Alina (right) was raised and trained in Austria by one of Maureen's first mentors and is often referred to as “the origin story”.  Working with Alina and logging miles of alpine hiking adventures was what shifted her path and moved dog training from a hobby to a career.  With exceptional temperament and balance of drives, Alina is ideally suited for being handled by clients and working around client dogs.   Additionally, Alina is trained to compete in Nosework and Rally Obedience.​

After Merlin (left) was cut from a training program at 10 months old, he found his way into Maureen's heart and home. While very sweet in temperament, he was 70 lbs of fast moving muscle and sharp edges.  The challenges of teaching house manners to a dog that was fully grown but acted like a 10 week old puppy has fundamentally shaped the mission of Confluence Canine and has impacted the lives of many dogs.  Merlin’s journey demonstrates what is possible when the human starts from a place of understanding and acceptance of where their dog is right now, and uses that understanding to inform the path to their goals.  Maureen and Merlin started running Canicross last year, leading to the joke that he can now add "pawsonal" trainer to his resume.