Lee Ann Zerbian

I discovered a whole new world back in 1998 with the addition of my first dog since leaving home as an adult, after adopting a shepherd mix, Rue. I had been without a dog for nearly six years, my longest span without a dog in my life since I was a child. My little mix came with issues and challenges from his prior life, so like anyone else, I turned to the Internet for help in teaching my sweet pup that life wasn't as scary as his first few months on the planet had convinced him it was. Never would I have imagined that I would discover how much fun Obedience and Agility would be not only for my dog, but for me as well. Training turned into a favorite time for both of us and the bond that developed between the two of us amazes me to this day. During the journey, we discovered Blitzen Canine Academy and Pam Juliano. Pam showed us how much farther we could go, eventually competing in a mixed breed National Championship where Rue actually took 5th place in his height division in agility in one days results. (Something other trainers said would never be possible with Rue.)

Shortly after, I began my (hobby) teaching career, becoming a certified agility instructor in 2001. Not too long following, I was blessed with my first Border Collie. Blitzen's Dera Wildwind Soul, known to all as "Dera", turned life into a roller coaster of fun and learning. Dera's full name is no coincidence, she is a pup of Pam Juliano's own Border Collie, Tory. They say you have 1 - one in a million dogs in a lifetime and Dera is that dog for me. Now that Rue is enjoying retirement from the sporting world, Dera has picked up the torch from Rue. Dera is truly a versatile dog who has been my partner in countless endeavors and accomplishments. With Dera at my side and Pam in charge of our training, I've been able to further develop my skills as a handler, making it possible to perform for Animal Planet's tv show Pet Star, countless demonstrations for various organizations such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Chicago, a fundraiser on behalf of Midwest Border Collie Rescue, as well as Dera being Grand Marshall of a local town parade, and an alphabet soup of agility and obedience titles to her name (47 in total to date). Currently, Dera and I are training to prepare to compete in NADAC (North American Dog Agility Council) Agility National Championships in October, where we will bring our best game possible to the competition ring, backed by our training at Blitzen Canine Academy. For me, supporting classes at Blitzen Canine Academy for the last nearly 5 years, allows me the opportunity to welcome those new to obedience and agility to the exciting world of dog sports that I discovered over these short 7 years and share what I've learned so far. Truly, whether I'm in classes with my now 6th puppy in training or any of my advanced dogs, or helping in Agility, Obedience or Puppy classes, being at Blitzen is always home away from home for me. There is no limit to what you can learn from your dog when you learn to listen and the only limits on achievements really are those we put on ourselves. Train well…play better!!! Ruff!