Most of us think our dogs are pretty smart, but can yours read flash cards?

Shannon Summers (she will be Shannon Parker after marrying in a few weeks) is wowing Kingwood area folks with her ability to train dogs.

Samantha was a 1-year-old Dachsund who hadn’t caught on to being potty-trained and tended to have accidents when excited, Summers says. But dogs can learn quickly, and after Summers taught Samantha acceptable bathroom behavior, she started in on less critical tasks like sitting and staying. When that got old, Summers brought out the flash cards, she says.

“It got to the point that I had run out of things to teach her,” Summers adds.

Summers gained experience working with dogs as a former veterinary tech for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Houston and as a trainer at one of the large pet stores. Now she has gone into business for herself, and you can get more information about her business at www.pawsitive-dogtraining.com.

Here’s what we’d like to highlight: Summers, who lives in Humble, will give two free training sessions to anyone who adopts an animal from the Humane Animal Rescue Program, or HARP. Their Web site is www.harp-rescue.com. She will also offer a discount if your animal has papers from another rescue organization. You can contact her at shibbyshannyn13@yahoo.com.