Our Instructors

Beth Powell

My name is Beth Powell. I have been training dogs since 1992. I have had many different breeds and finally settled on the German Shepherd Dog to be my breed of choice. I am a retired Steelworker. I worked for Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel for 33 years in various positions. The last 7 of those years as a safety coordinator. Upon the closing of the mill I decided to to try something different.

My first competition German Shepherd was King's Solar Explosion (Bella). She was a very difficult dog to train but taught me a lot. Bella was not motivated by food or toys, which made training very slow and stressful. She was very fearful of her environment. We were able to become a team. She titled in AKC Obedience and Rally but she was able to relax in agility once she got into the ring. She achieved Open Jumpers with weaves, Open Standard and Novice Fast. Unfortunately she suffered an injury that put her into early retirement.

I am an AKC CGC Evaluator, Temperament Test and Farm Dog Judge, Fit Dog level 3 instructor.

I am a Do More With Your Dog Certified Trick Dog Instructor and a Canine Conditioning Fitness Coach.

I am a certified canine massage therapist and a Certified Usui Reiki Level 2 Practitioner.

I have competed and titled dogs in various venues.

My dogs have titled in: AKC Obedience, Rally, Agility, Lure Coursing, Fast Cat, CGC, CGCA, CGCU, Trick Dog, Temperament Test, Farm Dog, C-wags: Scent Patrol, Ranger 1Do More With Your Dog: Trick Dog Novice, Trick Dog Intermediate, Canine Conditioning Fitness Level 1,2,3
Rodeo dog clover leaf, German Shepherd Dog Club of America BH, American Temperament Test Society. Barn Hunt and Dock Diving. Therapy Dog. TDI as well as Alliance of Therapy Dogs.

Sherri and I are partners and co-founders of PAWZ IN TIME and VOM HEARTSOUL GERMAN SHEPHERDS

All of the German Shepherds in our home are health tested and certified.

 

Beth and Sherri are the founders of
Pawz In Time LLC/HeartSoul Dog Training
Vom HeartSoul German Shepherds

Sharon “SHERRI” Clendenin

I am a partner and co-founder of Pawz In Time, LLC/HeartSoul Dog Training and Vom HeartSoul German Shepherds. I worked at Belmont Community Hospital as a Medical Transcriptionist/Secretary for 38 years. When the hospital closed, I decided to take early retirement and follow my dream - DOGS!

I am a spiritual person - bracing the connection of life and our link to each other. While everyone has their values and principals - one size does not fit all - just as it is with dog training.

I was born and raised in Bellaire, Ohio. I have had many dogs over the years: Mix Breeds, Schnauzers, Yorkies, Chihuahuas, Labs - with the German Shepherd being my Love.

I am an only child. The dogs in my life have always been my best friends. I preferred the company of my dogs over most people. As I grew older, my life continued to be focused around my dogs - understanding their behaviors, watching them, listening to them, and communicating with them. I took many private lessons with different dog trainers. I loved spending time with the dogs and training, but after training sessions, I would feel as though something was missing.

In 1989, I purchased my first pure bred German Shepherd, Keisha. She was a handful! Needing more help with training, I did research and found the UOVOTC (Upper Ohio Valley Obedience Training Club.) Soon after, I started instructing classes as a volunteer at UOVOTC. In 1994, I purchased my second German Shepherd, Meikah. In 2002, I purchased the property where UOVOTC is located. I also purchased German Shepherd #3 (Xano). Xano was an amazing boy and fun to train/show. I was introduced to Clicker/Marker word dog training. when Xano was a puppy. Finally, dog training felt right! I found the missing link! POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT, OFFERED BEHAVIORS AND REWARD BASED DOG TRAINING! In 2006, I got GSD #4 (Veda). Veda achieved many titles throughout her lifetime, but what a celebration it was when she got her AKC Utility Title in the fall of 2012. German Shepherd #5 came along in 2013. Phanta is the youngest of my dogs to get her AKC Obedience titles.

In 2019, Beth and I took on the huge responsibility of German Shepherd Breeders. Breeding is something we take seriously! we decided to keep a puppy out of our first breeding - DejaVu Ready Or Not Vom HeartSoul - German Shepherd #6.

In 2021, we bred our female Deztiny Vom Waldenhaus to Pyro Vom Eichenluft. I kept my purple girl from this litter - Soul Believer Rainbow of the Stormz Vom HeartSoul. She is full of love, life and energy. She loves to work and I love working with her.

I have trained and titled dogs through AKC, UKC, C-Wags, Dock Diving Barn Hunt, Rodeo Dog, and Do More with Your Dog - to include Obedience, Rally, Scent work, Therapy Dogs

I am a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), Upper Ohio Valley Obedience Training Club (UOVOTC), and an approved evaluator for the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program, as well as a Certified Usui Reiki Level 2 Practitioner

My five dogs are my life - my world. Three German Shepherds - Phanta, Deja, and Soul and two Chihuahuas Luna and Skit.

You can reach me through pawzintime@comcast.net

Bonnie Zelic

My name is Bonnie Zelic, I have been an animal lover my entire life. I've had a Beagle (2), Boxer mix, Collie mix, Doberman Pincher and in 1993 I got a German Shepherd and then another and another, I'm in love with the breed.

It was the German Shepherd that got me into Obedience and other training. I never thought I would compete, but the dog loved it so much, how could I not give him an opportunity to be in the show ring, so there we went together as a team.

I have many titles and certifications on my current dogs. I also become an AKC CGC Evaluator. Seems as though I just keep falling in love with what we accomplish together and continue to want to do more.

I never intended to get so involved. I just wanted a better relationship with my dog, to obey commands and walk good on a leash. The sky is the limit as we continue to learn new things together.

Donnie Stevens

Hi, my name is Donnie Stevens, my journey in canine training started in the summer of 2021. I purchased my first dog, a purebred Great Dane named Parker. As a naive 17 year old I didn’t have a clue as to what to do with a large breed dog. Parker was truly an impulse purchase and I quickly found a local training club to start attending classes. One class turned into another and more after that, leading to a love of performance sports.

I then started exploring other training options leading me to meeting my fellow instructors which I am proud not only call my friends but my second family! Thanks to their efforts, Parker and I have become a team. We’ve competed in some AKC performance sports and plan to broaden our horizons this upcoming year.

Some of my honorable mentions would have to include me currently pursuing a Pre-Veterinary Medicine degree at West Liberty University, I am an AKC CGC family dog program evaluator, an AKC Farm Dog Certification and Temperament Test evaluator.