I moved back to Maryland in 2023 after several years at an open-admission shelter in Southern California, working in behavior & training and adoptions. For the last several years, I’ve sent adopted dogs off to their new homes after supporting them in the shelter. I’ve now transitioned to supporting them once they find their new families and I couldn’t be happier to be training at Peaceable Paws. I’m focused on helping dogs (from new baby dogs to adopted seniors) succeed with their people by learning new things and working through their big feelings using humane, science-based techniques. My teaching and training style is enthusiastic, pragmatic, and supportive, placing an emphasis on strengthening the relationship between dogs and their humans while reaching their training goals.
My main behavior interests include working with reactivity, puppy socialization, new dog parents, and cooperative care. I’ve trained and worked with a wide variety of animals, and seen how force-free training works for all living things. My fondest training memories are of teaching chickens how to play the xylophone, helping fearful dog friends through every step of the shelter process, and having a flying squirrel named Rocket opt-in to cooperative nail trims for the first time.
Somehow, I’m a dog trainer and former shelter worker who doesn’t own a dog. Instead, you’ll find me sharing pictures and stories of my incredible little cat Maki, who I adopted in San Diego several years ago.