Nicole Stumpf

My future professional and personal career was already clear in my childhood: I grew up with dogs and cats in a family that was active in sports, and from an early age I was interested in veterinary medicine and sport. I decided to train as a veterinary assistant during an internship while I was still at school. In addition to popular sports (handball), I developed a passion for running with dogs when I got my first dog in 2002.

In 2014, I started dog sledding, which is still an integral part of my free time today. I celebrated my dog sledding debut in 2016 at the dog triathlon in Oberhof. Inspired by this great experience, I made it my mission to publicize this sport, which is still relatively unknown in Saarland, and to introduce sports-loving dog owners to dog sledding. I completed training as a fitness trainer for dogs and humans and as a dog sledding trainer. My motivated human-dog training teams soon became the "Canicross Team Saarland". From caniwalk and canicross to dog scootering and bikejoring, I have set up a wide range of sports. For me, the focus was and still is on the respective human-dog team - different fitness levels in humans and dogs always require an individual training structure.

As I gained more experience over the years, I developed an eye for various deficits in athletes (both humans and dogs). In order to further my education in this field, I decided to study canine sports science at ATM and also to train as an animal physiotherapist and veterinary physical therapist at VAHL. What started as a hobby became a great passion and my job became a calling. Veterinary medicine, sport and physiology merge into one another - this holistic approach is my motivation.