Danicia Ambron graduated from Columbia University where she was an NCAA swimmer and was inducted in the Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012. She lived in Manhattan for almost 20 years where she opened her own Yoga Studio, attended Swedish Institute for Massage Therapy, had 2 children, and began fostering homeless dogs, becoming an official foster mom for Waggintrain Rescue, a non-profit dog rescue group that pulled Bully Breeds, Mastiffs, and Rotties from New York City shelters. During this time, she was also volunteering for the Pets for Life program of the Humane Society by taking the emergency hotline calls from Manhattan Animal Care and Control and directing the clients to proper resources to prevent surrendering their pets.
It was a natural progression for her to enroll in Animal Behavior College’s year long program to gain more knowledge to handle the dogs she was so drawn to saving. During her externship at Sean Casey Animal Rescue in Brooklyn, she was lucky enough to have a wonderful CPDT-KA mentor, Viviane Arzoumanian, who encouraged her to become an official dog trainer for the Pets for Life Program as well as continue on to becoming a CPDT-KA. It would be an understatement to say the cases she was called to assist with were challenging on so many levels that it required not just dog training savvy, but determination, quick thinking, and the ability to communicate clearly with the pet owners as well as agencies like Building Managements/Landlords and Department of Health. She has worked with DOH and HSUS on bite hold cases and prides herself on being an intelligent voice that rules with rational thought and knowledge. Danicia treats every case using behavioral science assessments and also follows through with functional analysis of the intervention to be sure the outcome will be safe and in best interest of everyone involved.
After helping local shelter and animal organizations, it was clear that her passion and experience with large breed shelter dogs would immediately make an impact at the city shelter in Mount Vernon. For 4 years, using dog assessments, structured training programs, adoption assistance, volunteer education, and daily enrichment, Danicia helped transform an overcrowded and underserved shelter with over 34 dogs to a hopeful and happy place with dogs who now have a real chance at a forever home.
In 2015, Danicia moved on to a broader population of dogs in both shelters and also living in homes but struggling to navigate fear, aggression, and anxiety. She is grateful to have had the privilege to learn from Dr Susan Friedman, Ph.D and credits her with elevating her behavioral science IQ to another level. Both the influence of Dr. Friedman and a strong undergraduate background in the sciences led her to further her behavioral education to become a Certified Behavioral Canine Consultant .
Being able to TEACH humans how to better understand and CHANGE their dog's behavior is paramount and an integral part of Dogsmiles philosophy. The name "Dogsmiles" comes from a strong humane approach to all the behavior work we do...
MORE INFO on what we do and how we do it: FACEBOOK
DANIELL M. HARRIS
Daniell started working with Danicia in January 2015 at the Mount Vernon Animal Shelter where she elevated the level of training possible for every dog who resided there with her calm confidence, patience, and comfort level with all dogs. She went on to become the Kennel Supervisor at the Humane Society of Westchester for several years where she had a gift for maintaining the highest level of humane possible for all dogs amidst often challenging circumstances. Her skills resonate most powerfully with the dogs no one else seemed able to reach, whether it be a feral dog or a dog with a bite history. Daniell works tirelessly to navigate and map out intelligent solutions for the betterment of the animal. She has attended training and behavior seminars on Separation Anxiety, Behavior Analysis, Body Language, and Canine Kinesiology. She also had several opportunities to learn from Dr. Susan Friedman and her never-ending wealth of knowledge and wisdom.
In the Spring of 2019, Daniell also began taking her passion for dogs into the water for our canine swim therapy program that we joined in on with K-9 Swim and Play. She was able to translate her powerful relationships with dogs into a new arena of physical therapy for dogs who otherwise may not have gotten in a pool or be willing to handle magnet or laser therapy and stretching. Her power of observation on what a dog needs is innate and invaluable and she is an amazing addition to Dogsmiles Training and Behavior, particularly in our reactive and aggressive dog programs where both she and Danicia take on different roles along the way to provide the best care and results for our clients.
