Our Mission

If only dogs could live forever. At Spirited Canines we take every single lesson Spirit, and all our dogs, have shown us and aim to give it back to the world. Maybe dog's can't live forever, but the legacy of Spirit can - and the love she has shown the world will. The real power behind Spirited Canines is our mission. Spirited Canines was born out of a deep love but also from deep pain. I aim to serve at risk youth, because I was one. The deep pain of losing loved ones to mental illness, crying yourself to sleep when the world is a scary place, when all you need is your mom but she's too far away - pain is what inspires me to love. Every time the world becomes scary or painful, I promise to love that much harder. Everyone should know they are not alone. Spirited Canines does not just train service animals, we bring together communities, show love to those who are alone and afraid, and place service animals as conduits of love in this world. The world does not need to be a scary place - at Spirited Canines, we believe the world is what you make of it.

The Story Behind Our Mission

I was an at-risk-youth. I was the kid getting pulled from class for social worker appointments. Home life was often challenging for a host of complex and interconnecting reasons. I was bullied at school and I struggled socially, but found solace with my animals. As I grew up, I realized a lot of people related to me. So many of us feel alone, misunderstood, or confused. Spirited Canines believes in the power of togetherness. Our animals gave us each their presence and the safety of knowing we are not alone in this universe. With the help of these amazing creatures, I was able to find my own freedom. I was able to find forgiveness for myself and others, repair my relationships with my family, and created a life that I never thought possible. I want to spread this love, freedom, and community with others - I believe that love will lead us through darkness. I believe in second chances. I believe that it is never too late to start over. Most of all, I believe that we are capable of reaching our highest potential for good. Love leads the way. My mission is to show the world the power of empathy powered communication through the use of animal assisted therapy we can heal ourselves, repair communities, and set up a foundation for ongoing positive change.

Meet the Team

Spirited Canines has been a vision in the making since 2019. We could not exist without our amazing team members!

Volunteer Dog Care Supervisor & Editor

Jessica Silverman

With over 6 years of experience in the pet care industry, a bachelors in sociology and a bachelors in psychology Jessica has been instrumental in helping to raise our dogs and in determining best practices in their care. She also contributes her spare hours as an editor for Spirited Canines.

Volunteer Puppy Raiser/Dog Sitter

Rachael Murphy

Rachael is an integral part of the team as a volunteer puppy raiser and dog sitter. She allows Spirited Canines to give each dog the attention they need to become a fully trained service dog. While pursuing a bachelor of Business Administration, Rachael has been a supporter of Spirited Canines since 2023.

Campaigns Manager

William Corbett

William Corbett holds a bachelors in Business Administration from Memorial University. He supports Spirited Canines in innumerable ways including coordinating campaigns & travel to events, marketing, and helping to form the mentorship aspect of our program.

Volunteer Dog Guardian

Jaclyn Silverman

Jaclyn has been essential in the raising, training, and ongoing care of our dogs. She has helped care of our dogs. She has stepped in to foster dogs for several years when they are between placements, in our pro-bono training program, and has been emergency staff for our paid day care clients.

My Background

Personal Profile

Hi! I'm Julia, founder of Spirited Canines and author of 'The Girl and Her Spirit Dog' - a blog about my adventures traveling the world with my service dog, Spirit. I have been training dogs since 2012 and have been fortunate to have the guidance of innumerable trainers in a range of disciplines including but not limited to obedience, rally-obedience, agility, service work, aggressive/reactive dog rehabilitation, dock diving, field training, grooming, breeding, and more! I have worked with hundreds of dogs ranging from autism service dogs to aggressive animals.

Throughout my youth, animals were an important part of my life. My parents invested in my talent as a trainer allowing me to own and work with several dogs, cats, rats, ferrets, hamsters and large birds. We had many short term pets we would watch coming from bad homes. When I was 12, I began getting paid to work with young dogs on our street. At 14, I saved a few thousand dollars and brought home Copper, my Vizsla. He is trained in tricks, parkour, tracking, scent detection, and dock diving. In my teen years I spent hours each week taking group classes and practicing tirelessly at home.

At 18 I worked at a dog kennel for a year and shadowed a professional groomer for 8 months. I spent the next several years shadowing service dog trainers, and working under the guidance of Spirit's breeder, Aimee McDougal. I have worked with upwards of 20 service dog teams whether offering short term support, or boarding dogs-in-training for the year. I have also spent 1.5 years shadowing agility and obedience trainer Renee Devillier at All About Dogs Toronto. At the same time I was working through various certification programs and workshops on the most modern techniques in behavioural modification, working dog training, and aggressive animal rehabilitation.

