K9 Spotlight: Ayla Mollen and Varlo

Ayla Mollen & Varlo
Veterinary Student / Working Dog

"My interest in working dogs started last November when I first volunteered with Operational K9 Medical Team of Wisconsin. Since then, I have become a volunteer instructor with them and I teach K9 pre-hospital medicine to K9 handlers, LEOS, Fire and EMS departments around Wisconsin. Through volunteering I have gotten to meet amazing first responders and K9s, building connections with many along the way. I have also attended a few trainings around the states to learn more about K9 handling and police work.

With my experience, I felt like I wanted to add a dog to my life, so after a lot of research, I adopted Varlo in May of this year. Varlo has been such a positive part of my life since I got him. We have built a strong connection through our brief training sessions and play time. He has also been able to experience a variety of environments, as I bring him to work and almost everywhere else I go. He will be used as a demonstration dog for Operational K9 Medical trainings, and I am training him similar to a working dog with the hopes to compete in IGP competitions once he is older. He has learned "sitz," "Platz," and the basis of "heel" so far.

My future plans are to continue training Varlo while I go to school to obtain my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine license. I will also continue to volunteer with Operational K9 Medical Team of Wisconsin to make a positive impact with Varlo in my community. I hope to only expand on my skills and experience to be the best I can for the K9 community. In fact, next summer I plan on attending a training school in North Carolina to become a certified working dog trainer and continue to build my training skills!”

Their Gear:  "I got an Evolution Nylon Dog Collar with Handle as a gift and my puppy finally fits into it! I absolutely love how versatile and well-built it is. I use it for walks, swimming, training, and he always has it on in the house or when we go to work. I am planning on getting him an Icon Air Harness and other gear once he is bigger, so I can get the correct sizing."

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