OUR TEAM

Amy Cowan, CPDT-KA

Throughout my life, I’ve been an an entrepreneur, strategy and operations professional, and, for the last three years, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Most importantly, though, I’m Theo’s mom. 

An NYC rescue matched Theo, a Maltese/Lhasa Apso mix, to us in 2019. As soon as he came home, he defended his most prized possessions with his teeth, refused to have his harness put on, and barked at men on the street at night.

Desperate for help, I asked all my friends and family to recommend a dog trainer near me. After receiving a pile of phone numbers for NYC dog trainers, we had a few sessions with a well-intentioned trainer who suggested fixing Theo’s barking with a shock collar. Needless to say, we parted ways pretty quickly.

Luckily, through another recommendation, we found a trainer who showed us the power of science-based, positive reinforcement dog training. Theo started to thrive, and I felt empowered, calm, and confident that the advice I got was truly humane and effective. In short, trust developed.

Around the same time, as Theo’s hair grew increasingly long and matted, so did the realization that he would be a nightmare to groom. After a long and desperate search, on the ninth page of Yelp listings, I finally found a review from a fellow dog owner about how this groomer worked wonders when handling her sensitive rescue Lhasa Apsos.

My own challenges around finding certified dog training and grooming showed me there had to be a better way for pet guardians to find quality care they can truly trust. 

In 2022, I left my job in the tech world, and earned the title of Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA). These days, I spend my time helping dogs and people live their best possible lives together through training and building DigUp to be the most trusted resource for quality pet care. 

I’ve personally vetted and endorsed every provider on DigUp. If you need help, or just want to chat, feel free to get in touch.