Hi,

My name is BJ Harbach, founder of Canine Manners ‘n More.

Throughout my lifetime I have been involved with animals in one way or another, but mostly with dogs. I have experience in just about all aspects of the dog world one could imagine. I have had a literal zoo full of pets in my life, including Hamsters, Gerbils, Mice, Guinea Pigs, Cats, Dogs, Birds, Fish, Turtles, Snakes, Chameleons, and even a squirrel that hung around my back yard every day waiting for me to feed it!

I started out as a kennel hand at the Denver Dumb Friends League, the main animal shelter in the Denver area. I moved up to Pet Adoption Counselor after about 3 months, and stayed in that position for about 2 years, while attending the prestigious Great Western School of Dog Grooming.

I graduated from Great Western at the top of my class, and was a Master Groomer before I was 23. I opened my own grooming shop in Aurora, Colorado and had over 500 regular clients after being in business for only 9 months. Some of my clients were local Celebrities, such as, radio talk-show hosts, local news anchors, City Councilmen, the Mayor of Denver and a former Governor of Colorado. I had 7 junior groomers working for me when my business was at its peak. After my first son was born I sold my grooming shop to another groomer to become a stay-at-home mom and raise my children.

A friend that I had met through my grooming shop introduced me to a woman who was a breeder and handler of top winning Samoyeds. “Sammies” are tough to groom for the show ring and this breeder wanted me to give her “expert” tips on making her Sammies stand out more in the show ring. I did some consulting for her and ended up co-owning a gorgeous female Sammie, named Sassy. I started Conformation showing, with two little boys in tow, to shows across the Rocky Mountain Region, and a couple of National Specialties, when I finally got a Major toward Sassy’s championship, and CD title at the same show. I was a member of the Samoyed Club of Denver and served as Secretary for two terms and Treasurer for one term. I was also a member of the Samoyed Club of America. When the politics of the clubs got in the way of my integrity and beliefs, I found it time to remove myself from Conformation showing and breeding. I stayed with the Obedience Trials for several years with other dogs that passed through our household, some fostered, some died from severe illness, and even one that was stolen out of a locked dog run in my back yard when I wasn’t home. I filled in as the lead instructor under Sally Terroux too many times to count, when the scheduled instructor was unable to show up due to bad weather, or a variety of other reasons. I instructed both Obedience and Conformation showing classes at Sally’s facility on west Belleview Avenue, and many more sessions after she moved to an indoor facility on Santa Fe Road, in Englewood, Colorado.

Once both of my sons were old enough to attend school all day, I decided I wanted to go back to school, and enrolled in the premiere Veterinary Technical School in the country at the time. Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology, located in Denver, Colorado, and featured in the hit Animal Planet television show “Emergency Vets”, though the show didn’t start production until a few years after I attended school there. Many of the veterinarians on the show were my instructors at the school!

I was three months away from graduation and a straight “A” student. The only requirement I had left to fill was my 12 week internship, when due to the illness of a family member, I was forced to take a leave of absence. From there, life began to spin out of control, the allotted time for my leave of absence was up and I was unable to return to school to complete the requirements for graduation.

After a move to Colorado Springs, I worked as a Computer Technician for a few years; all the while my heart was still with the world of dogs. I was hired by the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region and was in training to be an Animal Welfare Officer. I loved the training and several of the senior officers said I “was a natural”; that I had great animal instincts. Due to cutbacks, I didn’t get the chance to stay.

I worked as a Pet Advisor for PetCo part-time and as a Vet Tech part-time in Colorado Springs for a few years before moving to Florida.

My husband Russell and I have just recently returned to Colorado Springs from Florida with our two Maltese, "Maija" and "Max", and a Chinese Fighting fish named "Moo". In my spare time, I like to work on training my own dogs, attend concerts and plays, read everything dog, catch up on my favorite tv shows, and do Cross Stitch.