Bio

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BIO / CHARLIE BENDERSON

Hi, I’m Charlie, founder of The Rebellious Dog, providing professional pet care and dog training throughout Oro Valley, Marana, and the greater Tucson area.

My approach is rooted in something simple: every animal deserves to be understood, cared for as an individual, and given the opportunity to thrive. Whether I’m working through a training challenge or caring for a pet while their family is away, trust, safety, and connection come first.

A Lifelong Love of Animals

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I was born and raised in Florida, where my love for animals started early. I grew up raising and showing horses, an experience that taught me patience, responsibility, and how much can be learned when we take the time to understand an animal.

After earning my business degree from the University of Central Florida, I spent nearly two decades in the corporate world. Eventually, I found my way back to what had always brought me the most fulfillment: working with animals.

Meet the Original “Rebellious Dog”

For the past six years, I’ve immersed myself in dog training and pet care, working alongside experienced trainers and continuing to expand my knowledge of canine behavior.

A huge part of that journey has been my own dog, Clyde, the original “rebellious dog” and the inspiration behind the name.

Together, Clyde and I have earned advanced trick titles and Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification, while exploring agility, scent work, and barn hunt. Most recently, we earned our therapy dog certification through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, opening the door to another meaningful way we can serve our community together.

A woman lying on grass among orange flowers in a field with mountains in the background, smiling and cuddling a large dog.
A dog with a samoyed and brown coat sitting outdoors near plants and rocks.

Care Built Around the Individual

A woman with long dark hair sitting on the ground outdoors with a dog, in a desert landscape during sunset with rocky hills in the background.
A woman with long dark hair smiling and sitting outdoors on a rocky trail surrounded by desert plants, wearing a dark red off-shoulder dress and cowboy boots.

No two pets are exactly alike, and I don’t believe their care should be either.

The Rebellious Dog offers dog training, in-home pet sitting, overnight care, enrichment, visits, and pet transportation with services tailored to each animal’s personality, routine, comfort level, and individual needs.

My goal is to provide experienced, dependable care that gives you confidence while helping your pet feel safe, secure, understood, and comfortable in their own environment.

More than Pet Care

The Rebellious Dog is about more than managing behavior or checking in while you’re away. It’s about building trust, creating meaningful connections, and providing the kind of thoughtful care I would want for my own animals.

Because sometimes the “rebellious” ones just need someone willing to understand them.

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Backed by Education and Experience

  • Behavior is communication.

    A dog who pulls, reacts, shuts down, struggles to settle, or becomes overwhelmed isn’t simply being “difficult.” Understanding what is happening beneath the behavior allows us to respond with greater clarity and make decisions based on the individual dog rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.

    That knowledge matters beyond training, too.

    It influences how we introduce ourselves to a nervous pet, recognize signs of stress during a visit, manage an overstimulated dog on an outing, and help pets feel secure while their owners are away.

  • International Association of Canine Professionals Member

    Membership with the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP) reflects our commitment to professional standards, industry education, ethical practices, and continued growth within the field.

  • Prong Collar Education & Safety Training Certified

    Training tools are never one-size-fits-all. Education surrounding proper fit, timing, pressure, communication, and appropriate use allows us to make informed decisions based on the individual dog, including recognizing when a particular tool is not appropriate.

  • Our Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and advanced trick title experience goes beyond performing commands. These accomplishments require communication, engagement, reliability, impulse control, and the ability to work successfully around real-world distractions.

  • Therapy work requires more than good manners. Dogs must demonstrate appropriate temperament, emotional regulation, environmental confidence, and the ability to remain comfortable in changing situations.

    This experience has strengthened our ability to recognize subtle stress signals, understand thresholds, and determine when an environment may be asking too much of a dog.

  • Education provides the foundation. Real-world experience teaches you how to apply it.

    Our experience includes working with dogs navigating reactivity, anxiety, over-arousal, distractions, environmental challenges, and the everyday situations that don't happen perfectly on cue.

    Because life with your dog doesn’t happen in a controlled training room.

    It happens on walks. At home. When the doorbell rings. Around other animals. When you leave town. At the vet. And in all the unpredictable moments in between.

    Our goal is to help create progress that translates into real life.

  • The field of canine behavior continues to evolve, and so should the professionals working within it.

    We actively pursue continuing education through respected organizations and educators within the industry, including Leerburg and Michael Ellis, expanding our understanding of canine behavior, communication, training, handling, and safety.

    Continuing education allows us to refine our approach while remaining thoughtful about the methods we choose and the animals in front of us.

At The Rebellious Dog, education isn’t about collecting credentials. It’s about having the knowledge to make thoughtful, informed decisions for the animals trusted to our care.

From training and behavior to sitting and enrichment, our approach combines hands-on experience with continued professional education. Because when it comes to your pet, understanding why matters just as much as knowing what to do.