Amanda was ten when she discovered her passion in life. She arrived home from vacation one weekend to find a tiny, white fluff ball in her room. That little fluff ball was her very first dog and her name was Emma. Emma was an American Eskimo and throughout their lives together, she was Amanda's main frustration, yet her best friend. Amanda received Emma as a present shortly before her 10th birthday, however, their plans were different than most. Emma and Amanda began obedience and agility training at a young age. They traveled around the Midwest to various agility shows. Due to health issues, Emma had to retire early, but she received many titles and has quite the collection of ribbons.... Emma opened Amanda's eyes to unconditional love from an animal and how that love can change your life. Amanda had a difficult time continuing in the training world without her, but made sure she was constantly surrounded by animals. Since she was 14, Amanda has worked at a horse ranch, various boarding facilities, and doggie daycares, where she devoted most of her time. At the age of 16, Amanda was teaching beginner, intermediate, and advanced obedience classes at Contented Canines and continued with them for four years. Through Contented Canines, Amanda has also worked with various behavioral cases. Her mother and she have rescued various behavioral cases, including people-aggressive, dog-aggressive, food-aggressive, anxious, and unsocialized dogs. They are passionate about these cases and love that they are able to give these dogs a chance that most people are not able to take on. Every pet Amanda's parents or she currently own became part of the Bennett family because of challenging behaviors. Amanda currently owns a big brown mutt named JoJo, an Australian Cattle Dog named Korah, and a gray, fluffy cat named Taz.
When Amanda was 21, she was not sure what career path to go down and had only worked with animals since she was 14. She attempted to branch out and worked in a call center for a basement waterproofing company for two years. That was the experience she needed to confirm her passion for animals. She had already tackled the care/boarding, daycare, and training side of animals, so she wanted to expand. That’s when she looked towards the veterinary field. Amanda started at Blue Grass Veterinary Hospital in September of 2014 as a receptionist. She immediately wanted to learn more and started at Penn Foster College in November of 2015 with the plan of becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician. Amanda graduated from Penn Foster in February of 2020 and passed the VTNE board exam in October of 2020. Since 2021, Amanda has worked closely with the Humane Society of Scott County, educating new owners of recently adopted dogs about obedience training. Her goal is to educate owners on finding the balance between affection and obedience to create a balanced, forever home for these shelter dogs.