Meet the Smarty Paws Trainers
Denise Beckwith
Denise was raised on a farm in Minnesota, and has been around many types of animals her whole life. After leaving the farm, her mother worked at an exotic pet store in Phoenix, and Denise frequently helped out with the chores so she could be around the animals.
Denise is crazy about dogs, and currently has three of her own.
“Domino” is a five year old Australian Shepherd, who recently obtained his Advanced title in Rally Obedience. Domino enjoys a wide venue of other sports, including swimming, Frisbee, agility, and riding on the back of Denise’s Honda 4-wheeler.
“Keno” is a one year old Border Collie, who was rescued from the Pound in San Diego. Keno is currently learning agility, and is settling in nicely with his new pack.
"Trace" is just a pup (Border Collie), but is already enjoying his time at Smarty Paws, and comes to work with Denise frequently to socialize and learn.
Denise also shares her home with an African Grey parrot, who mimics everything she says, including all of the behaviors, tricks and commands she gives her dogs.
Denise began taking classes for/with Domino five years ago when he was just a pup. She quickly became addicted to the world of dog training, and has been working at Smarty Paws for over two years now, using Domino & Keno as “demo dogs” for obedience and agility classes.
She also volunteers her services to “Canine Assistants”, which is a program that trains service dogs for persons with disabilities.
Denise is a full-time Officer with the Department of Homeland Security, and has served with the United States Government for 22 years. She is married to a real “outdoorsman”, and the two of them spend much of their time planning their next camping trip. If you ask Denise why she prefers to camp over other vacation opportunities, she will tell you “It’s the only way I can take my pack with me!”