Dolores Vallecita

While raising Shetland ponies for business purpose, she came into contact with circus people.

[2] She made her debut at Austin & Stone's Museum, Boston, in 1905, with a pair of pumas, a leopard and a lion.

[citation needed] These performances were not without controversy, with the Massachusetts SPCA charging her in Our Dumb Animals with the "effrontery to advertise herself as 'an active member of the [SPCA]'" despite owning (at least) two full grown Indian leopards.

[3] She trained her troupe of six Indian leopards to perform different tricks including rolling globes, see saw, electric wheel, forming a pyramid, and posing for pictures.

[4] During 1907–1908, she toured the world, and performed in a number of major cities including London, Berlin, and Havana.