Murphy Meet Katie Singleton, a local woman who not only enjoys being around dogs, but teaches them manners.
Imagine the frustration of owning a canine that messes up the floor, tears up furniture, jumps on people and runs around without following commands. Singleton can take those types of behaviors away from a puppy or adult dog and replace them with behavior that’s more suitable for the owner.
She also teaches canines to search for missing persons. Singleton was recently in Burnsville with her 4-year-old German shepherd, Dutch, a live find dog.
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“While working areas in Burnsville, any time he would have the behavior change of whining and frantic searching, I marked the area as potential and used a radio to communicate that to the cadaver teams that we were paired with,” Singleton said. “They used their certified cadaver K9s to confirm what Dutch had found. He found multiple areas that were confirmed by the cadaver K9s to be human remains. We worked with a group called Christian Rangers and were paired with K9 cadaver teams out of Kentucky and Ohio.”
Canine with search and rescue ability can potentially be of service to agencies if the owner so desires to share the dog and its skills.
Singleton’s puppy program is offered in the home or the pup can be boarded for ages 16-22 weeks. The classes take two weeks to complete and cover sit, down, come, place and leash manners. The main objective is to teach environmentals and proper socialization. The puppies are worked in Singleton’s home as well as out in public.
There is also a four-week program for dogs ages 6 months and older. Lessons are offered in home or as a board and train. It includes longer durations of staying in each obedience command as well as off leash training. They are worked in Singleton’s home and out in the public.
Singleton does not offer protection training but does have contacts for those who do teach that type of skill. Dog owners are encouraged to participate in the training course with their canine so they will be able to reinforce the skills Singleton has instilled in the animal.
When she’s not working with puppies and dogs she enjoys hiking, hunting and fishing. Her favorite color is green.
Singleton is also an emergency medical technician with the Ranger Fire Department and is hoping to be certified as a paramedic in the future. She has been a member of the department for about two years.
She considers herself to be a “jack of all trades,” having previously worked as a hostess at a sports bar and a machine operator at Home Depot.
She enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 2019, but was medically discharged a short time after joining as a result of torn tendons in her left ankle. While that has become a chronic issue, it hasn’t stopped her from enjoying her work.
“The craziest thing I’ve ever done was to repel down 20 stories with Dutch in 2022 in Toronto, Canada,” she said. In 10 years she hopes to be doing just what she’s doing today.
Details: Call 770-714-9597 or visit dogwoodk9services.co.