Pet behaviorist hired in Stafford

Date published: 4/10/2007

By KERRI SCALES

Jeta, a 7-year-old shar-pei, had been well-trained since she was a puppy. She was obedient, and warm and welcoming to strangers.

But Daryl and Maureen Peterson, Jeta's owners, started noticing an unusual pattern of behavior.

"She wouldn't let strangers touch her anymore," Daryl Peterson said. "They could approach her and pet her but they couldn't touch her around her neck or take her collar off or even put her leash on."

The Peterson's decided to seek the help of a pet behaviorist. That's where Wendy Anastasiou joins the story.

Anastasiou has been working as a canine behavior consultant and trainer for 11 years, and has been working with dogs for 15 years.

"It became my focus because I feel like I can make a difference," she said. " Many people would rather put their dog into a kennel than deal with behavioral issues."

Anastasiou moved to Stafford from Oregon in May. She owns her own private pet behavior and training company, Life With Fido, and has also been on the staff at Hartwood Animal Hospital at 15 Jewett Lane in Stafford since the end of January.

"It seems when I first opened the hospital, some of my patients had actually been banned from other hospitals," said Helen Jewett, the hospital's owner. "They literally didn't have another hospital to go to."

Jewett has been a veterinarian for 16 years, and opened Hartwood Animal Hospital in mid-March of last year.

Jewett met Anastasiou when she was examining one of her four dogs. They got to talking and when Anastasiou mentioned what she does, Jewett breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was like, oh, my gosh, this is what I have been looking for," Jewett said. "We are fully capable of everything--grooming, boarding, dental, surgeries. The only facet I had not covered was training and behavior therapy."

Anastasiou was more than happy to offer her services, especially since she sees the addition of pet behaviorists to veterinary hospitals on the rise.

"It is gaining in popularity, and more colleges and universities are offering it as a major now than ever before," she said. "The field of companion animal behavior has really taken off in the past few years."

Daryl Peterson said that most people with pet behavior issues don't believe in pet behaviorists; they look at them as something out of Hollywood. But his experience working with Anastasiou made him a believer.

"It is a combination of the training that Wendy has. There is no magic fix-all," he said. "We noticed a 100 percent difference in [Jeta's] behavior after Wendy's visits."

Kerri Scales: 540/374-5000, ext. 5661
Email: kscales@freelancestar.com

Private in-home behavior consultation: $119 60- to 90-minute in-home consultation 60- to 90-minute behavior-modification plan designed just for you. Private in-home training: $299 One session a week for six weeks. Covers basic commands and relationship-building techniques. Private in-hospital consultation: 40-minute consultations available at Hartwood Animal Hospital. Group Training Classes: One session a week for six weeks. available at Hartwood Animal Hospital. Classes are based on behavior-modification theories and developing a healthy relationship with your dog. Contact: Wendy Anastasiou at 937/470-7684 or lifewithfido.com; or Hartwood Animal Hospital at 540/286-2855 or hart woodanimalhospital.com

Date published: 4/10/2007