Meet Rhubarb — my rescue Border Collie and the reason I am where I am now.

Rhubarb is my lockdown buddy. He was a nervous dog — overwhelmed by people, noises, traffic… pretty much everything. But one day, not long after I got him, I took him into town. He picked up a scent on the pavement and followed it, totally focused. All the things that usually frightened him? Gone.

That moment sent me down a rabbit hole. I started looking into scent work and ended up training with SARDA Ireland (Search and Rescue Dogs Association) for 18 months. The more I learned, the more fascinated I became — not just with scent, but with how dogs think and how they learn.

After moving to the UK to get more hands-on experience, I met Megan O'Connor of Roma and Friends Dog Training while helping out with the Restart Dogs programme — a project where prisoners train dogs to become assistance dogs. I spent 18 months shadowing Megan, and through her, I met Nick Hine of The Puppy Training College. I then spent about a year shadowing Nick until he decided to step back, and I continued running the classes to keep them going.

Since then, I’ve trained as a Conservation Dog Handler, kept up mantrailing with Rhubarb just for fun, and I’m now completing a Scent Detection Instructor course. I’ve also helped friends and others along the way with their own dogs.

While I enjoy the challenge of helping people train their dogs to live happy, balanced lives, my real passion is scent work. It offers something for every dog — nervous or excitable, old or young. It builds focus, confidence, calmness, and a stronger bond between dog and handler. It taps into what dogs do naturally and gives them an outlet that’s both enriching and empowering.