Meet the Team
Teri, Buster and Halo |
Teri Thomas has always had a passion for working with animals.
She trained her first dog at the age of 8. As a child she spent her summers at her grandparents acreage in New Mexico. Here she raised and trained chickens to do a variety of tasks much to everyones surprise. Born and raised in Colorado she attended CSU in Fort Collins for 1 year and Mesa College in Grand Junction for 2 years. After switching majors 5 times she decided to jump into the work -a -day world to discover what she wanted to be when she grew up. Here she entered the veterinary profession and has never looked back. With two years of experience as a veterinary receptionist and technician, Teri moved to Florida with her husband in 1985 and continued her trade in Orlando. An opportunity to work as an apprentice for an obedience instructor arose at the animal hospital where she was working. Teri seized the moment and apprenticed for 2 years. Eventually this trainer wanted to leave the business and handed it over to Teri. She gained much of her knowledge with dogs from hands on experience learning from every dog and every owner she worked with. She attended many workshops and seminars in Orlando by Ian Dunbar, Karen Overall and many others. |
September 11, 2001 made Teri and her husband Lon realize how far away from family they were and they decided to head back home in 2002. Teri took 2 years off from training spending time getting reaquainted with family and the Colorado mountains. She also took this time to continue studying animal behavior. She joined the Association of Pet Dog trainers, received her certification for dog training through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers ( www.ccpdt.org ) and then received a diploma in canine behavior counseling through the American College of Applied Science (www.amcollege.us ) in January of 2004 she decided to start her own business; Angels in the Making, LLC was born. In 2018 Teri became a certified PRO dog trainer through Absolute Dogs. This certification opened Teri's eyes to a whole new way of training and now all the programs at Angels are game based.
Marisa and Lyla |
Throughout high school and the first year of her college life she wanted to be on stage. She decided to try for a Musical Theater degree but that wasn’t for her. She was at the point in her life where she didn’t want to go back to school unless it was something she was truly passionate about.
It took her 3 years of debating on what to do, she even considered training dolphins if that got her closer to animals. Marisa knew she couldn’t ignore her passion for animals and knew she had to find out if training was really the right career for her. She decided to take action and apply to be a volunteer at Roice-Hurst Humane Society. Working hands on with the animals there helped Marisa realize that she wanted to incorporate dogs into her life and make it a career. Marisa’s knowledge for animals grew more as she continued to volunteer there for the next 5 years. Then, one day, an opportunity to do a private class with Angels in the Making for a struggling dog at the shelter came about and Marisa joined in on the class. That's where Marisa met Teri! Marisa thought it would help to know who the dog trainer that everyone raves about was. Teri immediately saw that spark, that incredible passion and flame in Marisa that is required in a dog trainer. She personally invited Marisa to apply for a dog training internship at Angels in the Making through the Mesa County Force Center. Marisa knew she couldn’t pass up this chance. Shortly after started her internship Marisa knew this was it for her. She'd found her career. This is what she wanted to do for the rest of her working life. Marisa has never been happier in a job then she is at Angels in the Making and she can’t wait to see what the future has in store for her! Angels feels blessed to have her as part of the team. |