Meetings

Club meetings are held the first Thursday of the month at the Walteria Park Senior Center Clubhouse at 3855 W. 242nd Street in Torrance. (Note: The Senior Center is the building next to the Torrance Walteria Branch Library). See Map

Meetings start promptly at 7:30 PM

Membership Information

Club membership is $10.00/year individuals and $15.00/year family. To become a member you must first attend 3 monthly meetings and then be voted in by the current DOCOT Board. Members are entitled to register a new dog in the Novice Class at no charge and are invited to all annual and special events.

History of the Dog Obedience Club of Torrance

The Club started as the German Shepherd Club in April 1956 and became a charter Club for the Torrance Parks and Recreation Department that same year. In order to reflect a more general emphasis on training of all breeds of dogs, when the club started dog training classes in September of 1956, it changed its name to the "South Bay Dog Obedience Club". To complement the training classes a youth summer class for ages 10-14 was started in the summer of 1957. This program continued until 1977 when it was discontinued. The final name change occurred in 1961 when the club became the “Dog Obedience Club of Torrance”.

The club founder and original trainer was Roy Smith. Roy acted as the trainer until he passed away in 1977. Jose and Jim Butzirus, members since 1963, took over the training classes in 1977. Over 15,000 dogs have graduated from the obedience classes (with second and even third generation handlers completing the program !!!) since the original club was founded in 1956.

Former Trainers

Joanne "Jose" Butzirus and Jim Butzirus the former trainers for the Dog Obedience Club of Torrance were long time Torrance residents. Originally from Illinois, Jim was a US Postal Worker and Jose owned her own dog grooming business. Jose and Jim ran the DOCOT Novice class for decades together, putting over 9,000 dogs and handlers through the program. Jose was know for her ability to get into the dog's psyche, allowing her to understand and help correct many behavioral problems.