The wonderful ‘tail’ of Finch

The bond between Anna Dobkowksi and Finch, an American Labrador retriever, was truly a match made in heaven — and one that wouldn’t have been possible without Dobkowski’s former teacher at Sanford H. Calhoun High School, Beth Johnson.

Dobkowski, 20, of Merrick, graduated from Calhoun in 2021. She met Johnson when she was a junior, and taking part in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District’s Twilight Program. That late-afternoon program is designed for students who may need extra help with assignments, employment and other ventures, and who may succeed better in a non-traditional high school setting.

“We formed a really nice bond, and she became very interested in animal studies,” Johnson said. “She wanted to go to BOCES part of the day — she’s an amazing horse rider — and then she discovered this real love of animals.”

Dobkowski told the Herald that when she was younger, she struggled with mental health issues, and that working with animals helped her overcome some of the things she was dealing with. A self-taught dog trainer, now with a business called the K9 Warrior, Dobkowski has developed programming to help dogs at every stage of life become better trained and understand cues from their owners.

Her dog training efforts started locally, with Dobkow-ski helping some of her neighbors train their dogs. Then, Johnson introduced her to Finch.

Johnson said Finch was initially her son Greg’s dog. Greg unexpectedly died last year, when Finch was just 4 months old.

“I decided I couldn’t properly manage this puppy,” Johnson explained. “I didn’t know what to do about the puppy. And then I remembered that Anna, who was close to me, was starting this dog training thing, so I reached out and said, ‘Can you help me?’”

Dobkowski stepped in, and formed an instant bond with Finch, she said.

“She was actually the first dog that I started training off leash, and it was perfect,” she said. “We had a beautiful connection, and it really helped me with my training methods and perfecting them. I would take her out to stores in the beginning, and I could see how she really wanted to work with me.”

Dobkowski said that people around Merrick would see her and Finch and would compliment her on how well-behaved the Lab was. “I would say, ‘It’s actually not my dog — I’m training her for someone,’” she explained. “Finch became my model dog, because if something really worked for Finch, I’d do it with another dog.”

Dobkowski’s name quickly circulated in her neighborhood. “There’s like 20 houses maybe,” she said, “and out of those 20 houses, I think like 90 percent of them have dogs. And I literally trained every single dog.”

Finch has been trained by Dobkowski to help people in need. Bringing her into larger stores, like Walmart and Stop & Shop, Dobkowski said Finch learned how to help someone shop by picking things up and getting items from shelves. Around a house, she can turn lights on and off, and is even able to recognize the sign of a health ailment, such as a heart attack. Finch’s skills gave her the therapy dog title, which she proudly displays on either a bandana or vest that she wears in public.

Dobkowski said she slowly started integrating the excitable puppy into settings with kids, such as the children’s room of the North Merrick Public Library, which she now regularly visits. While at first she wasn’t allowed to be petted by children while she was still learning, Finch is now socially adapted to the rules of the library and knows how to behave there around kids.

While Dobkowski hasn’t yet been able to do a group session at the North Merrick library, she plans to in the future when insurance requirements get sorted out.

“I would be dealing with a group of little kids, young adults, and I want to work with parents of the kids,” she said. “I would be teaching them the difference between a service dog, a therapy dog and an emotional support animal and how to react to them when you see them in public, and how to deal with a normal dog, like normal petting behaviors.”

Dobkowski said often kids are underinformed on how to deal with an animal they haven’t met, and that a defense mechanism of dogs is to bite. “I am trying to teach parents, if your kid does hit a dog and the dog bites, it’s not the dog’s fault,” she said. “Dogs will give you body language, but no one understands that, so that’s really what I want to teach my community.”

Finch still lives with Johnson, who also resides in Merrick, but spends a lot of time out with Dobkowski, embracing her therapy dog status. And when she’s not working with Finch, Dobkowski works at the North Shore Saddlery, an equestrian shop in East Norwich.

Johnson said she’s impressed by Dobkowski’s ability, and how far she’s come.

“I’m so proud of her accomplishments,” Johnson said. “The true gift is this ability to really connect with animals. My dog is now a therapy dog, doing great things in the community.” 

Dobkowski would like the reach of her business to expand beyond Merrick. To learn more about the K9 Warrior, find out what dog training packages are available, and read reviews from previous dog owners, visit TheK9Warrior.org.