Acme Canine Resource Center

A few years ago, I adopted a wonderful deaf Australian Shepherd. I have had Aussies for most of my life and they are a delightful breed. They are also an intelligent breed and need «projects» to keep them happy. I had taken my two previous Aussies to work with a professional trainer, when I lived in New Jersey. I am an animal lover and have worked with horses all of my life, so I am extremely picky about any type of training my dog would have.
Being that I was new to the Columbus area, I trusted my vet to recommend a local trainer to help me with my the deaf Aussie I had just adopted. I had read several books on deaf dogs and they all had recommended using a trainer that knows sign language. Any dog trainer that has trained a dog to the highest level of obedience, knows sign language.
So, in comes Acme Canine and Laura Pakis! I must have interviewed her more times than she interviewed me! That was when I knew I had found THE place to train my lovely Gracie. Rescuing a deaf dog is a rewarding experience, but I knew there was no way I would have been able to handle her safely and properly, without professional help. Acme gave me the chance to give a dog a chance for an almost normal life, that no one else would have. Since Gracie’s in residence training, I have taken several other classes at Acme. My favorite was a scent class in which Gracie excelled above all of her classmates.
Gracie goes everywhere with me, including work and many horse shows that I attend for work. She is adored by EVERYONE, especially children. Her temperament is wonderful, which is sometimes hard to archive with a deaf dog because they can be startled so easily. My review is long, but I felt that my story needed to be told. Acme Canine, Laura Pakis, and her staff do a wonderful job. I have and will continue to recommend their services because I believe in them. I only recommend products and services that I believe in.

I once had the chance to interview Laura Pakis, the owner of ACME Canine, about an issue involving animal rights. I was quite impressed by her understanding of dogs and people. Ms. Pakis is a certified professional trainer and her intention is to not only train the dog but to train the owners as well. In fact, their slogan is «We teach dog owners new tricks». I got the impression that she really is passionate about what she does and cares about her clients — both human and canine. Her sessions are set up not as strictly hourly or half hourly or what not. They’re set up to go until the dog and the owner clearly get what is being learned. If the dog is being taught to sit or heel, the session isn’t over until the dog successfully sits or heels on command, whether that takes a half hour or three or four hours.
As an example Ms. Pakis uses her own dog, a giant Schnauzer named Woofie, as her demo dog. Woofie has some scout badges of his own, including a certification as a Therapy Dog and American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen. Woofie is also a little bit of a celebrity, having been featured in magazines and on television.
ACME Canine is not breed specific so it doesn’t matter if your dog is a Chihuahua or a Great Dane, mellow or aggressive, highly intelligent or, well, less complex.