About me
Erika Proctor is the director and animal behavior specialist of Green Dogs Unleashed, a non-profit, special-needs animal rescue, and therapy dog program founded in 2012. She resides in Troy, Virginia with her husband, four children, 6 dogs, various fosters, cats, chickens, guinea hens, and goats.
Erika teaches courses on therapy dog work, basic obedience, and advanced classes including tricks, fitness, and sport work. All proceeds from classes help continue the work of rescuing dogs with special needs and helping families build bonds with their furry friends. She holds certifications including: GDU, TDT-AKC, CGC, and Trick Dog Evaluator and was named the Best of Langley, VA dog trainer in 2023.
As a Behavior Specialist, she works with all concerns from basic training needs to OCD and Anxiety, as well as reactivity and aggression evaluation and mitigation.
Erika developed a specialized PTSD training program for rescue dogs as a way of supporting veterans in our community. One to two dogs a year are selected and put through over 500 hours of her PTSD training, development, and integration with their veteran owners and families.
In addition to this, she created the therapy dog program at Green Dogs Unleashed with over fifteen insured and active teams spanning across the central Virginia area. Teams visit varied venues including assisted living facilities, elementary schools, community events, hospice facilities, and more. Throughout the years, hundreds of dogs and pets have been placed with new families in the community to provide their forever homes.
