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 About Our Training Center
 It's
PAWSible! Dog Training Center is a custom designed building
located on Route 66 just over the
Northampton/ Westhampton line in Westhampton, MA. Unlike many
other training centers, our building was constructed from the
ground up with dog training in mind. The state of the art
floor is one inch thick rubber installed over two feet of
tamped gravel, which makes it extremely comfortable and safe
for the dog's joints, and much easier on humans, too. The
building is well insulated for comfortable temperatures year
round, and has 34! 4-foot by 7-foot windows and high-casting
ceiling fixtures that provide terrific lighting for both
daytime and evening classes.
In 1999 we added our Day Camp area to
the building constructions. This consists of two 25 x 25 play
areas surrounded by six foot fencing. This area is attached to
our building and covered by a substantial roof. The roof
allows the dogs to be outdoors yet, there is shelter from rain
or snow. The area is also heated in the winter. It's day camp
that cannot be matched! Read more about our
Day
Camp.
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About the Owners
 Beth
Ostrowski Parks
The Founder and President of It's PAWSible! I am a
Certified Professional Dog Trainer and a member of the
Association of Pet Dog Trainers. I have been involved in
dog training for the since 1993. I specialize in training
groups of people with puppies or adult dogs. My clients
are looking to build a special bond with their best
friend. I also do one -on-one consultations with people
and their dogs who are having trouble with aggression,
fear, separation anxiety or other behavior problems. My
passion is helping people train their "shelter" dogs who
were adopted from shelters or other homes where they were
neglected or abused. I am an advocate of rescuing animals
and did my own Greyhound rescue for several years.
I also regularly volunteer my
time at the Thomas J. O'Connor Adoption Center. I enjoy
assisting Barbara, the Director of TJO, temperament test
dogs for placement in their adoption center. I also help
out whenever I can at Dakin Animal Shelter and Pioneer
Valley Humane Society. There is a lot to learn from all
the dogs out there looking for homes.
I am always striving to learn
more about dogs and consistently study new ways to teach
gentle, but effective dog training to my clients. I just
love what I do!
With any extra time I have, I
compete in agility with my two Dobermans, Makana and
Treasure, and my Australian Shepherd, Phlip. However, what
I love most about my dogs is to go hiking with them as
often as possible. I learn a lot from watching them and
being with them.
What I love most about my work is
to watch an owner of a "problem" dog, learn how to
communicate effectively with the dog. They can then learn
to work together to form a common bond. I've seen great
things happen here at It's PAWSible!
Please take the time to
meet my dogs, Makana, Treasure
and Phlip.
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 Wayne
Parks
Wayne got involved with dogs when Beth did. At the
time it was simply by default, but he has grown to love
the business and is big participant in lots of behind the
scenes work at It's PAWSible!. Frequently he is in the
office answering the phone, making appointments or signing
up people for classes. He also manages the day camp
employees and the day camp area. He is the chief engineer
of our training facility and the day camp area and he is
in charge of maintaining the details, big and small of our
place. He is a very busy man! In his rare spare time he
enjoys powerlifting and martial arts. In 2004 he earned
his Black Belt in Uechi Ryu Karate.
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About Our Instructors
 Ann Peereboom
General Manger/Trainer
Ann Peereboom has been interested in dog training since the tender age of 6 when she "taught" her first dog, a beagle named Lucky, how to find cut up hot dogs in the sandbox. Then, she started to work with Missy, who her family obtained from a local shelter. She taught Missy to jump rope -- much to her mother's delight. Thanks to those first bonds she developed with her own dogs, and her mother's love and support, Ann has always had a special place for dogs in her heart.
In 1998 Ann purchased a Boxer puppy and she wanted to start Trixie off right with formal training in the hope that she could someday do agility with her. She joined a puppy class right away. She was so impressed by Trixie's progress and the progress of the other puppies that she inquired about apprenticeship. Soon after, she started apprenticing at It's Pawsible three to four nights per week.
Ann is an excellent dog trainer who has learned dog and people training skills from Beth. She attended apprentice meetings, traveled to seminars and read everything she could get her hands on. In the meantime, of course, she got plenty of practice with Trixie and with other dogs in classes. After a year and a half of apprenticing, Beth hired Ann as her teaching assistant and a year after that she was hired as a full trainer. Ann enjoys teaching classes here evenings and weekends.
