Meet Tamara Bell | Service Dog Program Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tamara Bell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tamara, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am from Northern California and grew up there for most of my life. I have a large family who have always been very supportive and close with each other. Since Northern California offers many different cultures and experiences we were very adventurous and always trying something new and different. Having my family show me that great things can come from exploration I have been more open to new things. It lead me to pursue a unusual profession of training service dogs for individuals who need them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I train service dogs for Veterans by using positive training methods to teach the dogs over 70 commands. They will learn how to do different mobility tasks like turning off lights and retrieving dropped items. We also teach them psychiatric tasks like waking up from nightmares and interrupting anxiety behaviors. It is amazing to see how the dogs brighten their faces as soon as they walk in the room for therapy.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take all my visitors to Ocean Beach and the zoo. Some places I would visit are Tap Shack for the Kombucha lovers, Plant Power for my vegetarian friends and walking down newport ave. They have great plant shops, antiques and restaurants down that road. One of my other favorite places for a bonfire is nearby at Fiesta Island.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Paws for Purple Hearts is a non profit organization that trains and places service dogs with Veterans as well as provides Canine Assisted Warrior Therapy. I have been apart of this company for 5 years now and it has allowed me to assist many Veterans in different states. I have gotten to visit most of the different Paws for Purple Hearts sites in Alaska, California, Texas and Virginia which all help many Veterans in different ways.

Website: https://pawsforpurplehearts.org/

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