EASTON, Pa. — Lana Brucker is sitting on the floor of a client’s bedroom in Breinigsville, an orange cat named Finn facing her with doe eyes.
On the other side of a mesh screen covering the open bedroom door, Finn’s human mother sits mimicking the hisses of another cat.
The little orange cat glances over and begins to walk a bit toward his beloved human, but once Brucker sings out his name, he immediately chirps, turns around, and sits patiently, even as his mama continues to attempt to distract him.
This is a test of Finn’s training, entailing weeks of behavioral work intended to ensure Finn can cohabitate with another cat that lives in the household, Eevee, who has no patience for his energy and antics.
Not long before, Finn’s humans feared they would have to rehome him due to the clash between cats, but thanks to Brucker’s work, he’ll likely be able to thrive in his home with his family.
"I didn't know what I was doing. I just cared about her and I was volunteering a lot at the shelter, and people were saying, ‘Oh, you have a way with animals.’"Lana Brucker
Brucker has seen this scene plenty of times: a pet parent at wit’s end, worrying about the potential to have to get rid of their favorite dog or cat due to constant barking, scratching, fights with friends and family, or any number of behavioral issues.
It’s a passion for Brucker, as she says she has always seen pets as friends and family worth fighting for, and it forms the cornerstone of Lana’s Comforting Pawsibilities.
Out of the conservatory and into the kennel
Years ago, Brucker was working in the theater industry in Manhattan. Accustomed to being around animals her whole life, she found herself missing the companionship.
After leaving her conservatory and striking out on her own for auditions, she took on jobs babysitting and nannying, and then eventually, dog walking.
Shortly after, she began volunteering at a shelter, bonding with the dogs, and falling in love with one of the canines she walked routinely.
That particular pup had some issues with men and exhibited anxiety around them in just about any environment. Brucker said she would sometimes need a person to cover for her walks, and since she often couldn’t find a woman to take the job, she had to find a way to address the dog’s anxiety on her own.
“So I had to work on her fear around men in those scenarios, and I was able to help her. I didn't know what I was doing. I just cared about her and I was volunteering a lot at the shelter, and people were saying, ‘Oh, you have a way with animals,’ and people were complimenting me, telling the owner of the dog I was walking how good I was with her, and he was noticing a difference,” Brucker said.
“And so I was like, ‘OK, this feels rewarding. This feels fulfilling. And the entertainment industry did not feel that way. So, I decided to go back to school for animal behavior and conservation at Hunter College.”
It’s been about three years since Brucker obtained her degree and certification, and her business has become a fixture of animal training across the Lehigh Valley and beyond.
The 'pawsibilities' for pet training
“I work with primarily with people who are dealing with challenges in the home with their animals. So rarely do I get a case where it's just basic obedience with a brand-new puppy, because people normally go to PetSmart or Petco or something like that,” Brucker said.
“People usually come to me with, say, reactive dogs or cats exhibiting some sort of anxiety; peeing around the house or not getting along with another animal. Sometimes I get hyperactive dogs, too. Every once in a while, I get like a service dog case, but mostly my thing is working with animals who are stressed out and acting out because of stress.”
When a client contacts Brucker, the initial consultation revolves around familiarizing herself with the pet, “getting the animal and what they enjoy doing, getting to know the people and their frustrations.”
Evaluating the owner and the environment is a pivotal starting point, she said, as animals are known to pick up on higher cortisol levels indicating stress, which can lead to unruly behavior as they exhibit concern over their owner.
“Before starting on any actual exercises, I start with, ‘How can we arrange the environment to be less anxiety-inducing? How can we make a routine that is comfortable for both the animals and the people? What are the kind of things to modify in the schedule, in the environment before we move on to specific behavior modification?” Brucker said.
From there, she offers a synopsis and the option for additional training. Pet parents can pursue the plan they choose, and Brucker is always along for support if needed.
“I always make a training plan after the fact, because it's very rare that just a change in the routine in the environment will instantly fix the problem. I usually will recommend a certain number of training sessions with me.
