This is an article from the Daily Bulletin City News January 27, 2006 Written by Imani Tate
Lifelong talent, love of dogs brings couple to current occupation
By INANI Tate
STAFF WRITER
Kelly Wolff-Arias of San Dimas was a teenager when she discovered her occupational talent.
She had known where her interests and talents were since her teen years as a Bonita High School student training her first golden retriever, Shalom. However, she delayed her dream and worked in United Parcel Service’s billing department for 14 years before shifting her full-time career efforts to training and grooming dogs.
Wolff-Arias, a Pomona native who grew up in La Verne, lived on Peyton Road and her childhood home was at the easterly end of the street and within view of Las Flores Park. She took Shalom to the city’s dog obedience classes, but spent considerable more hours in the park training him.
Gene Wolff, her father and a Bonita High woodshop teacher, watched the park training regiment by the La Verne Parks and Community Services Department dog-obedience teacher and accurately predicted his daughter’s future.
“Maybe one day, you’ll be training dogs for the city of La Verne,” said the elder Wolff.
Wolff and his wife, Betty, now wave at their daughter when she’s training dogs at Las Flores Park. It mad sense for Kelly to choose a career that allowed her to exercise her love for animals. When she was 8 she began walking and sitting for neighbors’ pets.
Kelly’s husband, James Arias, discovered his affinity for training and handling animals much later.
The two had vowed to avoid marriage a second time around, but that changed when they spiritually and romantically connected while attending Sunday school at Christ Church of the Valley in San Dimas. Their dating began with walks and hikes with their dogs.
Arias had been an ironworker for 33 years. But an injury ended that physically demanding job. He was at home considering what work best suited his altered health when helping his wife calm a frightened animal led him to the same path Kelly had taken.
“I had no experience training or grooming animals, but a year into our marriage I fell off a scaffold,” said Arias, a native of South Central Los Angeles and Fremont High School graduate. “My knee collapsed and my knee cap shattered. Iron work was the only thing I knew how to do.”
So he thought, Wolff-Arias interjected.
Both discovered he could do more than walk and play with their own dogs when he took command with a troublesome canine.
“We had a grooming shop in our house. Now mind you, James didn’t know dogs before we got married,” Wolff-Arias recalled. “I was dealing with an aggressive Samoyed who was trying to eat me alive.
“I warned him to stay away from the dog, but what does he do?” she continued, laughing. “He gets in the dog’s face and asks the, nose to nose what was wrong with him. I was worried then surprised. That dog literally smiled.”
Cruiser, the Samoyed in question, is still Arias’ favorite dog.
“I told him I’m going to get him a shirt that says “From Iron Worker to Poodle Groomer,” so he can wear it around his old work buddies,” Kelly joked.
Wolff-Arias had successfully completed the city of La Verne’s dog-obedience program with Shalom and took first-place honors in the program as a teen. After graduating from Bonita High, she completed additional training at the Seeing Eye Dog Institute and High Desert School for Dog Training. When Arias discovered his talents with animals, he took two years of training at a grooming school to earn his certification and join his spouse in business partnership.
Today, they co-own Kelly’s K-9 College in San Dimas. She teaches dog obedience and puppy socialization classes for the city of La Verne. They operate the grooming-and-training business together. They established the doggie drill team five years ago for dogs in Kell’s intermediate off-leash class and the team performs at community programs like the La Verne Pet Pageant as well as public events and parades. They created the Canine Hiking Club 15 years ago.
“People want to do something with their dogs,” Arias said. “Training is important, but having fun with your dog is equally important. All work and no play makes for a dull and unhappy dog that will destroy you backyard.”
Wolff-Arias said dogs, like people, need a change of scenery and habit occasionally.
“We have a nice house, but we still go to the movies and dinner on a Friday night,” she noted. “Dogs also get bored. Most behavioral problems come from boredom, so the hiking program provides recreation for them. We hike to different places, including Marshall Canyon in La Verne and Eaton Canyon in Arcadia. The outing also includes a lunch break.”
Although working six days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., they manage to balance family activities with children James Arias Jr. of Rancho Cucamonga, Tabitha Johnson of Glendora, David Ax of La Verne and Summer Ax of Lake Elsinore and eight grandchildren.
And they’ll soon enjoy a second generation of dog trainers in the family.
“One grandson, Justin is 14 and hopes to take over our future accounting and business operations,” Wolff-Arias proudly proclaimed. “his sister, Ashly, is 13 and dying to become a groomer with us. That’s fine. I told them me and Grandpa will live in the back house and relax in retirement. They can live in the front house and operate the business.”