taken off since its inception. She has been a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers since 1988, and a CPDT (Certified Pet Dog Trainer) since 2003. Danielle is American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen Evaluators #5271 and hosts regular evaluations of her students in both Canine Good Citizen testing and Star Puppy testing. .During her 20+ years as an obedience enthusiast and instructor she has attended yearly educational seminars given by the APDT in the area of advanced temperament evaluation, canine performance enhancement, aggression issues in pet and shelter dogs, evaluating shelter dogs, and countless others on the uses of operant conditioning, positive reinforcment and classical conditioning to train pet dogs and their owners.
Danielle has worked with Paws With A Cause® since 2006 training service dogs, supporting Western PA's Foster Puppy program and training and integrating Assistance Dogs with clients who desire more independence. She trains wheelchair assistance dogs, seizure response dogs, hearing dogs for the deaf or hearing impaired, social support dogs and hopes to expand the autism support dog program into Western PA when it becomes available. In addition to her duties as a Field Instructor she interviews new clients, gives educational presentations on the benefits of assistance dogs and trains and supports families that wish to raise a Foster Puppy for a future in service. Her work provides lifetime team support which encourages independence. Training assistance dogs is her true calling and some of the most rewarding work she does to support the human canine bond. She trains dogs as far north as Erie and as far south as West Virginia. Her clients are everywhere in-between.
Danielle was a charter member of Duke University Children's Hospital and Medical Center Critical Care Pet Therapy Volunteer program and began a visitation program at the Ronald McDonald House in Durham when she lived in North Carolina. Jake, Cobi and Danielle logged hundreds and hundreds of hours volunteering with the program where they received many awards for their time spent with the children of the oncology and transplant wards at Duke. Her team made many friends and many memories that will last for eternity in her heart. Danielle, Jake and Cobi were also volunteer members of the Pet Friends program at Pittsburgh Children's Hospital until 2003 when her son Ryan was born. They enjoyed their time with that program and hope to return some day.
Danielle's first Golden Retriever and founding father of Canine U, Jake, was awarded a medal of honor in 2001 from the American Kennel Club. He achieved the first ever Award for Canine Excellence (ACE) in the area of Therapy Dog Volunteer and the Golden Retriever Club of America awarded him the first ever Gold Standard Award for his volunteer work hours. Only one of these awards is given yearly to an outstanding Golden Retriever. Jake received it for his countless hours of Pet Therapy Volunteer work. Jake was given a certificate of achievement, the TDIA pin, by Therapy Dogs International and Delta Society honored him for his 8 years of volunteer service. Her Golden Days Read-Ins at Helena Elementary where she taught in Timberlake, NC were a big hit with children experiencing reading difficulty. Danielle, Jake and Cobi founded Reading Buddies, a reading to the dogs, program at the Ellwood City Library. That program was given two awards of distinction from the National Library Association. She also began a reading program at Barnes & Nobles in Cranberry Twp which was not as popular as the library programs but still fun for the dogs and the Compassionate K-9 Therapy Dog Group that volunteered together. That group visited at the Mary Evans unit at the Ellwood City Hospital as well.
Danielle also used her dogs in presentations called Prevent-A-Bite to teach children how to prevent being bitten by a dog. Additional information on Jake's accomplishments and gentle nature were featured in a book entitled The Compassion of Dogs. Jake had 10 agility and obedience titles accumulated throughout his career. Sadly he passed away in 2005 due to auto immune disorder. He is missed still. Cobi passed away in October of 2010 from a cancer called hemangiosarcoma. Both dogs are missed terribly but her love for dogs continues on in the 3 labs and 1 golden retriever she currently owns and trains for competitive events.