"Often, if it fits into a client's budget, I will make packages that will include a certain number of sessions, say 10 sessions, plus a one-month follow-up, so that I can see how the animal's still doing a month later without me helping,” Brucker said.
Brucker relies on positive reinforcement training to get effective, long-lasting results from the animals she encounters, she said, and that strategy is especially vital when it comes to cat training.
While punishment — prong collars, chain or collar yanking, etc. — can get results, in the end, it can be incredibly damaging for the animal, and the owner, eroding trust and comfort.
But using rewards and positive reinforcement? As Brucker puts it, the worst that could happen is a dog or cat gets a few extra treats.
And to dispel the ever-present misconceptions before anyone brings it up, yes, cats can be trained.
“Positive reinforcement, yes, a cat will do all sorts of things for their favorite treats, their favorite toys,” Brucker said, sharing an anecdote where every cat in her parents’ house effectively learned they could get treats by sitting in a certain chair next to the refrigerator — all the while these individual cats never interacted, they simply learned through positive reinforcement.
Infinite pawtential and amazing results
With her regimen, Brucker has been able to work what many would consider miracles, with owners shocked to witness the turnaround the beloved furry friends experienced after just a few sessions.
Marie Demarais, who lives in Easton, was on the lookout for a dog trainer via a dog training academy when she found a link to Lana’s Comforting Pawsibilities.
“....It just was a really great experience.”Marie Demarais
Demarais said her dog Eddie, a rescue, had some issues with barking, and being that she lived in a three-unit apartment, it was a bit of an issue with the neighbors.
“And then if anybody came in our apartment, he just barked like crazy. He wouldn't stop. So that was the one big issue we really wanted to work on with him that we just couldn't seem to do anything with,” Demarais said.
“And so she came, she did the consultation, which was extremely thorough. It was an hour-and-a-half consultation; she spent time with him. It was great. And then, you know, we decided that we were going to hire her, and it just was a really great experience.”
Nowadays, if anyone comes by the door or enters Demarais’s apartment, Eddie can behave himself, only letting at a subtle, mumbled “woof” at most.
As Demarais said, “she did what we couldn’t.”
“She was just very easy to work with, we felt comfortable with her, Eddie felt comfortable with her, so it was just a really positive experience,” Demarais said.
In Allentown, Dr. Madeleine Langman said she needed help with two cats: Foxy and Tiggie, both of whom started their lives living outdoors.
While Langman describes Foxy as a sweet little cat, she also points out she does not like to be picked up, making visits to the vet problematic.
“So Lana developed a whole training protocol of how to gradually acclimate Foxy to the carrier so that we could get Foxy to the vet. And that's been very, very helpful,” Langman said.
“She came up with a whole protocol, a whole program, and she came in person. And then on the day that we had to do this, she was even Zooming in to instruct me on the morning of the vet appointment, she was present virtually to make sure that we could get Foxy in. So she was just phenomenal with that.”
Tiggie was a different story: a rambunctious cat who loved to interact with Langman outside, it was clear he wanted to make a move indoors.
“We were very concerned about the effect on Foxy, who is very timid. And so Lana guided us through a six-week process of isolating Tiggie in one area of our house and then very, very gradually introducing the cats together under really controlled circumstances with lots of treats. And I know that if it weren’t for that, these cats would not have done well.”
Langman said the duo act like siblings now: They clean one another, cuddle, and, of course, play around a bit.
As Langman puts it, Brucker is “the cat whisperer, and she’s like this with dogs, too,” as “she has an incredible affinity for animals, and they have an affinity for her.”
That love and dedication has gone a long way for Brucker, and while she said she is happy to see her business thrive, the real joy comes from the results.
Seeing people and animals in a happier state, experiencing relief after times of stress and fear, and being able to enjoy life again are the keys to her career, she said.
“And that's such a good feeling, knowing that I could help those people, and those animals feel better,” Brucker said.
