My parents adopted my first cat when I was five. I remember walking around the house with a little kitten and showing ​him every room in the house. When I broke my arm as a kid, he cuddled up next to me until my cast came off. I spent 16 wonderful years with Smokey, he's what started my passion for animal behavior and welfare. While he may have passed in 2020, I can continue learning and helping other animals.

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At a loss for what I wanted to do as a career, I started to volunteer at a local animal shelter in November of 2017. I quickly learned that's where I wanted to be and applied for employment. 

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This is where my passion of learning and helping animals continued to grow. During my time at the shelter, I graduated from Animal Behavior College's Cat Training program with honors in January of 2020. From there, I was hooked and strived to learn everything I could. I became a member of IAABC (The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.)

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 I earned certifications in Fear Free Sheltering and Fear Free Training through Fear Free Pets, my CPDT-KA through Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, and Certified Advanced Canine Training Professional (CACTP) through Animal Behavior Institute in Fall of 2021.

 

 I believe that there is always more to learn and because of this, I continue to increase my knowledge by pursuing additional certifications for Cat Training, Bite Safety through Doggone Safe, furthering my education, and in my free time I research articles, podcasts, and other forms of media to stay current on science based methods.

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I have five rescue pets of my own. Jasper is an Akita/Staffordshire Terrier mix who will do anything for a tennis ball. Cashew is a Staffordshire Terrier Mix that loves scent work. 

Tootsie, Leo, and Poppy love snacks and come up with creative ways every day to make me smile.  Together, these five have taught me so much about training, patience, and love. With how much we've overcome together and how much I've learned from my background in sheltering, I'm confident I can help you and your pets through any obstacle!