Who’s a Good Dog? Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Olde Towne School for Dogs
Alexandria, VA – In 1973, Carlos met Sandy; they stood holding leashes but barely knew their canine charges.
Back then, Carlos Mejias worked as a professional dog trainer for both dogs and people at Captain Haggerty’s School for Dogs in Wallkill, New York. Neither Carlos nor Sandy were there for lessons with their own dogs, and they didn’t bond over a mutual affection for each other’s pup. The course utilized unfamiliar dogs from the canine training program to assure the training was effective, and they both had signed on.
“Captain Haggerty gave a really excellent course, and I took it as a lark after I finished my English degree in Creative Writing,” recalled Sandy, adding that the course was for both actual and aspirational dog trainers.
“I had just graduated from college and was going to do something fun over the summer—they (dogs) were a passion for me but I didn’t think I would make it a career after college,” Sandy said. “I had trained all my own dogs as a kid,” she continued, and was hired by the captain to be a dog trainer following the course. “Much to my parents’ disbelief.”
Carlos and Sandy hit it off and soon began to dream of running their own business. “My dad was instrumental in helping Carlos and me get our business off the ground. My dad was a Harvard Business School graduate and a comptroller with the Army, who had just retired,” she said, adding his support was invaluable.
Two years after that fateful dog training class, Carlos and Sandy opened the Olde Towne School for Dogs (OTSFD) in Old Town Alexandria, with a shared dream of training “every dog in Alexandria,” Carlos said. Their love story (they married in 1977 and had four children) is inseparable from their mutual love for dogs and dog training.
Carlos and Sandy Mejias operated a doggie day care with a pick-up bus and grooming shop. “Everybody laughed at us. We had a little doggie day care bus (to get to training appointments at the OTSFD) and nobody did that back then. You either sent your dogs away or took them to a kennel.”
“People thought we were nuts to have a doggie day care and day care training in particular,” Carlos said, adding that he drove the bus himself. Back in the 70s, while grooming and retail operations went largely unchanged, training methods and programs began to evolve.
“The early dog training was much more heavy-handed, and there wasn’t as much positive reinforcement and motivation methods. For the most part, dogs really do want to work with you… once they understand there is a relationship building,” Sandy explained. “I think dogs (and dogs’ roles) have changed since the 1970s, and there are so many more activities and things you can do with your dogs now. We taught a wide variety of methods, but positive reinforcement and relationships are what we actively encourage and teach.”
Although the popularity of various breeds has changed during their tenure, some attentive breeds such as Golden Retrievers and Border Collies remain popular for receiving training for competitive events, she noted. The OTSFD has also been sought out for its grooming of Portuguese Water Dogs—counting among its clients two from a recent White House family.
“Over the years, people became much more connected to their animals, and you could feel the change in attitude as lifestyles changed,” Sandy said. They saw a big change in the late 20th century and then again after the 9/11 tragedy, noting the change in companionship roles and the inclusion of dogs in daily family life. The “more than a pet” lifestyle emerged for canines and other animals who began to travel everywhere with their people.
“After 9/11, people really turned to their pets,” continued Sandy. “There was a definite surge in dog ownership and people wanting to do things with their animals.” She also noted many breeds were created to address allergies and prevent shedding for people with those concerns.
Fifty years after opening its doors at 529 Oronoco Street, the OTSFD has tripled in size—from only 30 x 30 feet for the entire building to its current 7,000 square feet. Despite the building dating back more than 100 years, the Mejiases set out to expand the shop through a courtyard and an old carriage house, creating what is now their current 30 x 100-feet doggie boutique.
The front section of the shop has well-organized shelves of dog apparel, leashes, and a range of gear. The back is lined with an extensive stock of dog food including a large inventory of specialized diets. In the middle, the service desk is abuzz with trainers greeting customers holding dogs who eye the icing-covered dog treats that are hard to distinguish from fresh pastries that humans love. “Any of these not for dogs?” someone asks.
Over the years, the Mejiases saw a burgeoning demand for services and hired enthusiastic staff who they trained in canine caring, grooming, and training. Two of those new trainers began to see their future careers unfold over the years as the Mejiases grew closer to retirement, which officially took place in 2022.
Alexandria native Brad Huber joined the staff in May 2012 after studying at the University of Kentucky. Huber jumped at the chance to purchase the OTSFD in 2022 with Yubi Bilbao, who had been there since May 2007. The new co-owners share many traits—an immediate rapport with dogs, amiable personalities, and a documentable history of success in dealing with dog owners and training a full variety of dogs.
Huber said he was initially attracted to the OTSFD because of “the approach” the Mejiases took with “how visible they are in the community. This is a unique facility because we mainly use Old Town as our training facility.” OTSFD trainers are often seen doing training throughout the parks and streets of Old Town. He said he also valued the original owners’ view to not “underestimate your dog’s intelligence.”
Co-owner Bilbao said that she and Huber “share the same work ethic” and was pleased when Huber approached her with an encouraging proposal to co-purchase the OTSFD, saying, “We can do this!” Bilbao agreed to take on the business, saying she felt invested in the approach taken with the store’s customers.
“We do balanced training, depending on the breed and where they came from,” Bilbao said. “We have to be honest with the client and the client with us so we can achieve good results. That way the outcome will be beneficial for them and for us at the end of the day.”
The OTSFD recently hosted a “Thank You Event” for its 50th Anniversary Celebration with a sidewalk party featuring grilled hot dogs and treats for doggie guests and two-legged companions. Free bandanas flew around furry necks at the three-hour event featuring local vendors Pawfectly Delicious, Teddy’s Turmeric Tamer, Annamaet Pet Foods, OC Raw, and Operation Paws for Homes. Proceeds from the anniversary party were earmarked for the foster home/rescue operation of “Operation Paws for Homes.”
Finally, when quizzed about the old adage of whether one can teach old dogs new tricks, co-owners Bilbao and Huber agree that’s a myth—as well as ageism speaking. “It’s never a bad idea to bring them (dogs of any age) in for a little refresher—a day or a week,” answered Bilbao. “They never forget but sometimes it needs to be reinforced at home—or sometimes for the owner. It makes a huge difference.”
