I hold a PhD and Masters in Social Work and my prior career focused on research to improve people’s lives as a faculty of the University of Washington. I have an area specialty with the country of Cambodia which led to volunteering for the past ten years at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand which houses over 500 dogs. This rescue work also included being a flight volunteer for 50+ dogs to the US and providing behavioral support post adoption and on occasion rehoming.  I volunteered with a large open admissions municipal shelter with their dog behavior programs in shelter and foster. 

After seeing that senior dogs languished at rescues and kennels, my husband and I decided to adopt seniors to give them their best life possible in their later years.  Each one taught us something new about dog care and about ourselves. Since volunteering in Thailand, we now have a younger pair of Southeast Asian village dogs who have also taught me a lot about dogs that have special needs derived from fear and physical and emotional trauma.

Part of volunteering at the Thai sanctuary involved supporting dogs with physical disabilities and led to getting certified as a Fitpaws Master Trainer and Certified Canine Fitness Trainer with the University of Tennessee and more recently a Dynamic Dog Practitioner.  This passion evolved into learning more about care with consent and encouraging pet parents to work cooperatively with their pets so basic grooming and medical care can be less stressful for all. 

Professional Certifications

  • Certified Separation Anxiety Pro: 2024 - present

  • Dynamic Dog Practitioner (accredited by UK Rural Skills & CPD Standards): 2024 - present

  • Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge & Skills Assessed (CPDT-KA): 2022-present

  • Certified Canine Fitness Trainer (University of TN): 2017-present

  • FitPaws - Master Trainer: 2016-present

  • eCPR Practitioner - https://emotional-cpr.org/: 2024-present

 

Current Professional Memberships

  • Association of Professional Dog Trainers

  • International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, supporting member