The first time Sabrina Acton fostered and adopted a rescue beagle, her deeper purpose became clear.
Growing up, Sabrina Acton had always loved animals. She worked with them in various capacities, from volunteering to vet assistant roles, even channeling her artistic talent into creating pet portraits.
A life-changing hound
Sabrina’s first dog as an adult was Chloe, a rescue beagle, who became a foster failure. From the moment that Sabrina introduced the dog to her father, who was in hospice care at the time, Chloe surprised everyone by snuggling up to the man and offering great comfort.
“Chloe absolutely changed my life and the course of it. That experience just set me alight,” says Sabrina.
“Chloe’s intuitive sensitivity with my father inspired us to train and certify as a therapy team. After nine years of life-changing therapy work, plus two additional hound/beagle foster fails during that time, my mission to help hounds and beagles on a larger scale became clear. That’s when I started investigating training. I was already training my three dogs with R+ methods, but I really wanted to learn the whys and hows on a holistic, professional level, and expand my reach.”
A desire to learn
Sabrina wanted to learn more and to become an advocate for dogs. She sought a formal program and asked for recommendations from positive reinforcement trainers in her community.
“I asked several local trainers about which program they recommend, and Victoria Stilwell was the number one.” Sabrina felt that the holistic approach and animal welfare emphasis at the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training & Behavior especially resonated with her values.
Taking VSA’s Dog Trainer Course proved enriching and rewarding, and the experience was supported by a well-organized and user-friendly online platform. “The way the platform was laid out and the way the modules were broken down made it so accessible and easy to learn.”
She also credits her faculty advisor, Aly, for responsive, constructive feedback and guidance. “Aly knew how eager I was to learn, and so she would tell me, ‘You met the criteria, but if you want a bigger challenge, try doing this’.” The personal support encouraged Sabrina to grow and gain even more practical skills.
Transforming lives
Since graduating, Sabrina has continued to specialize in beagles and hounds, breeds that often get overlooked in shelters.
Her days are full with pursuing advanced courses, volunteering at local rural shelters, fostering hounds and beagles, and offering a “board and train” environment that enables rescues to build confidence and communication skills. She also has an art business where dog training skills have proved useful. When preparing for pet portrait commissions, she is able to teach guardians cues that help them capture great photos and reveal their dog’s unique personality.
Most of all, Sabrina is on a mission to prepare hounds and beagles for loving homes where they can thrive. She is convinced that with the right training and care, these empathetic and sensitive animals can thrive in family homes and make excellent companions. It thrills her to watch fearful dogs evolve into confident, happy ones; ones that will change their guardians’ lives for the better.
“I want to change lives, not just for hounds and beagles, but for the humans who get them,” she says. “I’ve never felt so passionate about anything. It just feels like everything came into alignment.”
“If you have the passion for animals and want to understand dogs on a deeper level,” she says, “Victoria Stilwell Academy gives you an amazing foundation.”
