ABOUT US
PET PALS started operating since July 2001 as a Pet Sitting, Horse Care and Dog Walking service. Pet Pals started due to the love, commitment, dedication and passion Adriana has had for animals all her life.
Adriana Milne – business owner/ manager comes from a family that was heavily involved in dog breeding and showing for over a decade in her native Brazil. Navarra – business – produced top cocker spaniel show dogs that just kept winning. Adriana used to help her uncle – the breeder and Kennel Club judge showing and grooming the dogs.
‘That was when a little seed was planted in my heart without me knowing then that quite a few years down the track my passion for animals would become so overwhelmingly strong that it’d change the course of my entire life’.
Adriana has had extensive handling experience with dos, cats, small animals and horses over many years and has also volunteered working at animal shelters and a horse hospital and later working professionally at a dog grooming parlour.
I was introduced to the Delta Society positive reinforcement methods through a course I did through Caspa -Companion Animal Services Provider Association. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to learn more about it. I did the Delta- Level 1 Basics 8 week course with Paw Behaviour- Jennifer Wilcox. And after that the 2 year Delta Society Cert IV- Dog Training course that I finished in July 2009.
As a dog walker I started using the Delta methods with my regular dog walking customers' dogs and I could see how effective the methods really were and that they did work. On top of that the dogs were enjoying themselves and their behaviour was improving considerably.
My past background is in Hospitality Management. I worked in the industry for 15 years, mainly in deluxe hotels. After I graduated I had the priviledge to have worked in some unbelievable places and 5 start hotels around the world like in Rio de Janeiro- Brasil, in England -at the Dorchester Hotel- London, Ascot Races, the London Guildhall and British High Court and in Australia - The Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Sydney and the Melbourne Club and Australian Club, Melbourne.
Adriana brings outstanding levels of customer service and a strong commitment to customer satisfaction to Pet Pals. She has great people skills and is very aware of her customer needs.
All pets have a genuine person, warm, caring & knowledgeable handler to look after them & to help them getting fit & well trained.
Pet Pals is:
- Reliable
- Police checked
- Has Public Liability Insurance
- Provides References
- Adriana is a qualified Delta Society Australia dog trainer
- Adriana is continually upgrading skills and attending industry seminars and conferences
Courses and Seminars attended:
- 20-22 January 2012 - Dr. Roger Abrantes seminar, PhD Evolutionary Biology and Ethology - topic: 'The brave new world of Dog Training - Science with a brain and a heart' - Sydney
- 27-30 October 2011- APDT Annual Dog Trainers Conference - Sydney, Speakers: Kay Laurence - UK pet dog clicker trainer on connecting with your dog, Dr. Kersti Seksel - top Australian Vet Behaviourist on Puppy Pre-School, multi dog household and dog socialisation, Vet referrals, canine body language, Gabrielle Carter - Vet Behaviourist on dog behavioural problems, separation anxiety, noise phobias, dog cognitive dysfunction, anxiety and aggression on dogs, puppy training, Nicholas Bishop - Zoo animal trainer on clicker training and bridges
- May-June 2011 - Case study - 'The stray dogs of Brazil' - field study in the areas of Porto Alegre, Gramado and Florianopolis, Brazil
- February 13th, 2011 - Melbourne Zoo field day trip - 'Behind the scenes with the animal trainers': a group of dog trainers spent the whole day observing how the Zoo trainers train certain animal species: brown bear, tree kangaroo, giraffe, tigers, elephants and seals.
- 29-31 October 2010 - APDT Annual Dog Conference, Sydney. Speakers: Ken Ramirez- Biologist, animal behaviourist & animal trainer Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, USA with over 30 years experience in his field, Steve White- 35 years law enforcement career, dog trainer and handler for the Seattle Police Canine Unit, USA, Peta Clarke - Nationally Accredited Trainer, 15 years experience as an animal trainer both in Australia and in the USA, APDT current President, Terry Theakstone - Vet Behaviourist, Australia
- October 2010 - 'The Future of Veterinary Behaviour' - evening seminar by Dr. Debbie Calnon & Dr. Caroline Perrin, Vet Behaviourists from Behaviour Counselling Service - Southern Animal Referral Centre, Melbourne
- September 2010 - 'Reactive Dogs' - 1 day seminar - Dr. Katrina Gregory, Vet Behaviourist from Creative Animal Solutions, Vic. - Patterson Lakes Community Centre, Melbourne
- March 2010 - DPDTA - Delta Pet Dog Trainers Association Quality Assurance 2 day seminar - Melbourne. Guest speakers: Dr. Debbie Calnon & Dr. Gabrielle Carter - Vet Behaviourists, Ruth Stockton - Assistance Dogs Australia, Sandy Lack - APDT President, Jenny Judson & Jenny Pearce- Delta instructors
- February 2010 - 'Building Better Dogs' 1 Day Seminar - Monash University Clayton - promoted by Animal Welfare Science Centre - Melbourne. Speakers: Dr. Pauleen Bennett - Monash Uni., Dr. Paul Mc Greevy - vet, animal behaviourist, writer, Dr. Mike Goddard - vet, professor animal genetics University of Melbourne, Dr. Kate Schoeffel - vet, dog breeder and PhD students: Kate Mornement, Lisa Tomkins, Mia Cobb, Tammie King & Vanessa Rohlf
- 3-5 October 2009 - APDT Annual Conference, Sydney. Speakers: Dr. Pamela Reid - PhD, Certified Applied Animal Behaviourist, USA. Pamela specialises in animal learning and behaviour; Sarah Kalnajs - CDBC, CPDT, Certified Dog Behaviour Consultant, over 10 years exp. in canine behaviour, training and research.
- March 2009 - Behaviour @ Breakfast - 'Dispelling the "dominance" myth and achieving control of dog behaviour' - Melbourne - promoted by AVA & AVBIG - Melbourne. Speakers: Dr. Pauleen Bennett - Animal Welfare Science Centre Monash University, Dr. Robert Holmes - Animal Behaviour Clinics, Dr. Debbie Calnon BSc BVMS MACVSc ( Animal Behaviour) CMAVA, Dr. Gaille Perry - Sydney Animal Behaviour Service
- January 2009 - 'Puppies and Juvenile dogs behaviour' - Dr. Ian Dunbar - 2 day seminar - University of Melbourne - Dr. Dunbar is a British/ American vet, animal behaviourist and writer, he designed the concept of puppy pre-school
- June 2008 - 'Handling Other People's Animals' - 1 Day seminar to CASPA members, by Dr. Jacqui Ley - BVSc (Hons), MACVSc ( Veterinary Behaviour), CMAVA, Melbourne
- 2007-08 Certificate IV Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Instructor 2 year course - Nationally Accredited, Delta Society Australia