Nancy Hatch biography
Everyone wants to live a meaningful life. Helping those around us, making a difference in the world, making sense of our lives brings us fulfillment. Nancy Hatch has taken this philosophy to heart. Ever since she was a small child she has had an affinity and compassion to work with animals, and a warmth and sensitivity to engage with people. These two gifts have been a constant enabler in her life’s work. Being an animal behaviorist allows her deep insight into the dynamics of the animal mind and a rich understanding of animal’s emotions and instincts. Her extensive psychological background gives her the absolutely essential knowledge of the human psyche and emotional makeup. Together these two disciplines allow Nancy to offer her clients both human and canine a complete picture of their dog and human relationships, and the technique’s necessary to best develop these into a wonderful way of being. As the founder and head trainer practitioner at Good as Gold K9 School, Nancy lives her dream of working with dogs and their humans–a truly meaningful life.
Since entering her first obedience trial in 1973, Nancy has been studying and working with dogs, horses and their humans. In the 1970s and 80s along with training dogs in obedience, Nancy trained horses in dressage and jumping both nationally and internationally. Nancy’s formal dog training career began in the area of service dogs, primarily guide dogs; where she became a behavioral, problem solver. She has also worked in TV, radio and printed media industries promoting public awareness and information on service dogs. In addition Nancy was a primary participant in a large campaign to educate students in schools across the GTA about service dogs and their roles in our society. Over the years Nancy and her horses and dogs have earned too many titles awards and accolades to mention. This is a testament to her love of animals her experience in training and her dedication to improving, enhancing and enjoying the human- animal bond.
Complementing her over 40 years of practical hands-on training experience, Nancy spent 10 of those years studying to become a clinical psychologist. Her Masters and doctoral
work was based on how we humans find meaningfulness in our lives. Meaningfulness and our ability to experience it, is dependent on our aptitude to communicate and form relationships with each other. Nancy studied human communication relationship paradigms in individuals and Communication dynamics with in groups. Given her life’s work with animals, this led to the natural extension of studying communication and relationship building between different species. This education became the cornerstone to developing the good as gold training philosophy. Nancy has helped thousands of families and their canines radically improve their communication abilities thus restoring harmony to their relationships.
Nancy has an academic commitment, to educate society on the nature of the canine mind; and the relationship between humans and dogs. Her happy energy, passion, compassion and sense of humour is nonstop to that end, at Good as Gold K9 School. Nancy is also well known as a trainer’s trainer, mentoring many over the years to enhance or begin their own training careers.
Nancy has a moral commitment to help the unwanted and displaced dogs in our world. Over the past four decades she has volunteered to personally rescue 105 dogs. She is often asked by rescue organizations to take in dogs otherwise deemed unadoptable. She attracts wonderful volunteers to help her in this endeavor and her remarkable ability to rehabilitate these dogs is invaluable. She then finds them wonderful adoptive families to live out their lives in happiness, except for the five or six who have found their permanent happiness in Nancy’s own home. All of these dogs have lived, or are living well loved lives. Some have gone on to become wonderful therapy dogs.
Nancy has an ethical commitment to be proactive toward the way in which we treat our dogs and all animals in the world. She supports animal welfare organizations. As well Nancy supports ethical breeders who provide a non-kenneled family life for their breeding dogs. These breeders also make a limited lifetime commitment to every puppy they bring into the world. In so doing these breeders keep their puppies and dogs out of all shelter and rescue organizations.
Nancy also puts her energies into the fight against puppy mills (those who fuel a steady stream of unwanted dogs into our shelter and rescue organizations when their owners relinquish them).
Nancy has an altruistic commitment to help human individuals in our society through dogs. She volunteers for and is involved in therapy dog organizations with her own dogs. Nancy has had several litters of golden retriever puppies. Many of these puppies have become service dogs. She also continues to be involved in service dog training.
Nancy has a personal commitment to each one of her students both human and dog. Nancy says “I wake up every morning excited to work with every dog and human who walk through the Good as Gold door. Each student, both human and canine is an individual to me. And nothing makes me happier then really getting to know them and see them learn and grow and flourish. I never get tired of the feeling of having made a difference in a dog’s life. The dog training journey with people is awesome. Seeing the smiles on people and dogs faces as they grow more loving and harmonious relationships is the best feeling in the world to me. It brings great happiness and meaning to my life… I don’t plan on ever retiring.”
