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How Ace K-9 Academy Began

Sandra James' first sentence as a little girl was "where'd the doggie go" and that marked the beginning of her love of dogs. Her poor Mother was doomed. Any dog that walked by her that wasn't attached to a human she drug home and took care of. After years of pleading with her Mom and Dad when she was 11, they finally got Sandra her own dog, Nicky (miniature poodle). On graduation day, Sandra and Nicky took second place in the Obedience Class and caught the obedience-training bug. She has had many more dogs that attended Obedience Classes, as she believes that a well-behaved dog is a perfect companion.

When Sandra moved to Big Bear Lake in 1973 to 1982,  she was a "half-way" house for the Victorville Humane Society as the shelter was 42 miles from Big Bear, so they would pick up dogs and bring them to her home for 72 hours, hoping the owners would pick them up before taking them to the shelter. There were a couple of dogs that would find their way back as they all had fun at her half-way house!

For the last 28 years Sandra has been volunteering for several organizations, some of which include: the Board of Directors for the Pet Network of North Lake Tahoe, English Springer Rescue of America, the BEAR League and Wylie Animal Rescue Foundation. Some of this volunteer time has been spent at the Placer County Animal Shelter helping abandoned or homeless animals be more suitable for adoption.

In 2002 Sandra was downsized from her computer tech job. She was devastated. One stormy November day she was walking her English Springer Spaniels, Ace and Rio, in the neighborhood. While the snowflakes were falling around her. her tears were mixing with the flakes as they touched the ground. 

She's not religious but on that day, Sandra looked up into the snowflakes and said "Ok, God, what am I supposed to do - continue with my computer career or follow my heart and become a certified dog trainer?" Just then, a dog she did not know, came out from between two houses and SAT ON HER FEET. She laughed and said "ok, I get it". Sandra promptly enrolled at Animal Behavior College and completed the certification process, graduating as an Honor Student. She has been helping owners understand and train their dogs since then.