Meet Victoria Rawson.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about what you do and why you do what you do?

A: I transform people’s lives with their animals. Many clients come to me crying and go
away so joyful, realizing that they had such potential in their animal.
I help recuperate dogs by getting them thinking the way they should, making their
brains healthy and go kind of in that direction.
I want to help people get the same joy that I get joy from my own dogs. My dogs are
very well behaved. They know what’s up. They’re very balanced dogs. They’re freedom
dogs. They can go to a mall, and they can even go to a firework show. My oldest dog,
who is in his twilight years retired as an international therapy dog. He helped many,
many people just connect. It was fun watching him work. He has a special gift and I just
love working with dogs.
Q: What inspired or led you to your current career?

A: I came from a military family so when I was a child, we moved a lot, but the dogs
came with us. I learned very quickly how to develop relationships with dogs because
relationships with dogs seem to last longer than people.
I also gained the gift of being able to meet people, connect with them right away, and
then say, bye, and move on to the next new person. This helps me in my business
because I always have new people.
I can’t remember the defining moment when I said I wanted to be a dog trainer. I’ve
done all facets of canine work. I’ve worked at a veterinarian clinic and owned my own
pet shop for seven years. I have been in the show dog world as well as in the
obedience competition world.
I think the light bulb went on during my grooming years. I found I ended up training the
dogs to be groomed. I thought grooming was a lot of work, so I thought I’d try to be a
dog trainer. So, I just started training dogs and realized I had a gift, which goes beyond
just reading books and studying under a mentor. I am able to make a special connection
with them and I could see what they understand.
Q: How long have you lived in Sedona and what brought you here?

A: I’ve only been in this area for five permanent years. We owned our house for
seventeen years in the Verde Valley and then went back and forth to the California mountains all the time. When we finally ended up wrapping up California and coming to Arizona, I started a dog training business and it just exploded.
Q: How would your closest friend describe you?

A: Dog crazy, passionate, and joyful. I’m a happy upbeat person, they like being around
me and I’m a teacher, so I’m always teaching something about something.
Q: If you could choose anyone (dead or alive) with whom would you love to have lunch
or dinner? Why?

A: Jesus Christ because he is the most important person in my life. I ask him all kinds of
questions about our dogs in heaven.
Q: On your off days, what do you do in your fun?

A: I do gardening, I love gardening. I have an organic garden, a very big one and I love
doing that. It’s just being in touch with the earth and eating my own fresh food that I
grew. I cook, I just discovered pasta making, bread making and sourdough breads. I just
love all that stuff. When I’mm not working with my dogs, that’s what I do.
Q: What’s your favorite restaurant in Sedona?

A: It has to be dog friendly. I love Colt 804 Grill in Cottonwood and we always love to
take our dogs. I like to go there with my girlfriend and her dogs. We love to do things a
little differently there. So, we go to the patio with our dogs and put them on the stairs
and then go in and order.

Q: Anything I have not asked you you’d like someone to know about you?

A: I got some stuff that I did that people might not know. I was a captain of a fire
department. I was an EMT for seven years. So, I got in the trenches with accidents and
all kinds of rescues and stuff like that. I loved every minute of it and in fact, I
incorporated my dogs. I was also the chaplain for the California Division of Forestry. If
they had an accident or someone died, I went to them to offer them assistance and
care. I can remember one time. I went out on a call, and it was a father and son and
they were fishing. The father had a heart attack. I guarded him wherever we went and
took care of him while waiting for his mom. She had to drive six hours up there. So, Itook my dogs over and went to the fire station with this young man and my dogs helped
comfort him and of course, then his world changed.