Bryan David Lamky

Bryan was a jack of all trades, but he worked primarily as a carpet and upholstery cleaner, and an investment property remodeler. But, the center of Bryan’s world always revolved around animals. Growing up in the Lamky family meant being surrounded by Old English Sheepdogs, Dobermans, Shepherds and Shih Tzu’s since he was a child. Throughout the years, he would come to share his home with numerous other pets, including rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, fish, birds, and cats, but the most important thing became his steadfast relationship with dogs. In fact, he was known to bring home a stray dog on more than one occasion, (even if it involved jumping out of a car and running into oncoming traffic to save one!) Over time, it became clear that he had a special connection with dogs. He seemed to instinctively know how to communicate with them, and he was often referred to as a dog whisperer. Bryan and his wife owned as many as 7 dogs at once, impressing visitors with their von Trapp family deportment.

The pinnacle of Bryan’s life involved his dedication to the sport of canine Frisbee. He began disc dog training in the early 1990s, when he entered his first disc dog competition in Southfield, Michigan, with a boxer mix named ‘Madison’. They came in 9th place in toss and fetch that year. Once he learned that he could win an all-expense paid trip to the Friskies Canine Frisbee Disc World Finals in Washington, DC, simply by playing Frisbee with a dog, he was hooked! He started training ‘Axl’ for the game. Then ‘Tatiana’ came into his life in 1993, as an abandoned 4-week-old puppy. She fit into the palm of his hand. Her head was the size of a marble. They became inseparable. Little did he know, 1994 would be the beginning of his ascent as a legend in the world of canine Frisbee. Watching Bryan and ‘Tat’ perform their choreographed music routines on the Frisbee field was magical. The team would win an astounding 7 trips to the Alpo Canine Frisbee Disc Championships, which were held in the Washington, DC, and New York areas. This dynamic duo would steadily improve their standings on the Alpo Canine Frisbee Disc Championships podium, culminating in a 2nd place finish in 1997. They dominated the disc dog sport for many years, where ‘Tat’ ultimately became known in the circuit as, ‘the flying Doberman’, and Bryan, ‘the dancing man’. Bryan had a YouTube channel called dogcultureconnection. You can view his other dog training videos, including his 1997 World Finals Performance with Tatiana here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfmEco2iZiw

Bryan and ‘Tat’ also performed disc dog demonstrations at family pet shows, charity events, and fundraisers for the Michigan, Jackson and Kalamazoo Humane Societies. His frisbee prowess would also lead to opportunities to perform at football stadium half time shows in cities like Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburg, Chicago, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Long Island, and Detroit. His disc dog expertise also led to photographs of him with his canine partners appearing in several book chapters and in the local newspapers. He appeared on ESPN for the Incredible Dog Challenge in 1999, and the team was featured in the local news on more than one occasion.

His subsequent canine disc dog partners, ‘Atom’ and ‘Madigan', won a few events while competing at the Michigan State Disc Dog Championships. He was honored to judge the European Disc Dog Frisbee Championships, held in the Czech Republic of Prague, in 2008-2009. He also won a 46” Sony HDTV in 2010, with ‘Madigan’ during the Hill’s Treats Touchdown Celebration Contest.

Bryan’s legacy is best summed up by his passion for force free and fear free training methods. He started Canine Culture Connection, LLC, shortly after earning his Karen Pryor Academy - Certified Training Partner certification in 2016. He also earned a Fear Free Dog Trainer’s certification in 2019. He worked with several local animal rescues over the years, and used clicker training to improve the lives of homeless dogs during their time in the shelter. He was awarded a Volunteer of the Year Award from Macomb County on April 28, 2022, for his volunteerism efforts at Macomb County Animal Control. Bryan recently established his, ‘My Mobile Dog Gym, LLC’, business and was actively working with shelter dogs on the new slat mill prior to his untimely passing.

When Bryan wasn’t training dogs, he spent his leisure time reading the Bible, riding his beloved motorcycles, cultivating cannabis, and working around the house and yard. He aspired to have the best 2 acres of lawn on the street. He loved spending time at home with his animals and observing the local wildlife.

Bryan is survived by his wife, Heidi Reuss-Lamky; mother, Linda Lamky of Warren, MI; father and mother in-law, Gunter and Joan Reuss of Sterling Heights, MI. Bryan was the youngest of 5. He is survived by sisters, Dawn Lamky, of Macomb, MI, Tammy (Richard) Hatmaker of Nashville TN, and April (Joseph) Marsack of Ray Township, MI, brother, Scott (Claudia) Lamky of Anza, CA; sister in-law, Jenise (Dennis) Greene of Lapeer, MI; and many nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

He was preceded in death by his father, Larry Lamky.

Family and friends are invited to a celebration of life for Bryan on May 17, 2025, from 11:00am to 2:00pm, at Central Baptist Church, 38900 Moravian, Clinton Township, MI. There will be a service at 11:30am, with a luncheon to immediately follow.

Bryan was a good man with a heart of gold. He will be dearly missed by everyone who knew and loved him. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you perform a random act of kindness, or donate to your favorite charity. Contributions may also be made to The Emergency Animal Relief Foundation (https://www.tearofmi.org/about-us/) in memory of Bryan.

Life’s short. Aim high. Bite hard.