Dobermans By Design

04/25/2026

Shelby 💜

10 years old.
A Doberman I whelped, raised, trained… and built a life with.

She’s done it all — IGP, agility, and now SAR area search. Different disciplines, different chapter…same drive, same heart.

This last month tested us. Hard…She got really sick, and I was preparing for the worst. What we thought was cancer turned out to be Cushing’s.

Not easy… but not the ending.

She’s still here. Still working. Still showing up.

Today she trained. She searched. She did her job like she always has. And now she’s crashed out, sleeping hard after a full day — exactly where she’s happiest.

There’s something about these dogs… they don’t count the years, they don’t dwell on setbacks. They just keep going.

And so do we.

One day at a time. 🖤 🐾

03/18/2026

02/01/2026

One of the most important parts of area search training is when and how the reward is delivered—especially rewarding both the indication and the find.

Timing matters.

In area search, the dog needs absolute clarity. The indication must be valuable, and the subject is still the paycheck. Shelby’s indication is clear and intentional: she runs back to me, comes into a front position, and makes contact with her nose to my stomach. That behavior is rewarded immediately. She then escorts me back to her “find,” where she is rewarded again at the subject.

Shelby will be 10 in March and started her SAR career in August of 2025. She’s a highly trained competition dog, and her years as a working show dog have transitioned beautifully into area search—proof of her temperament, solid foundation, and the versatility of the Doberman breed.

Good training isn’t rushed.
It’s built on clarity, timing, and consistency. 🐾

PS: It was 30° this morning for training- we were all cold 🥶

02/01/2026

12/07/2025

Shelby graduated out of Search and Rescue protocol. We will be working towards a certification in Area search and eventually working towards a certification in HRD with intent to be a dual purpose team! We can’t wait to support the community through 🧭👣🐾💜

11/03/2025

Dobermans By Design lost a pillar of our program. Sophie (Shelby & Fury’s mother) crossed the rainbow bridge today at almost 15 years old. Rest easy Soph. I know you’re hanging out with Lexus. Eat all the bones. Chase all the frisbees. You did well. We’ll meet again. 💜

11/03/2025

🐾 Building Strong Foundations! 🐾

Before our dogs and handlers move on to their chosen discipline within our team — such as human remains detection, area search, or tracking — they first complete a phases referred to as “Protocol.”

These stages are where new team members and their K9 partners are introduced to the core skills, structure, and teamwork that form the backbone of all SAR work. It’s about building trust, focus, and understanding — for both ends of the leash! 🦮

This weekend, we celebrated a few teams who have successfully completed steps within their initial training phases. 🌟

We’re so proud of the progress these handlers and dogs have made — and we’re excited to see where their hard work and dedication will take them next! 💚

10/07/2025

Shelby passed her Protocol II for SWFL K9 search & rescue unit! 👑 🐾

08/17/2025

For my 40th birthday, I’m raising donations for the Southwest Florida K-9 Search Unit 🐾💙

Shelby and I have been preliminarily invited to join their Search & Rescue team — a dream of mine for years. Soon, we could be deployed as a K-9 unit to help families during missing person and recovery efforts.

This amazing team is 100% volunteer and non-profit. Every dollar helps us train, equip, and deploy when we’re needed most.

👉 Donate here: https://www.swflk9search.org

✍️ Please note “Jessi & Shelby” in the memo so our team can track support. “Donate Now” tab accpets Paypal, Venmo, Apple Pay, or credit/debit cards.

Every penny counts, and I’m beyond grateful. 💙🐾

03/28/2025

There are no quotes that can describe Me & Shelby, or the the feeling of sunset strolls together on the beach in this place of paradise I call home 💜🌊🌴

03/02/2025

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