Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose And Patty Sierra.
Hi Jose and Patty, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The Semper Amici story officially begins in 2018, but to truly understand our roots, you have to go all the way back to 2006. That was the year Jose was selected for the Military Working Dog (MWD) program in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Jose went on to serve two tours in Iraq alongside his first “soul dog,” MWD Gris. Today, we honor Gris’s legacy by featuring his likeness as the face of our logo. What many people don’t know, however, is that after Gris passed away, Jose almost gave up working with dogs entirely. It was a heartbreaking loss. But with the encouragement of his then-fiancée, Patty, he pushed forward, taking on private contract work in Indonesia to help local authorities train tracking dogs. Upon returning to the States, he continued his service on the home front, working with TSA explosives detection dogs.
Despite these achievements, Jose always wanted more. He carried an entrepreneurial spark, a growing fascination with canine behavior, and a deep eagerness to educate others.
In 2016, he enrolled at Starmark Academy, a premier in-person school for dog professionals, where he earned his certification as a Canine Training and Behavior Specialist. From there, he climbed the ranks to become the Training Director at a dog training facility in Houston. After learning more about the business side of the industry, Jose finally took the leap to fulfill his dream of ownership.
We started small in 2018, just Jose, a van, and a vision for “mobile dog training.” By December 2019, that vision expanded into our very first brick-and-mortar facility. Jose has never stopped learning; he regularly attends industry workshops, and most recently, he earned his certification in NePoPo®, a world renowned, specialized dog training system. Today, Semper Amici has grown from a one-man mobile operation into a full team we are incredibly proud of.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely been a winding road with its fair share of potholes. The biggest initial shock was timing: we launched our physical facility in December 2019, right before the pandemic turned the world upside down. Navigating the uncertainty of a new brick-and-mortar business during a global crisis required total adaptability.
In those early days, Patty was the constant that kept us afloat. She was working full time in her own career as an early intervention specialist and case manager, and to be fully transparent, there were months where we only survived because of her paycheck. We always prioritized paying our employees first, which meant there were many times Jose didn’t take a paycheck at all just to ensure our team was taken care of.
The other major struggle was the classic entrepreneurial leap, learning how to transition from a one man mobile training operation into running a full scale company. Mastering business operations, managing commercial overhead, and learning how to scale a team without sacrificing our high standards of care doesn’t happen without serious growing pains. Looking back, though, we wouldn’t change the struggle. It taught us how to be agile, and it proved just how resilient we are as a team and a family.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We specialize in obedience and behavior. At its core, Semper Amici, which translates to ‘Always Friends’, is a premium dog training company dedicated to comprehensive behavioral development. For new clients, we offer our elite Board and Train programs alongside customized Private Lesson programs. Once a dog graduates from our core training, they gain exclusive access to our graduate only services. This includes structured boarding, daytime enrichment, specialized scent detection classes and trick classes, and advanced owner education courses covering topics like reading dog body language and pet CPR and first aid.
What completely sets us apart is our approach: we train the human just as much as the dog, focusing entirely on the relationship between dog and owner. We are passionate about eradicating the outdated idea that ‘you need to be your dog’s alpha.’ That is a myth built on old information. Instead, we teach owners how to be their dog’s trusted leader.
In fact, our process always begins by talking to the owner first. We want to work with dedicated owners who genuinely want to be educated. The human aspect of dog training is the single biggest factor in long term success; if someone is simply looking for a place to ‘fix it for them’ without putting in the effort themselves, we aren’t the right fit. Without the owner’s commitment to learning, the training eventually falls apart.
This philosophy is rooted in Jose’s unique pedigree. He brings the precision, discipline, and deep understanding of canine psychology from his time in the Marine Corps, TSA, and international contract work. Combined with his formal education at Starmark Academy as a Canine Training and Behavior Specialist, and his certification in NePoPo®, a world renowned system focused on training with heart, soul, and ultimate precision, he has built a training framework that delivers unmatched results.
Brand wise, we are most proud of our commitment to Semper Amici’s true mission: the proper development, care, and enrichment of dogs, alongside the enlightenment and education of their owners. Through this mission, our ultimate goal is to keep as many dogs as possible from being unnecessarily abandoned, re-homed, or euthanized, while guiding families on the absolute best ways to communicate and live in harmony with their four legged family members.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The best way to work with us is to visit our website or schedule a phone consultation. Because our process always begins by talking to the owner first, we want to hear your story, understand your goals, and ensure we are a great fit for each other before we ever go to your home for the first visit or you bring a dog into our facility.
For fellow pet professionals, veterinarians, and local businesses, we are always open to collaboration. We believe in building a strong, educated canine community, whether that means hosting educational workshops, partnering for community events, or collaborating on specialized pet wellness initiatives.
If you simply want to support our mission of keeping dogs out of shelters and helping families live in harmony, you can follow us on social media. Sharing our educational content, leaving a review, or telling a friend about Semper Amici helps us reach the owners who need us most. We are always here to guide, educate, and welcome new members into the Semper Amici family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.semperamicicanine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semperamicik9
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SemperAmiciK9
