About Us
Golden Triangle Dog Obedience Group (GTDOG) has been proudly offering affordable dog obedience classes to the community since 1981. Classes are held at the North Texas State Fairgrounds in Denton, Texas, in the climate-controlled west wing of the Bingo Hall.
Training a dog takes focus, consistency, and commitment. At GTDOG, we believe in training methods that center around positive reinforcement. Training is a wonderful way to deepen your relationship with your dog. We are here to help you shape your dog into the dog of your family’s dreams.
GTDOG is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
Meet Our Instructors
Harriet Tunnell
Therapy Pals Founder & Lead Therapy Dog Instructor
Harriet Tunnell is passionate about serving people in need. She graduated from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and went on to earn her Licensed Master Social Worker license. She served for seven years as the executive director of Crosstimbers Girls Scouts covering Denton and five surrounding counties followed by two years of service as a reorganization specialist on the National Staff of Camp Fire Girls. She faithfully served for 27 years with the Texas Health and Human Services before retiring. After retiring, she studied at the Cooper Aerobics Center and became a professional trainer, and worked at Gold’s Gym for four years.
Harriet’s work was far from complete. Harriet has been known to say, “I retired and put my dog to work.” After training her exceptional dog, Sam, with GTDOG in 2006, she was asked to become a member of the organization. She agreed because she saw a need in the community. With the support of GTDOG, Harriet went on to found Therapy Pals of Golden Triangle which was the first therapy dog organization in North Texas to be recognized by the AKC. Harriet has served as the lead instructor for Therapy Pals since its inception.
Harriet’s contributions have been significant. Lives have been and continue to be changed through the many dog and handler teams who have served faithfully as Therapy Pals since 2006. However, Harriet gives most of the credit to Sam, that special little dog who started it all.
Sheila Flanagan
Trainer
Sheila Flanagan has a gift for connecting with people and dogs alike. She graduated from the University of North Texas with a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Student Personnel Services. She served as a dedicated educator for 39 years with 27 of them being as a school counselor in Argyle, Texas.
Sheila has loved dogs her entire life. Rottweilers hold a special place in her heart as she has owned them for 46 years. While she has put up conformation champions, her true passion is training her dogs for obedience and rally titles.
Sheila credits Golden Triangle Obedience Group for getting her involved with therapy dog visits. Her beloved Gamegards Trinity Quanah Parker CGC CD RE THDD, “Quanah”, was the first Rottweiler to earn the AKC Therapy Dog Excellent title. Quanah went on to earn his Therapy Dog Distinguished title. Sheila considers these to be her proudest achievements with her beloved dogs.
Jan Lowry
Trainer
Jan Lowry is a wonderful human being with a big heart. She graduated from Texas Women’s University with a degree in Nursing. After serving more than 30 years as a Maternal-Child nurse, Jan continues to enjoy serving people through therapy dogs as well as through training dogs for that purpose.
Jan grew up surrounded by animals. She has taken numerous pets through obedience training. She truly appreciates the special bond that one can develop with their animals through training – like the relationships that she has formed with her Yorkshire terrier, Ellie Grace, and her mini Aussiedoodle, Cooper Doodle.
Jan joined Golden Triangle Dog Obedience Group in 2019. She is primarily focused on puppy and basic manners training at this time. She is a firm believer in training dogs by using positive reinforcement methods. She appreciates everything that she has learned from her fellow trainers and looks forward to continued growth.
Pam Petty
Training Director
Pam Petty is a lifelong educator. She graduated from Texas Women’s University with a degree in Speech and Hearing Therapy. She has taught special education students ranging from three years old to twenty-one years old. She retired in 2010 from educational administration.
Pam is a firm believer in servant leadership and understands that rewards and success are directly tied to learning. She believes that training should be fun for both the handler and the dog. She has taught for the Golden Triangle Dog Obedience Group for the past four years. Before that time, she worked with the organization to train her own dogs and learned from the excellent trainers with which she had the pleasure to work.
Her Rottweiler, Gus, earned his AKC Canine Good Citizen title when he was five months old. He now holds his AKC Rally Excellent title. Gus was a rally winner at the 2019 American Rottweiler Nationals in Aurora, Colorado. Two of her girls are AKC Therapy Pals and all three dogs have AKC titles. Pam is a certified evaluator with the American Kennel Club.