BUSINESS FEATURE
BY ZACHARIA WASHINGTON
Retired service dog Freedomwaves on command for Starmark’s academy instructor, Rosalyn Garcia.
A February class at Starmark’s Academy for Professional Dog Trainers instructed 36 students.
Keith Benson is Starmark Animal Behavior Center’s co-owner and president.
PHOTOS BY ZACHARIA WASHINGTON COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
AMAJOR DISTRIBUTOR Starmark Pet Products is located on the 300-plus acre ranch in Hutto along with Starmark Academy and Starmark Animal Behavior Center.
StarmarkAnimal Behavior Center Pet-focused business o ers boarding, training and treats B ack in 1995 in Tucson, Arizona, Keith Ben- and training for dogs. The service options are a basic boarding or a luxury boarding, which include doggy ice cream, interactive toys, a massage and a nature walk.
Since 2003, the business has designed, manufactured and distributed toys and treats that are sold in larger chain and independent pet stores across the U.S. as well as on Amazon and Chewy. Some of the products Starmark sells include:
son, president and co-owner of Starmark, realized he was not happy in his career as a psychometrist, where he did psychological testing in the forensic eld. He had a dog he was training at the time, and after a long, stressful day at work, training his dog gave him joy. This passion led Benson to nd a hands-on dog training program in Missouri, where he met his business partner, Jerry Wolfe. Benson and Wolfe then founded the Triple Crown Dog Academy, which
Starmark Academy is where dog trainers go for certi cation through one of several programs that vary in length from four weeks to 16 weeks. At Starmark Pet Products, all products are designed and engineered in house. One product
treat-dispensing chew balls;
training tools including clickers, leashes and safety lights;
called the Pro-Training Clicker allows owners to mark the exact moment good behavior occurs, which leads to rewards for the dog. “It’s a great way to build a relationship with your dog. It’s a great way to mentally exercise your dog as well,” academy instructor Rosalyn
various kinds of dog treats; and
“ATOUR CORE,WE ARE ABOUT IMPROVING THE QUALITYOF LIFE BETWEENPEOPLE AND THEIR PETS, AND THERE’S SO MANYWAYS TODO THAT.” KEITH BENSON, PRESIDENT AND CO OWNER
various toys, including balls, discs and foam animals.
started as six dog kennels in Wolfe’s backyard in Arizona. The business continued to grow, and two years later they renamed it Starmark
StarmarkAnimal Behavior Center 200 CR 197, Hutto 512-759-2275 www.aboutdogtraining.com Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-1 p.m., closed Sun.
Animal Behavior Center. From there, Starmark found its home on a 300-plus-acre ranch in Hutto. “At the heart of what we were doing was helping to improve the quality of life between people and their pets through training,” Benson said. “We embraced all types of training methodologies and techniques and immersed ourselves in learning more about dog training and behavior.” There are three separate businesses under the Starmark umbrella—Starmark Animal Behavior Center, Starmark Academy and Starmark Pet Products. Starmark Animal Behavior Center o ers boarding
Garcia said. Starmark also works closely with local rescue shelters and groups to help enhance their adoption services. Through the school for dog trainers, more than 150 dogs come to Starmark annually. The dogs receive training for up to 16 weeks, then they are adopted out as fully trained dogs by the end of the program. Starmark has helped about 5,000 dogs get adopted. “At our core, we are about improving the quality of life between people and their pets, and there’s so many ways to do that,” Benson said.
137
1660
197
N
24
COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Powered by FlippingBook