My name is Danielle. I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas alongside my two older brothers. We spent our weekends and summers outside playing in the sun and dirt. Till this day, one of my favorite things to do is spend time outside exploring beautiful trails in my local area. In 2014 I began working at a doggy play and stay, and I fell in love with working with dogs. I realized pretty quickly that I wanted to work with dogs, in some capacity, every day for the rest of my life. After three years, I decided to join the United States Air Force with the goal of becoming a Military Working Dog Handler. I was amazed at their detection and patrol capabilities, along with the bond and relationship that is created between the dog and handler. I wanted to experience that. In 2021 I graduated the MWD handler course and I have been living the dream since. I have learned so much about what all a dog can offer. Their limits are endless. Following my dream has taken me to Cheyenne, WY for a few years and now here to Albuquerque, NM.

In February of 2023, I was visiting my family back home. My mother and I were leaving the movie theaters after a late showing. We glanced towards the nearby gas station when we noticed a dog who looked scared and skinny. My mother, being just as empathetic towards animals as I am, agreed that this handsome Belgian Malinois needed some help. I was ecstatic! I had fallen in love with this breed throughout my dog handling career, and I immediately drew up all sorts of training plans for him. After a few weeks of making sure he didn’t have anyone looking for him, I decided to add him to my family. I named him Anubis. He was the sweetest dog I had ever met. I joke that his love language is physical touch because he craves being close to you. The more I learned about him, I realized that he was not going to be the bite dog for which I was hoping. He’s smart and loves to please but he wants you to feel comforted, not scared.

I started thinking about other ways that he could “work.” He’s a young and active dog, so I wanted an activity that would keep him active, social, and obedient. Also, I wanted something that we could do together. I thought about how comforting he is to me, my husband, and my mother. And I thought, “he would be comforting to anybody”, thus beginning our road to High Desert Therapy Dogs. Seeing Anubis bring people who are down on their luck just a little moment of happiness has been more rewarding than I could’ve imagined. The smiles and hugs he evokes are his best “work.” Not only does it help him socially, but it helps his obedience training. He learns how to be around other dogs, leash manners and how to hold thresholds. I love spending one-on-one time with him, considering I have four dogs total. I plan to have him provide smiles through therapy work for the rest of his life!