Andrea Arden
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I’m a very lucky person who has created a life helping people develop even better relationships with their animals with the goal being for all to enjoy each other even more.
What animals live with you?
My best little buddy is my 14 year old terrier mix rescue pup, Nora. I also have fosters in and out of our home, and Nora is especially fond of puppies.
When did you first get your love for animals?
My father was a super wonderful person who adored animals. He even referred to one of our dogs, Chippy, as his ‘number one son.’ While I grew up in NYC, my family consisted of dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, a goat, pigs, and horses.
What is your favourite food?
I tend to get obsessed with a few things for a month or two. Right now it’s seaweed from Trader Joe’s and Pickles from my local farmer’s market every Saturday. My ongoing staples are rice and pasta.
Where is your favourite place to be?
Almost any time I am around animals I’m pretty darn happy. I even tend to plan vacations to be animal related. For example, I just came back from scuba diving and had a blast with the stingrays, I spent a couple of weeks in Thailand at an elephant sanctuary called Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary, and I have a trip to see the wild horses of Assateague Island coming up.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Creating a life doing what I love and surrounded by people I respect and love.
When was your ‘big break’ moment?
My big break happened over 20 years ago and it was a puppy named Oliver. I signed up for classes before he even came home, became a bit obsessed with reading every book I could get my hands on, and went to loads of seminars about animal behavior and training. The idea hadn’t crossed my mind to become a professional trainer, I just wanted to become the best pet parent I could be. I eventually landed an apprenticeship at a dog training school and I’ve been on a wonderful career path ever since.
What is your most bizarre moment?
I had some pretty wild adventures on live television when I was on a show on FX called The Pet Department. We filmed for 5 years out of a beautiful loft in the Flatiron district and many of my segments were across the street in Madison Square Park. I rode horses in the park, worked with herding dogs and flocks of geese, chatted up some reindeer. etc. I can’t imagine we would be allowed to do any of that stuff now, and am super grateful I got to be part of these sorts of ‘bizarre’ and wonderful experiences.
What is your next goal in life?
I tend to do best enjoying the moment, making the best of each day, and being flexible about what comes next. This has worked out for me historically, so I’m going to stick with this plan and be open to whatever next adventures are coming my way.
If you could be/do anything for a day, what would it be?
I’d love to be an Italian living in the Italian lake district. Ideally this would be for a month or two rather than just a day.
Finally and most importantly...What was your most embarrassing moment?
After wracking my brain, I really can’t think of a time that was so embarrassing that I remember it. This might be due to the fact that I think making mistakes is more than OK, and actually vital for learning (and sometimes laughs). Plus, I tend to be a little goofy and appreciate that in others. So, what one person might see as embarrassing I might be more inclined to see as just funny.
Oh wait, I just thought of one!
We had an absolutely gorgeous movie star in class a few years ago. I wasn’t teaching the class, but I wanted to see if he was as handsome in person as on screen, so I made up an excuse to stroll through the classroom. As I was passing by him, my sneaker caught on the rubber flooring and I didn’t just trip, I flew into the air and fell flat on the ground.
