Taurus Training: About Us

About Us
William McLeroy	William McLeroy Owner and CEO The roots of Taurus go back to the 1980s at Double M kennels outside of Tyler, Texas. The owner, a prominent gun dog trainer and field trial judge, quickly recognized William’s talent for reading and teaching dogs, so she put him to work in obedience and hunting training. He worked with Double M throughout high school and into college, quickly gaining experience with hundreds of dogs and establishing himself in the ranks of field trial competitors. In college at The University of Texas at Austin, William continued training dogs for friends and extra money while working on degrees in philosophy and English. One day his senior year while playing racquetball, a friend pointed out, “You’ve got a business here!” and Taurus was born. William met his life and business partner when she needed help training her Great Pyrenees. Melanie became a dog trainer herself, and they began training at their home and in parks. William and Melanie began to recognize that socialization was an important component in preparing dogs for a life outside the back yard, so they started puppy play days. The puppies kept coming long after they matured, and clients were asking them to board their dogs. Once again a business opportunity presented itself. Taurus Lamar opened in 1998 on Melanie’s birthday. The facility provided dog daycare (Austin’s first), boarding, and training. Taurus now operates four boarding and daycare, and five training locations in Austin. In the early part of this decade, William turned his attention to business matters. As CEO of Taurus he leads the Taurus Team through the principles of a learning organization William is practical and idealistic. He constantly inspires, and even pushes, the Taurus Team to reexamine the mundane and reinvent themselves and the organization. While his life is Taurus, he also pursues his interests in spirituality, aviation, and yoga, and is a darn good cook.

Melanie Pokluda McLeroy	Melanie Pokluda McLeroy Owner Like many dog owners, Melanie first came into contact with a trainer when she realized her dogs were out of control. The year was 1994 and the trainer was William. She was already developing an interest in canine behavior and a passion for improving dogs' and dog owners' lives. She was so impressed with William that she decided to go into business with him. Originally from Keller, Texas, Melanie attended undergraduate and law school at the University of Texas at Austin. She also earned a master's degree from the University of North Texas. Now, her love of learning involves her in several organizations devoted to the expansion and application of knowledge, including the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), the Pet Care Services Association (PCSA), the Austin Trainers Study Group (ATSG), and the Interdisciplinary Forum of Applied Animal Behaviorists (IFAAB). She is also certified in animal CPR and first aid. Melanie is a member of APDT and PCSA and has presented at an IFAAB conference. Melanie has stepped back from the daily operations at Taurus and now focuses on giving back to the Austin community through: Serving as board chair of Emancipet who’s mission is to help control the pet population and liberate pets from euthanasia through low and no cost spay/neuter and other resources, Participating as a Queen B with the B Club, and organization that raises emergency funds for breast cancer victims and survivors Working on her Master Gardener certification Driving a Meals-on-Wheels route for 20 years. When she’s not working with various non-profits, she's hanging out with her family and dogs and pursuing her interests in reading, gardening, scuba diving, yoga, and cooking. Melanie and William have contributed time, energy, and resources to many organizations, including: Animal Companions of Austin Austin Trustees of Austin Austin Retriever Club Gold Ribbon Rescue Heart of Texas Lab Rescue Humane Society of the United States Mixed Breed Rescue Town Lake Animal Center Waterloo Retriever Club Wee Rescue Blue Dog Rescue Boxer Rescue Emancipet Pet Food Bank of Central Texas
Katie Outon	Katie Outon VP of Operations, CLO (Chief Learning Officer) Katie’s desire to work with dogs began when she fell in love with a sassy Welsh corgi puppy during her senior year at The University of Texas at Austin, where she majored in American studies. After graduation, she moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she worked in an emergency veterinary hospital and volunteered at the Humane Society as a canine temperament tester. Katie also studied massage therapy (for humans), which led her to coursework in T-Touch, a touch therapy for animals. Katie began working for Taurus in 2003 as a kennel tech and receptionist. She has grown with the company, becoming the Lamar facility’s assistant manager and manager. Her honorary title of CFO (Chief Fun Officer) was chosen because of her unfailing willingness to humiliate herself in the name of improved team morale. Her fascination with the human-dog bond continues, as does her love affair with her own “great bad dog,” Busta. In addition to meeting new mutts, Katie enjoys painting, upholstery and other crafts, crosswords, singing with friends, dive bars, blackjack, and books. Her favorite thing about working for Taurus is the company’s enduring concern for the people they serve, as well as for its employees. “Many animal-care companies are driven by the desire to save animals,” she says, “but the folks at Taurus never seem to forget that happy dogs are loved and cared for by happy people, and it’s our job to serve both.”
