About Carolyn
Carolyn Honish comes with 20 + years of dog training experience. She started dog training in 2004 when she got a longhaired dachshund puppy named Lumpi. As a teacher of children who are deaf/hard of hearing, Carolyn started bringing Lumpi to school with her because he was a wonderful motivator. Lumpi became a therapy dog, and Carolyn started to incorporate Lumpi into her teaching.
She started an afterschool dog training program called "Paws for Alert" that brought students who were deaf with their hearing peers together for the purposes of training dogs. This program compelled participating students to communicate with one another because dogs were involved. Staff from the school also brought their dogs and got involved as well.
In 2007, Carolyn met Debi Krakar with Dog Alliance and joined forces with her as they shared a common vision. Carolyn and Lumpi began doing pet therapy visits with the Dog Alliance. They visited public libraries, nursing homes, and gave dog safety talks to scout troops and various classrooms all over the Austin and Round Rock ISDs. In 2008, Carolyn helped Debi start teaching summer camps for kids at Dog Alliance - these became a huge success, and are still very popular today.
In April 2008, Carolyn adopted Buzz - a little four month old deaf longhaired dachshund. Buzz became quite the mascot at Carolyn's school since she taught children who were deaf. The students became Buzz's first teachers of sign language and loved that they could communicate with Buzz in ASL.
In 2009, Carolyn earned her CPDT-KA designation. She also became a Delta Society/Pet Partners pet therapy evaluator. She led Dog Alliance's pet therapy evaluations from 2009 until covid hit in 2020. She became Dog Alliance's Pet Therapy Director in 2013 and managed over 170 pet therapy teams (dogs and their handlers) until 2020.
Carolyn has taught numerous beginning obedience classes, advanced obedience classes, pet therapy classes, advanced pet therapy classes, classes for deaf dogs, puppy classes, and canine good citizen classes at Dog Alliance. She left Dog Alliance in May 2024 when she moved to Hallettsville to take care of family.
Although leaving such a wonderful organization has been difficult, she remains deeply grateful for the opportunities Dog Alliance has provided her to grow as a dog trainer.
Carolyn has raised three pet therapy dogs - Lumpi, Buzz, and Gemma - all longhaired dachshunds. Today, Gemma is the only therapy dog. Gemma accompanies Carolyn to Ezzell ISD once a week where she reads with students. Carolyn has Tango and Lucy as well - also longhaired dachshunds.
Meet the Dogs
Lumpi 7/2/04 - 3/22/15
(pronounced loompee - German for little rascal)
Lumpi started it all. He began coming to school with Carolyn at 4 months of age.
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Assisted Carolyn with developing several programs that really motivated her students - it was all about dogs, but the kids were reading, writing, and using technology!
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Became a Delta Society/Pet Partners Therapy Dog at the age of one.
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Assisted with summer camps at Dog Alliance.
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Assisted with numerous classroom & scout presentations all over Round Rock & Austin ISDs about dog safety.
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Visited nursing homes and libraries in the Austin area.
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Helped anxious students overcome their fear of dogs.
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Represented Dog Alliance in countless events including the Texas Book Festival at the Austin Capitol.
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Loved his job as a therapy dog, and loved children.
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Left for the rainbow bridge too early due to prostate cancer.
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Lumpi's memorial still hangs at Carolyn's former elementary school in RRISD.
Buzz 12/24/07 - 10/9/23
adopted 4/17/2008
Buzz was adopted from Central TX Dachshund Rescue. He started coming to school immediately as he needed extra attention being deaf. He was 4 months old.
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Assisted with summer camps at Dog Alliance.
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Became a Delta Society/Pet Partners therapy dog at age 2. Responded to over 50 sign language commands.
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Alternated visits with Lumpi to Carolyn's classroom.
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Accompanied Carolyn at Dog Alliance as the "demo dog" for her training classes.
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Assisted with social skills classes with students with autism at Dog Alliance.
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Assisted with job skills classes with young adults who were deaf/hard of hearing at Texas School for the Deaf, and students with autism at Dog Alliance.
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Visited Dell Children's Hospital & UT Austin during finals weeks to provide stress relief for students.
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Buzz's Rescue story won Central TX Dachshund Rescue a grant for $25K from Petco Foundation.
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Visited Carolyn's class daily when it became evident that school was his favorite job (as he was getting older).
Pollock 5/29/08- 10/10/22
Pollock was adopted when he was 2 years old - the Honish family was his third (and final) home.
Pollock was a very sweet boy and assisted with summer camps at Dog Alliance. He did not like other dogs (was reactive - barked a lot). He also had a strange habit of chewing holes in people's shirts...when snuggling with someone (a visitor), they would suddenly find that there would be a hole in their shirt! Although Pollock was not a therapy dog, he did work in a few situations with anxious individuals who were fearful of dogs. He also worked with the job skills programs at Dog Alliance and TX School for the Deaf (especially the grooming) as he loved the attention.
When Carolyn needed a difficult distraction to help with her advanced pet therapy classes, she brought Pollock to help. Pollock was great about leaving the other dogs alone, but would be "obnoxious" enough around them by barking a bit. He was the perfect distraction. He and Buzz were big buddies.
Gemma born 2013
adopted 6/20/16
Gemma was adopted from Central TX Dachshund Rescue. CTDR allowed Carolyn to "foster to adopt" to see if Gemma had a "therapy dog temperament" - she did.
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Became a Dog Alliance therapy dog after 6 months of living with Carolyn.
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Began visiting Carolyn's classroom and alternating visits with Buzz (he was not happy).
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Visited UT Austin during finals week for study breaks to provide stress relief for students.
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Visited various corporations that contacted Dog Alliance for pet therapy stress relief.
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Participated in after school dog training enrichment classes at Carolyn's school.
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Visits Ezzell ISD weekly to read with students.
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Enjoys participating in AKC Earthdog Trials and has her Junior Earthdog Title and one leg of her Senior Earthdog Title.
Tango born 10/9/20
DC Von Schaafmeister's Dancing the Tango
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Dual champion - AKC Conformation Champion & Dachshund Field Trial Champion
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Junior Earthdog Title
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Assisted in afterschool dog training enrichment classes at Carolyn's school.
Tango is the best boy. He loves to accompany Carolyn to her classes as the "demo dog." He has made it clear that he does not want to do pet therapy (some will say that he's a bit "too fancy" for all of the petting...), but he loves to be with "Mommy" as he tends to dote on her constantly.
Tango is all dachshund and loves to use his nose. Besides Earthdog, Tango also participates in Scent work. He has earned novice ribbons toward his first novice titles.
Nicky (fostered) 12/28/23 - 5/22/24
Nicky is a whippet that was a part of Dog Alliance's Hounds for Heroes Service Dog Program. He came to live with the Honish family when he was 8 weeks old. Carolyn was his "puppy raiser," as she felt the need for a major distraction after she lost Buzz.
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Accompanied Carolyn to her classroom daily as a service dog in training.
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Nicky participated in after school dog training enrichment classes at Carolyn's school.
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Teachers and students LOVED Nicky. He was very social and very sweet.
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Nicky was adopted by a Veteran and is now an Emotional Support Dog.
Lucy born 4/20/24
Von Schaafmeister's Dance Tonight
Lucy is a silly little girl who loves to cuddle and be naughty. She joined the Honish family just as they moved to Hallettsville, so she has not had the privilege of attending any dog training classes. However, she has learned the basics through "home schooling."
Lucy participates in Earthdog and Scent work, and has earned ribbons toward her novice Scent work titles. She will also begin participating in AKC Dachshund Field trials.