Voices

Loss of business financially devastating, heartbreaking

PUTNEY — A beloved member of the community, Elise Paffrath, who runs Breeze Thru Agility, has lost her business.

Her new landlord gave her a short time to vacate the building, and he was apparently unwilling to negotiate more time for her to prepare for the closure of her business.

This comes in the middle of a pandemic and is financially devastating to Elise and heartbreaking to her friends and clients.

Over the last 25 years, Elise has provided world-class dog-agility instruction and training to those of us in the Brattleboro area who love dogs. She is a veteran of national and international dog agility competitions. She is a champion in her own right. Clients come to Elise for training from over a 50-mile radius.

Breeze Thru Agility has become a large community of people, thanks to Elise, who share laughter and fun, as we provide healthy exercise and a happy outlet for our intelligent canine companions.

Elise has also supported dog obedience training, and for several summers, she ran a kids' dog agility camp. Many children in the area came with their dogs for joyous times of learning how to train the furry family member properly.

At Breeze Thru Agility, all students are taught to use gentle, positive training methods. Of highest importance is compassionate treatment of the dogs.

Elise needs a new space to lease to reopen her business, so that training can continue and she can resume her livelihood.

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