Andrea Lawes	Andrea Lawes VP of Operations Andrea left corporate sales to work for Taurus in 2006. She has a degree in Wildlife Biology and has studied many animals at various national wildlife refuges and parks. Her favorite will always be the four-legged furry variety. She has spent a great deal of her life at dog parks talking to strangers and friends about, you guessed it....DOGS! She has a 12.5 year old Dalmatian named Zoe, who she lovingly refers to as "Granny Z!" Andrea says, "I feel fortunate to be able to work with dogs everyday and see them interact with one another. It feels great to come to work and be instantly filled with happiness because I'm hanging with the dogs."
Amy	Amy Miley VP of Training Amy works closely with dogs and their owners who are involved with either the board-and-train program or private consultations. In May 2006 she completed ITC (Instructor Training Course) in Upstate New York, an intensive program focused on current techniques used for coaching people how to train their dogs. She is currently pursuing a specialization in helping family dogs welcome newborns into the home.
Tanya	Tanya Pawlak Taurus Lamar Facility Director Tanya says she likes "brown" dogs. She has three dogs and one cat with whom she shares her home. The dogs Riley", "Oz" and "Mingus" often accompany her to work where she plays with, feeds and cleans up after the dogs that come to Taurus. When she's not at Taurus, you can often find her at Red Bud park where she brings her dogs to swim. Not much gets past Tanya in the dog department. She's indulgent but firm in her expectations about what is good dog behavior. And the dogs love her. Tanya is a Certified Pet Technician through ABKA.
Shivani	Shivani Drinkall Taurus McNeil Facility Director Before she began working for Taurus, Shivani spent much of her personal and professional life in the quieter company of books. Being surrounded by dogs has been an exciting change, but in her free time she still relishes a good read, dinner parties with friends, or time on the couch with her own menagerie of two dogs and three cats. A native Austinite, she also enjoys exploring the city's dog parks and hiking trails.
Ellen	Ellen Proctor Taurus Metric Facility Director As a life-long animal lover, Ellen has cared for a variety of animals ranging from puffer fish to ducks to horses. With all those experiences, she still loves dogs the most. She spends her free time at work getting kisses from all of the great Taurus dogs. When not pampering the dogs at Taurus Metric, Ellen prefers pampering her own dog, Indiana. On the weekends they love hiking the trails at Bull Creek and the Greenbelt. When the Texas weather isn't cooperating, Ellen enjoys practicing her mandolin. She is also fascinated with Marine Science and loves watching the fish in her tanks at home.
Amy	Amy Siegrist Trainer and Taurus Lake Travis Facility Director Amy spent 7 years as a vertrinary technician caring for dogs and educating owners about canine health. She saw a need to educate owners about dogs' behavioral as well as physical health, so she made the move to Taurus. Her life-long love for animals lends itself to her goal to help owners build better relationships with their dogs. When she's not working with Taurus dogs and owners, she can be found hiking the green belt and swimming at the springs with her dog Luna (pictured with her here.)
Carrie Johnson	Carrie Johnson Trainer Consultant Carrie has been around dogs her whole life, starting with German shepherds and Shiba Inus, and moving to Australian shepherds, a.k.a. Aussies. (Her Aussies Bodhi and Buggy are pictured with her here.) Herding breeds are her passion, but she loves them all. She started her career at Taurus as a kennel technician looking for a place for her dogs to play. Now she is training dogs full-time, while her own dogs reap the rewards of being able to play at such a wonderful place. On the rare occasions when Carrie isn't covered in dog fur, she's at the Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin working towards her master’s degree in Chinese medicine.
Shawn	Shawn Hatcher Trainer For more information on trainer Shawn Hatcher's health status, visit his care page. For donations and/or gifts please contact Andrea Lawes. Shawn has four dogs at home, and all are incredibly well trained. He's been around dogs all of his life, growing up with a mutt named Argo who passed away at 17. He can do just about any job at Taurus and can fix just about anything. In his spare time, he takes fabulous photos of (what else?) dogs.