Competence. Diligence. Compassion.

I’ve lived here on Mercer Island for the past 10 years. I received a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Utah in 2011 and accepted a position as a simulation engineer for a company with an international reach, based in the Seattle area. Long hours at a keyboard aggravated an injury I had received in an automobile accident in 1996 and resulted in a series of spinal surgeries. Despite the surgeries and the associated physical therapy, it was clear that I could no longer spend countless hours sitting or standing in front of a computer. My employment with the software company ended after four years and I was forced to reinvent myself. For the first time in my life, I filed for unemployment and faced an uncertain future.

While unemployed, I first focused on recovering my health. I began keeping more regular hours. My work supporting clients in other parts of the world had previously required me to be available on clients’ workdays in Asia, Europe, or Africa. Then too, I found myself paying more attention to my diet and began cooking more nutritious foods on a more normal schedule. Even more importantly, I found regular exercise to be essential. I began by taking my best friend, Walter, my Australian Shepard, on short walks and over time, the length of the walks increased and my strength improved. Very often, our walks included time at the local park near my home, where Walter and I would find ourselves in the company of other dogs and their owners.

Those owners began to notice the rapport that Walter and I share and began to approach me with questions about dog behavior and the techniques I had used to establish and maintain the relationship that Walter and I share. It occurred to me then, that providing services to dog owners on Mercer Island might help me overcome the career changing injury that I’d experienced and allow me to stay here on this island that I’ve grown to love.

My newfound business began modestly and has evolved over time. I began boarding and training customers’ dogs, taking them on walks, and providing tips to interested dog owners during my visits to the local parks. As my customer base expanded and my experiences with diverse individual dogs grew, I began to notice patterns of behavior that reminded me of my training and experiences in my life as an engineer. Data science has been changing our understanding of the world and it occurred to me that many of the concepts might be applied to the relationship between dogs and their owners. Based on that belief, in 2015 I established a dog training business called Data Dogs. Using this novel approach to training people and pets, this little company doubled in size every year from 2015 to the arrival of the pandemic in 2020.

As 2021 unfolds for us all, I sincerely hope that I can help you make this year the best year for you and your companion.