The Waggy Team
Where Rescue Meets Purpose
Amanda
Qualified dog trainer, life-long adventurer, and founder of Waggy Travels
I’m Amanda , qualified dog trainer, lifelong adventurer, and founder of Waggy Travels.
My journey didn’t begin in a classroom. It started with one unforgettable dog named Marvin, who had spent the first two years of his life tethered to a back deck, shut down and terrified of the world. At the same time, I was recovering from a life-changing snowboarding injury. We met in the middle of our own storms of uncertainty and began to heal together — one forest walk and river swim at a time.
Visiting Marvin daily for eight months taught me patience, resilience, and the power of genuine connection. From those quiet steps outside to full-blown trail adventures, I discovered my purpose: helping dogs feel safe, understood, and truly seen.
Since then, I’ve gained industry certifications and over six years of hands-on experience, volunteering, fostering, managing kennels, and working in both private training facilities and council-run impounds. I’ve worked with dogs who were overlooked, misunderstood, or simply let down by the system. I saw the heartbreaking pattern of rehoming and returns often within days, and knew things had to change.
That’s where Waggy Travels was born: A dog training and adventure-based aftercare service designed to break the cycle and support both dogs and their humans. We specialise in post-adoption support, large breeds, and reactive behaviours, and we’re deeply committed to helping owners build stronger bonds and better communication with their dogs.
Our training is balanced and instinct-led, always grounded in real-world, practical outcomes. We’re purpose-driven, not profit-driven, and everything we do is supported by our own trained pack of former rescue dogs, including our ambassador, Snowman.
Whether you’ve just adopted or you’re navigating long-standing challenges, we’re here to help you and your dog build trust, confidence, and a life of shared adventures. Like Marvin taught me: it’s never too late to start again.
Snowman
Waggy’s ambassador, top dog and behaviour barometer
Snowman entered Amanda’s life 4 years ago as a shut down, reactive dog in a NSW pound, scheduled for euthanasia. At the time, Amanda was fostering with Rescue Hub, who placed an urgent save on him. Marking the start of a life-changing partnership.
Initially, Snowman would “play dead” when given any attention. He had no food drive, no play drive, and no confidence...a dog trainer’s achilles heel. Three weeks later, he had his first grand mal seizure. It was terrifying. Then his aggression toward people and dogs surfaced. It took around a year of holistic medical management and pure positive training to bring Snowman to a stable, neutral place.
Snowman (once just “Snow”) got a name upgrade and a new role: Waggy Travels Ambassador. He’s gone from muzzled and reactive to calm, trusted, and social. From human-aggressive to the ultimate foster grandpa, he’s helped dozens of scared, reactive dogs out of the pound and into the world, simply by being near them and not giving a damn. He’s even completed service dog training, though you’ll usually find him just vibing with Amanda, sharing matching unbothered energy.
Snowman is now our Behavioural Barometer and his calm, consistent energy helps us assess and support reactive and fearful dogs. What makes Snowman remarkable isn’t just what he overcame, it’s what he instinctively offers others.
He’s taught us more about patience, trust, and connection than any textbook ever could.
Osirus (Ozzy)
Peacemaker and Financial advisor of Waggy Travels.
Amanda first met Osirus when he was just six months old. She was close with his original owner — a dear friend who tragically passed away two years ago. When Amanda heard the heartbreaking news, and that both Osirus and his sister Iris had ended up in a rural pound as a result, she dropped everything to bring them to safety. Snowman was temporarily placed in care to make space for the grieving siblings, who had never been on lead and were unsocialised.
At a combined weight of almost 90kg, with intense separation anxiety from each other and reactivity toward both people and other dogs, their early days were full-on. But Amanda met the chaos with calm, patience, and compassion. Through months of slow, structured training and careful desensitisation, she helped the pair build independence. No small feat for bonded littermates who had never been apart.
Eventually, Iris found her forever home with close friends of Waggy Travels and now explores Australia with her new brindle sisters.
Ozzy stayed , not just because Amanda couldn’t imagine life without him, but because he chose her too. Adopting him was, in her words, “the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Today, Ozzy is the peacemaker of the pack and follows in Snowman’s pawprints as a calm, steady control dog. He’s always first in line for adventure walks and snacks as a result he absolutely thrives on trick training. He also proudly holds the title of world’s best cuddler. We’re certain his former dad would be so proud of the dog he’s become.
Ozzy may have lost his family but he helped build ours here at Waggy Travels.