Exploring Life & Business with Cheryl (Cherry) MacPherson of Cherry’s Gooddog Training

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl (Cherry) MacPherson.

Hi Cheryl (Cherry), we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

Well its a long story because I am 66 years old and I have done a variety of things that led me to start this business so I’ll do the short version.
I moved to Nashville in 2007 with my dog Java, at the age of 49, as I have family here and I was looking for a change after 25 years in Fitness/Rehab and Adult Education. Part of that career included owning my Personal Best Fitness Consulting business, doing personal training, teaching fitness classes and offering workshops for Fitness Instructors to earn their continuing education credits. I also was a conference presenter and made a Professional Fitness Video in Manitoba, Canada.
In Nashville, I was working for a Chiropractor doing exercise therapy and then I married an American. He was a scuba diver, retired early and wanted me to travel and dive with him so I left that job. Then we bought a second house on Cozumel Island Mexico, in order to have a home base and a place to store our gear. He was thinking of retiring there eventually but I am several years younger so I wasnt ready for that yet. In between dives he mostly cooked and read his kindle and I was on my own to entertain myself so I started to volunteer as a Vet Tech with the Humane Society of Cozumel Island. I learned to be a Vet Tech and a former interest in becoming an animal Trainer surfaced. I didn’t do anything about that as I was busy with my shelter work, rescuing and medically treating dogs , another project I started teaching the orphanage kids to swim , learning Spanish and taking care of my husband.
We were married for 7 years ( I was his 4th wife) which were quite challenging for me and revealed that he had a number of physical and mental health issues.

A health crisis resulted from his decision to stop taking several of his medications and he chose to end the marriage. It was all very sudden, overwhelming and confusing. I was in shock and traumatized. We were divorced 8 months later. I knew I needed to do a lot of active recovery to get over the loss of my homes, my step family ( he had 4 daughters from the first 2 marriages) and the financial security. I had to emotionally recover and make a plan how I was going to now support myself as a 58 year old. I had not worked for most of the 7 years we were married ,apart from teaching some fitness classes, and lost pensionable time because I thought we had a plan to stay married and work together on our future. After the divorce was final I immediately contacted Animal Behavior College which I had been looking at online for 5 years. They have programs in Veterinary Assistant, Groomer and Dog Trainer Certification. I enrolled in the Dog Trainer program.

While I was studying for the next several months , I was also in trauma councelling, and had a Lifecoach to help me try to make sense of what I had been through. I worked for Rover as a walker and Pet Sitter while taking my course and learned a bit about the Pet Service Industry and how it differed from my previous business in Fitness. I graduated in July of 2017, named and launched my business as Cherry’s Gooddog Training that fall. Starting my business literally saved my life. The clients I have met and the dogs I work with have helped me to heal and given me a new purpose. Much of the skillset I had in my Fitness career applies to teaching private sessions with the dogs and their owners. To say I love my regular long term clients and that I think of them as extended family is no exaggeration. Many of my clients haved stayed on after completing their training program for some of my other services such as outdoor adventures, walks and petsitting. Several clients have become good friends and I am so grateful I have been blessed to meet such whole hearted people who are kind and devoted to their beloved canine family members.
I don’t know exactly what the future holds for me but I hope to continue helping my private clients develop a bond and one of the most fulfilling relationships we are capable of, with their family dog.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

As I explained in my story, recovering from a challenging marriage, unexpected divorce and PTSD was my biggest obstacle. My heart was broken and I was determinded not to carry around a backpack of emotional pain for the rest of my life. I wanted to use what I learned from the healing, in councelling and in spiritual transformation to help other people and dogs. The lessons I learned about a variety of personality disorders, addiction, depression and anxiety, and other types of dysfunction has helped me to handle all sorts of difficult people I have met along the way.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I do private in home behavior training for family dogs of all breeds. I am also an AKC (American Kennel Club) Canine Good Citizen and Trick Dog Trainer/Evaluator and a TADSAW (Train a Dog Save a Warrior) military veteran service dog trainer.

I use positive reward based methods which is based solidly on animal behavior research. (I DO NOT do punishment based trainig such as e collars which shock the dog when it does something wrong.) Positive training is all about the relationship between the dog and their human. Building love, trust and communication is the key. Sending your dog away to be trained just teaches them how to behave in that training environment. The dog will build a relationship with the Trainer but the dogs family has not learned anything about their dogs needs, how to communicate with them or the importance of the human/canine bond.
I have been told by clients that I have a calm yet authoritative manner, the dogs connect with me and understand every word, gesture and body movement, and that I am an excellent teacher. My background in Adult Education, public speaking, and movement science helps with those things. My experience with dogs, living in 3 different countries, my training in positive animal behavior methods and my personal emotional/spiritual journey sets me apart from other trainers who do not connect with people or animals on that level. .
There is a reason we appreciate what dogs can do as service animals, therapy pets, search and rescue and many other occupations. They are remarkable creatures with amazing abilities and the desire to be with and help humans.
I offer 3 branches of service with private Training, outdoor adventures/walks , and petsits for my regular clients.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I am a problem solver. If something isnt working as well as we would like, I’ll try a different way. Together with the client we are a team and will figure out how to help human and dog to be the best they can be.

Pricing:

• Introductory package which includes the consultation/temperament testing is $650.00

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Cherrysgooddogtraining.com
• Instagram: cherrylovesdogs
• Youtube: cheryl macpherson-cherry’s gooddog training
• Other: https://cherylabigailcherrysgooddogtraining.com