Ann ended up successfully competing in agility with Trixie. When Trixie retired from agility at the age of 8, she was competing in the Excellent level in AKC. Now, Ann has a Portuguese Water Dog named Fisher. On weekends you can find Ann competing in agility events in the New England area with Fisher. They are doing very well in all venues.
In July of 2007 she was hired by Beth and Wayne to be their General Manager of Operations at It's PAWSible! DTC, Inc., which was the realization of a lifelong dream for Ann!
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 Erika Sautman
When finally in a place where Erika could own a dog, she chose to adopt Reece, a two year old Rottweiler. At the time she and her husband Steve were living in Alabama where obedience classes were hard to find, so she used books to help her train. Reece learned all the basics and a few tricks! Erika soon began to volunteer her time at an animal shelter. It was a rewarding experience that taught her about caring for and managing homeless dogs.
After Erika and Steve relocated to Massachusetts, Erika missed her work at the shelter and looked for a way to help. She started volunteering for North East Rottweiler Rescue (NERR), and decided to try fostering. Enter—Kayse! Erika thought this cute young Rottweiler wouldn't be in the foster program for long.
Erika quickly realized she was in for a big challenge with Kayse. She started working on the basics, but quickly realized she needed professional help! She also discovered a lump on Kayse's ribcage. Sadly, she was diagnosed with cancer and was no longer able to be adopted. Erika decided to keep Kayse as her own dog. She also decided to try a class at It's PAWSible!
Walking into the It's PAWSible! Training Center, Erika knew she came to the right place! Not only was the center state of the art, but the trainer's were excellent as well. Then she saw Beth's Doberman, Treasure. He blew her mind. He was so calm and well behaved. Treasure demonstrated the finished product of what was being taught and helped motivate the class to work hard. Erika saw what was possible with patience and practice.
A few months later Beth was looking for apprentices to learn how to teach dog training classes. Erika saw a wonderful opportunity to develop her own skills and a way to help people develop relationships with their pets.
Erika spent a year as an Apprentice Trainer. Attending several classes a week she developed her skills in teaching the basics to others. She also worked in the It's PAWSible! Dog Day Camp where she encountered dogs of all sizes and personalities. She continued to work with Kayse, too. Amazingly, Kayse's cancer was gone, and her gusto for life was making it necessary for Erika to keep taking classes!
Erika became a Trainer in 2005. She loves teaching classes, and watching people move from puppy class to the advanced classes. She finds it exciting to see the bond between the dog and their owner develop. Kayse has also developed so much! She can be seen demonstrating the finished product of many behaviors taught in Basic Obedience Class.
It's PAWSible! Has greatly enjoyed watching Erika blossom into a wonderful trainer that the clients absolutely love!
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Bonnie Henderson
Bonnie is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer through the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and has owned her own dog training business, A Better Canine, since 2001. She began her agility career in 1999 with her first Rhodesian Ridgeback. Since then, she has brought 4 of her own dogs through the Excellent level of AKC agility competition. She has also helped countless students achieve their dog training goals in agility.
Bonnie and Shawna
Her dogs have consistently ranked in the top 5 for their breed, earning qualifying placements at the AKC Agility Invitational since it started in 2006. She currently competes with one of the few MACH Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Shawna. Her most recent teammate, Ghillie, is the #1 ranked Whippet in the country, obtaining this achievement in his first year of competition at the age of 2. Bonnie’s agility classes emphasize having a solid foundation, as well as maximizing the use of reinforcement for learning and motivation. Her understanding of how both people and dogs learn, along with her ability to break skills down to all levels, enables teams to grow and become successful. Bonnie is also a Certified Life Coach so she specializes in helping people overcome performance obstacles and achieve success in training and competition.
Bonnie currently teaches agility at It’s PAWSible! on Thursday evenings in our outdoor field. Indoor classes are planned for the winter of 2008/2009.
Bonnie is also available for private lessons on Thursdays from 2:00 to 5:00 by appointment.
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