At the end of 2022, I put a pause on my business 'Spirited Canines'. I packed all my things, and moved across the country to St. John's. I decided to spend a few years exploring other interests. I got to switch around majors, spent one year as a science student working as a research assistant under the supervision of Dr. Helois-Therien Aubin. I spent one semester taking all of the first year engineering courses where I got to practice basic programming and computer assisted design. Finally, I declared my major in Modern Languages and Political Science (French and German Specialization) where I am focusing on reconciliation in international relations. I hope to use my experience in animal training to create peaceful world systems by empowering people through mental health and trauma recovery.

During my time at Memorial University, I have been working tirelessly on developing a service dog training program to empower youth with mental illness. Spirited Canines aimes to mentor youth while providing leadership training through the relational model of animal assisted rehabilitation. We aim to teach struggling young people to be socially responsible leaders for peaceful change within themselves, their communities, and the world. What makes us different is that we use the process of training a service dog to develop key inter/intra personal skills, bolster a resilient growth-oriented mindset, and take the challenges as opportunities for learning. I spent several years at university in the research phase of my program development while taking on leadership roles under the guidance of many mentors.

Nearing the end of my degree I am ready to get back into training professionally. I am working to raise enough money to bring this program into reality. With the support of industry leaders including The Lions Foundation of Canada Dogs Guides, National Service Dogs, The Nova Scotia Service Dog Certification Program, Big Brother Big Sisters Eastern Seals, and the YMCA, I am excited to see where the development of this program will go. Having consulted with innumerable stake holders such as the Canada National Institute for the Blind, Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs, and with the guidance of the Memorial Center for Entrepreneurship and Center for Social Enterprise, I am hopeful that Spirited Canines will have a positive impact on the St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Canadian communities.

I hope you will consider training with Spirited Canines soon, empowering your family and dog to live their best life while supporting a local startup!

Cheers,

Julia Silverman

Spirited Canines

Learn about some of the founding canine partners who started it all.

Copper

'Copper Stopper'

Copper is a 10 year old Vizsla who works primarily in-home. Copper's tasks include panic interruption, deep pressure therapy, and medical alert. Copper is trained in tricks, scent detection, trailing, dock diving, cani-cross, and loves to run beside the bike!

Koda

'KO'

Koda is an 8 year old German Shorthaired Pointer. She joined our team in 2017. She underwent basic as well as advanced obedience training. She accompanied her owner Jessica at Western University to classes and for library study sessions. They both enjoy an active healthy lifestyle of hiking mountains in BC. Koda loved working with Jessica at doggy day-cares across Canada. Her favourite activities are playing fetch, meeting dogs, or making new friends wherever she goes.

Bean

'Princess Tiabeanie'

Bean was in the Spirited Canines program from 2019-2023 as a service dog for PTSD and POTS. Bean accompanied her owner to her job as an Early Childhood Educator. She was a valuable addition to the team, often working around children with austim. Bean was trained in advanced obedience. Her favourite activities included fetch, tug of war, and playing with dogs. She loved kids and made a positive impact on everyone who met her.

Leonard

'Leonardo'

Leonard is a 7 year old standard poodle who joined the Spirited Canines family in 2018. He is cross trained in Hearing Alert, Mobility, and PTSD service for his owner, Jenny. Some of his tasks include wheelchair pulling, object retrieval, opening doors, and crowd assistance. Leonard is a silly guy who loves playing with other dogs, meeting horses, and showing off his fancy poodle cuts.

Rona

'Roro'

Rona is a 5 year old German Shorthaired Pointer. She was trained as an autism service dog and accompanied her owner to high-school and first year university. Rona now enjoys most of her days at home with her 2 doggy siblings as her owner works, travels, and enjoys their life confidently. We are so proud of their progress and support them in their agency. Way to go Rona and Llayton!

Spirit

'MUN Dog'

Spirit is a 7 year old German Shorthaired Pointer. She is trained as a PTSD and medical assistance service dog. Her tasks include panic alert/interruption, migraine alert, heart rate alert, object retrieval, and more. She is also trained in advanced obedience, agility, dock diving, canicross, tricks, therapy, and more. She accompanies her owner Julia to university each day where she visits departments. They also work at an elementary school as part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters In-School Mentoring Program. Julia and Spirit have travelled all around Canada and Europe together. Spirit loves fetch, swimming, hiking, and playing in the park.

Bear

'Beardog'

Bear is a 5 year old Barbet trained as a neurological assistance service dog. He works with his owner at Memorial University and joined the Spirited Canines family in 2022. Bear's favourite activities include fetch, hiking, and going to the barn. He is a sweet and even tempered boy who gets along well with everyone and everything!

Get in Touch

647-709-1882

Spiritedcanines@gmail.com