About Beverley & The Pit Stop/Canine Academy

I am passionate about animals and have been since childhood. When I was growing up it was unusual to see me without some sort of critter. I always had one or more: hedgehogs, chameleons, birds, a meerkat, cats, snakes, tortoises, fish, a mongoose, a leopard, dogs, a monkey, hamsters, rabbits, chickens, pidgeons…need I go on. From the list of critters, I should point out that I was born in Kampala, Uganda and raised in Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Namibia, South Africa and the United States. I also lived in Merida, Mexico and on Ambergris Caye, Belize. It was on Ambergris Caye, Belize that I spearheaded bringing in spay and neuter veterinary teams, from the States, to help with the overpopulation of dogs and cats on the island.

I currently live in Northern California with my husband Mitch – he is a firefighter and I am a dog worker – specifically canine aggression rehabilitation and behavior modification. I volunteer at the Sammie’s Friends/Nevada County Animal Shelter in the mornings. In the afternoons, I work with private clients.

My shelter mornings are dedicated to assessing the new dogs and working with those that need my help. My trusty staff consists of Jack, Duke & Taz & (Smokey-R.I.P.), Ziggy, Misha, Rowdy, Kali & Umi. The gentleman (in the photo) is my husband Mitchell and my staff director. The shelter dogs generally need some fine tuning and I and my staff are extremely adept at meeting out calm energy, stability and manners – in a gentle way.  My mornings are blessed with those that must change for adoption and my afternoons with those that already have a home, loving owners and just need a little fine tuning (most of the time).

We are currently in the throes of completing a long-term canine rehabilitation facility on our ranch in Northern California. The facility will start with 10 kennels  (with expansion capability). It will be a fully contained, temperature controlled facility with office, bathroom, laundry, kitchen, etc. Runs and a few large run/play areas will provide us with the capability of being able to exercise, train and play dogs in a shaded, sunned and safe enclosure. I shall post pics of the new facility in the near future. Construction is not complete – we are working on inside finish work – which is very time consuming.

I must thank Cheryl Wicks, CEO of Sammie’s Friends for a generous donation for the building of Sammie’s Pit Stop. This I where many of the shelter dogs come to for long-term rehabilitation. Cheryl & I shall continue to work together for many more happy years.