Kammie Weatherby, owner of Kamo’s Working K-9 in Elbert County, loves dogs and works tirelessly to turn even private pets into valuable, happy service dogs. She breeds dogs and offers affordable private training for dogs and their owners, depending on the dog’s natural instincts and the owner’s needs.
Weatherby is passionate about what she does and clearly enjoys helping those around her. “I want to help people that feel like they have no help, that feel like they’re not heard,” she said.
Weatherby didn’t set out to start a service dog business. Through her previous work as a dog groomer and at a veterinary clinic, people observed the skill of Weatherby’s own dogs and would ask her for help. One woman, Donna, had multiple sclerosis and struggled with mobility and maneuvering around her home. She was unable to pick things up and couldn’t even put her socks on.
Service dogs from other providers typically cost around $40,000, Weatherby said, an amount that’s out of reach for many. Not only that, but as Weatherby described, the dog is not chosen with a specific owner in mind, customers receive only one week with the dog in a training facility and, after the dog is placed, there’s not much support.
For those reasons and more, Weatherby suggested that she help train a dog for Donna. Weatherby prefers to use dogs that are already familiar with their owner or one of her own dogs, so she visited Donna’s home to see her environment and observe her dog.
By training Donna’s dog, Weatherby was able to help Donna better navigate and overcome the limitations of her MS. Weatherby even taught Donna’s granddaughter some obedience training too. “Kids do great with dogs connecting with animals. Little kids can train a dog better and faster than any owner,” Weatherby said.
How it began
Weatherby didn’t start out with any formal training but has handled, trained and showed dogs since she was 8. Because her father was a hunter and the family owned Irish setters, it was necessary for Weatherby to learn how to train the dogs.
Weatherby is also a professional groomer. Her mom loved toy poodles, one of which was so nasty the groomer refused to deal with her. That’s how Weatherby became an apprentice groomer at age 8, scissors in hand, and a professional groomer by age 16.
For decades, Weatherby helped run a veterinary clinic and groomed dogs there. She’d bathe dogs, help with surgeries and groom at the same time. In 2012, Weatherby was in a severe car accident and broke her back and neck. As a result of this trauma, Weatherby developed an autoimmune disorder and ended up needing a service and mobility dog. She trained her own Doberman to assist her and, happily, Weatherby’s other dogs learned by that example.
After that, her business grew organically, one person at a time. She started helping anybody who had disabilities. By 2015, training service dogs became her focus. Most dogs Weatherby has trained belong to people she’s met locally or through local connections. She also travels nationally for dog shows and meets clients that way too.
Weatherby charges a flat rate of $5,000 for a year of support and training. Clients come visit Weatherby’s home first and then Weatherby spends a week at their home. She wants to evaluate their situation, hang out with family and go on outings to see how their dogs react to them.
“It’s all about getting the owner to connect with the dog the right way and all I do is draw that out,” Weatherby explained. “Most people put their own emotions onto their dog, people put the emotion onto their animals which can create negative behavior in their dogs.” Part of her fee includes ongoing feedback and support as clients work with their dogs.
Human-animal bond
Weatherby relies on a dog’s own inclinations and learning styles. She also teaches owners how to work and communicate with their own dogs. “We draw those little signals out, that tell the owner to pay attention,” she said. “If you’re not paying attention to the dog, you don’t know how it learns.”
In contrast to typical service dog providers, Weatherby values letting a dog choose their person, so the right dog is matched to the right person. Part of the reason she invites people to come to her home is so she can get a feel for the person and the dog. Weatherby says she’s never had a dog she didn’t match correctly.
“It’s always surprising — whatever dog we think is gonna work, it always ends up being another dog,” Weatherby laughed. “It’s fun to find out which soul is gonna choose which person — it’s an amazing thing to do.”
Case in point, Weatherby’s own dog, Bane, was returned three times from other owners before finally ending up as Weatherby’s service dog. Bane, a Belgian Malinois, came from a breeder in Kansas and just couldn’t find the right person until he met Weatherby.
That breeder, Kenzie Croft, actually boarded one of Weatherby’s dogs to help acclimate him to children. Styles, a Skye terrier, was not supposed to stay permanently in Croft’s home but ended up sensing that something was wrong with Croft’s 3-year-old and wouldn’t leave her side. In the end, it turned out that the little girl, Kashley, would be diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and Styles became a permanent fixture in the Croft home.
Weatherby breeds dogs to sell as service dogs, including Skye terriers, dachshunds, and Vizslas. Kamo’s Working K9 holds back two puppies from every litter to donate to those in need, whether that be a disabled child, a family with unique health conditions or special needs, or teachers who can benefit from a service dog in their classroom.
Weatherby’s goal is to get dogs into classrooms where they can help as many students as possible. Skye terriers, which are endangered, have long hair that can be very calming to students and special needs children.
For more information on the boarding or training Weatherby provides, or to inquire about a donated dog, visit Kamo’s Kennels on Facebook at tinyurl.com/bdeywtzp or call 719-725-1305.
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