About 716 Dog Pack

Sarah DeMerle, ABC Certified Dog Trainer

I have a strong passion for everything dog-related.  In addition to pack-walking, I am also a dog trainer.

I continue to get great feedback from my clients. If you are interested in improving your dog’s social skills, exercise, and want to give them a unique and invaluable experience, then you should try pack-walking.

Sarah DeMerle with a pack of dogs

That’s the textbook stuff, now here are some Fun Facts about me.

I’ll start by telling you 3 of my recent short-term goals…

The first one is being able to do a supported headstand Yoga Sirsasana pose….Look it up- it’s impressive!  The second one is conquering my fear of horseback riding… I don’t know what it is but whenever I’m up there, I panic.   And the third one, as weird as it may sound, is diving in a pool.  I haven’t been able to dive in a pool without plugging my nose, ever!  Sounds silly but you need to do this to work with dolphins, and I really want to do that!

The biggest risk I ever took:

One of the biggest risks I have taken was to go from a full-time university position to part-time to start my pack-walking business.  I’m pretty sure everyone thought I was crazy, but I couldn’t be happier now.  I knew it was risky at the time.  But, sometimes you have to take risks to get further in life!

The best trip I ever took:

The trip started in Draper, Utah, at a training workshop that was held by one of the Dog Whisperer’s head trainers, Heather Beck, called Dealing with Difficult Dogs.  After that, I braved a road trip by myself.  I drove through the state of Utah to the Grand Canyon.  Seeing the Canyon by myself made the whole trip very spiritual and I will value this trip the rest of my life.

What does my animal family look like?

I have a brindle bull dog mix named Harold and a small gray poodle mix named Teddy.  (You’ll see these guys in the 716 Dog Pack pictures sometimes). Pickles, my cat, has been with me for 10 years, the longest.  She is my everything.  She has a brother too.  He’s a black cat named Jackson.  He is the baby of the family.  My favorite part about this sweet furry family is that they all get along.  We will nap all 5 of us on the couch.  How lucky is that?

A secret passion of mine is…

I have a passion for music which includes playing the saxophone.  Yep, the saxophone!  How cool is that?  I started playing the saxophone because I wanted to play those 80’s saxophone solos.  You know, like in Heart of Rock and Roll by Huey Lewis and the News?  (If you don’t, go YouTube it now, its awesome!)

woman with a pack of dogs

My dreams…

One of my dreams is to have a senior dog animal sanctuary.  I love the idea of giving love to dogs who are at the end of their travels.  That is exactly what they deserve.

On a different side of the coin,  I would also love to open my own gift shop someday.  My latest stress reliever is going into gift shops and buying little things for people I care about, sending them and letting them feel the love.  It is such a special feeling.  I want to be able to give that feeling to other people and spread even more love.

The most common question I get about dog walking…

How many dogs have you walked at one time?

I have walked up to 16 dogs at a time, but I learned that my ideal pack walk size is between 8 and 10 dogs.  The dogs are much happier and calm at that number, and I can spend more quality time interacting with them.