06/11/2026
🎉4 Years of Focus Forward!🎉
Monday, June 8th marked 4 years in business, and I've been reflecting on just how much has changed over those years.
This journey began in Georgia with a simple goal: following my passion of helping dogs and the people who love them. At the time, I never could have imagined where it would lead or how much both my life and this business would grow and change along the way.
Last year brought one of the biggest changes yet when I relocated to Colorado and began building the next chapter of my business in a completely new state. Starting over wasn't easy, but the support I've received from clients, friends, fellow trainers, and the dog community has been incredible.
Something many people may not know is that the name Focus Forward is deeply personal.
The name came from my own experiences as a disabled individual and from my journey raising and training my service dog, Nox. Throughout his training, working alongside his trainers, learning how to navigate the world with a service dog, and later becoming more involved in training and the dog community myself, one lesson always seemed to stand out: keep focusing forward.
Over the years, my own disability journey has continued to evolve. I have developed additional disabilities since beginning my service dog journey with Nox, and there have been many moments where life didn't look the way I expected it to. I've had to adapt, learn new ways of doing things, adjust my goals, and redefine what success looks like more than once.
But through every challenge, every setback, and every unexpected change, I've tried to remember the same thing that inspired the name of this business in the first place; to focus forward.
Not on what you've lost.
Not on what you wish was different.
Not on where you thought you'd be.
Focus on the next step. The next goal. The next opportunity to learn, grow, and move forward.
This business truly would not exist without Nox and the experiences I have had because of him.
He has been my partner through every stage of this journey. Beyond the daily support he provides, he has introduced me to incredible trainers, handlers, mentors, and friends. Through him, I've become involved in service dog work, dog sports, showing, training, and a much larger dog community than I ever imagined being part of. He has helped shape not only the trainer I am today but also the person I am today. He has also been an integral part of the training and boarding of many of my clients.
Prior to moving when I still was able to offer board training and boarding out of my home, he was directly involved in shaping many young dogs. He helped teach puppies how to play appropriately and has always been incredibly patient with them, letting them crawl on him, but enforcing boundaries when needed. His neutral personality helped teach training dogs how to ignore other dogs and learn calmness. Every boarding dog he played with was greeted with friendliness and fun. If a dog came for training or boarding and didn’t know how to play tug, his patient teachings would ensure they knew how to by the time they left.
Even now, despite currently being unable to offer boarding or board train, he helps dogs in my training programs work through excitement when walking past other dogs and how to ignore him in favor of paying attention to their owners. He is an excellent demo dog and allows others to handle him, going through the motions with an experienced dog to help them better understand their end of the leash and apply that to working with their dogs. He is as much of Focus Forward K9 as I am.
Even the Focus Forward logo represents this. The silhouette in the logo is Nox and me, taken directly from a photo of us working together. Every time I see it, I'm reminded of where this journey began and of the partnership that helped make all of this possible.
To every client who has trusted me with their pets, every person who has supported my business, every friend who has encouraged me, and every dog who has taught me something along the way, thank you!
Four years ago, Focus Forward was just an idea, something I wasn’t even sure would succeed. Today, it's a business built on trust, education, perseverance, and a deep love for helping dogs and their people succeed.
I'm incredibly grateful for the journey so far, from Georgia to Colorado, from one service dog in training to a business serving so many wonderful pets and families, and I'm excited to see where the next chapter takes us.
Thank you all for being part of it. ❤️
And thank you, Nox. You started it all.
~Casey Crowley
🐾 If we've worked together over the last 4 years, I'd love to see your favorite photo of your pet in the comments! Whether they were a training client, pet sitting client, boarding guest, or just a pet I've had the pleasure of meeting along the way, I'd love to celebrate them with you. ❤️
