Email
Print
No walk in park for this dog trainer
Mooresville man trains canines for law enforcement agencies
Robert C. Reed
Andy Hanellin, owner and instructor at Dogs by Andy K-9 Services LLC in Mooresville, poses with a security dog named Brigetta.
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: September 20, 2009
MOORESVILLE - As the Belgian Malinois shepherd raced toward him with teeth bared, Andy Hanellin's expression revealed a combination of pride and satisfaction. When the dog launched into the air and latched onto Hanellin's forearm, his face broke into a wide grin.
The dog hit hard but a padded bite sleeve protected Hanellin's arm from damage. When the dog was ordered to release Hanellin, it did so immediately and was rewarded with praise and petting.
For Hanellin, this was just another day at work. As the owner of Dogs By Andy K-9 Services LLC, it's Hanellin's job to train the dogs to fit his customers' needs.
Both of the Catawba County Sheriff's K-9 dogs came from Dogs By Andy.
He bought the dogs, trained them and sold them to the sheriff's office like he's done for 64 other law enforcement agencies across the country. He's also trained dogs for every federal agency in the nation.
He sees his role as a combination of a scout, coach and agent for the dogs, and he helps pet owners, too.
Sometimes he teaches Malinois to sniff out bombs or drugs and to track suspects for law enforcement agencies. Sometimes he teaches Malteses to be disciplined enough to walk through a shopping center without a leash.
Hanellin said he started training dogs professionally and went to Europe, where he learned techniques from some of the best dog trainers in the world in Belgium, Holland and Germany.
He built up his business in his hometown of Long Island, N.Y., and specialized in training dogs for law enforcement and helping pet owners get their animals under control.
Four years ago, he moved to North Carolina and settled in.
"I was sick and tired of being in New York," Hanellin said. "Me and the wife were looking for a lake where we could water-ski all year long."
They found Lake Norman and they plan to stick around.
He lives in Maiden and trains the dogs in Mooresville.
"If you handed me $1 million and my house back in New York, I wouldn't move," he said.
In addition to his work with law enforcement, he works with pet owners who are looking for some help with their dogs.
Last week, he helped NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip track down his stolen German shepherd, Darla, in a rough Charlotte neighborhood.
Hanellin's worked with a number of celebrities along the way and says their needs aren't that unusual.
"They want what you and I want — a great dog that listens to them better than their kids do," he said. "They really just want a really good house pet."
Hanelin's carved out a niche for himself and he's happy with his life.
"I'll stay in this for as long as I possibly can — I wasn't built for anything else," he said. "I wake up every day and can't wait to get to work."
Email
Print
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
