Many dog owners in 麻豆精选 are mourning the loss of Wayne Dorman, founder of dog training school Dogzies.
Dorman died on Feb. 22 at the Hospice House in 麻豆精选 and former clients say he's left a large gap in the community.
"We'll never replace Wayne," said Marie Roberts, noting that she was Dogzies' second ever client after her dog attacked a police officer about 20 years ago. "It took a year for him to work with her and I never looked back after that."
Roberts' whole family has since taken advantage of Dorman's expertise. Roberts' daughter Farrah McArthur said Dorman even travelled to Alberta to assist her with an aggressive dog.
"He kept attacking all the other dogs," McArthur said. "[Dorman] did some miracles there and we were able to keep [our dog] until his last breath."
The Roberts family attended a walk in memory of Dorman hosted by the staff of Dogzies. The current team will keep Dorman's legacy alive by continuing the business.
Dorman was born and raised in South Africa. He eventually moved to Switzerland to study hotel management which saw him travelling the world to work in hospitality, before setting down roots in B.C.
During the recovery from a serious car crash in 2003, Dorman took on a beagle named Kingsley who had been deemed untrainable.
"Through patience, determination, and an endless well of compassion Wayne transformed Kingsley into a loving, well-behaved companion," Dogzies staff said in an email to Black Press.
From there, Dorman founded Dogzies Canine School of Excellence in 2005 and coined the phrase, "Don't blame me, train me."
Dorman's clients said he never turned down a client or determined a dog was too aggressive to be trained.
"Whether it was nurturing a young puppy or giving a second chance to a troubled rescue dog, Wayne faced every challenge with unwavering love and belief," Dogzies' staff wrote. "Time and again he became the last hope for owners who had lost faith, who feared there was no way forward. Through his gift of understanding and his unique approach to training, Wayne saved countless dogs, and in doing so saved the families who loved them."
Dogzies staff and clients gathered on April 27 to walk the downtown 麻豆精选 waterfront in memory of Dorman.
Learn more about Dorman's work and the continued operations of the business at dogzies.com.
