Meet Our Team
Sylvia Currie, MA (Applied Sciences), BEd
Camille Asmer
Courtney Johnson
Meet Our Team
Retired Lieutenant James W. Crosby (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville, FL, USA) has extensive canine behavioral training and expertise and served as chief of two Florida Animal Control agencies. Jim served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Animal Control Association and has worked with and assisted FACA, the Southeastern Animal Control Association, and several others across the US and Canada. Jim assisted the Department of Animal Services for the Australian Capital Territory, leading a National Study on Dangerous Dog policy and procedure. Jim assisted, on-site, the Australian Federal Police on a fatality case in Canberra, Australia.
Jim is an internationally recognized authority and court accepted expert on canine attacks and aggression. Jim’s specialty is investigating dog bite related fatalities, especially evidentiary and behavioral factors involved in these deaths. Jim’s on-scene investigation of over 30 fatalities and post attack evaluation of over 50 subject dogs has been essential in numerous successful prosecutions. He assists prosecutors and agencies facing these cases.
Jim assists in dogfighting investigations and was the expert on a Polk County, GA case wherein the subject was sentenced to fifty years for dogfighting, the longest sentence for that crime in US history. He serves as an expert consultant regarding the use of deadly force by police officers against companion animals. Jim earned his Master’s Degree in Veterinary Forensics from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida and should have his PhD by the time of this conference! He lives in Florida with his dear wife, The Queen of Darkness, a couple of Curly-Coated Retrievers, and a rescued Jack Russel Terrorist.
Meredith is the Senior Manager of Behavior Rehabilitation at the ASPCA’s Behavioral Rehabilitation Center (BRC) in Weaverville, NC. She oversees a team of behavior specialists working to rehabilitate extremely fearful, under-socialized dogs. Her team also teaches other professionals what they’ve learned along the way, hosting animal welfare professionals, media outlets, and other guests.
Having graduated from NC State University with a degree in Animal Science and Nutrition, Meredith is currently working towards her Graduate degree in Veterinary Forensic Sciences at the University of Florida. She is a CPDT-KA and is silver certified in Sophia Yin’s Low Stress Handling, and she considers herself a “forever student” on a constant quest to learn.
Meredith joined the ASPCA as a Behavior Consultant, working closely with the ASPCA’s Behavioral Sciences Team (BST) on deployments to the field and in temporary shelters. During that time, she helped to conduct forensic evaluations, perform behavior modification treatments, run playgroups, and collect evidence on the scene of cruelty investigations. In 2018, Meredith began working at the BRC. Her favorite part about working with fearful dogs is figuring out what brings them joy! Meredith also finds teaching very rewarding, whether she is working with children, teens, or other skilled behavior professionals. At the end of 2020, Meredith suffered a traumatic brain injury that required months of rehabilitation and left her with ongoing memory challenges. This accident helped her better relate to and advocate for others who have experienced trauma, especially in the animal welfare realm.
When she’s not at work, Meredith enjoys spending time with her family and exploring the mountains of western North Carolina with her partner, Tim, and their brave dogs, Huckleberry, a beagle mix, and Cinnamon, a supermutt and graduate of the BRC’s fearful dog program!
Dot Baisly is the Executive Director for the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) and the Behavior Consultant at Heal Veterinary Clinic in Watertown, MA. Dot also holds a master’s degree in Animal Behavior from Tufts University and is a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT-KA), a certified dog behavior consultant (CDBC), certified cat behavior consultant (CCBC), and certified shelter behavior specialist (CSBS). Dot is currently a core member of the Shelter Playgroup Alliance team where she facilitates course content. Most recently she was the director of behavior for Northeast Animal Shelter where she built a behavior program and transformed the organization’s approach to behavior as a result of her leadership. Prior to this she was also the lead behavior staff at the SPCA of Westchester and then the Animal Rescue League of Boston.
Dot also worked as a consultant for Paws With A Cause, working with service dogs and the clients they serve for over 10 years. She has been working in animal welfare, veterinary care and behavior for over 20 years, both in animal welfare and rescue organizations and as a private consultant. Dot has consulted with private clients since her initial certifications, working with owned cats and dogs on a regular basis. In her private practice, Dot specializes in working with dogs and cats exhibiting significant behavioral concerns, including human-directed aggression.
She also provides consultations to shelters across the country where she has evaluated dogs, educated staff and volunteers and continues to be recognized as a key leader in the animal welfare and shelter behavior community where she is sought out for her expertise, compassion and skill in leading change efforts. Prior to working in sheltering, Dot managed a veterinary clinic and worked as a technician where she developed her knowledge and skills in low-stress veterinary handling. Since that time, Dot has taught those techniques in shelters and at veterinary practices across the country.
Tabitha Kucera is an Elite Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified Registered Veterinary Technician, VTS (Behavior), CCBC, and KPA CTP. She is the owner of Chirrups and Chatter Cat and Dog Behavior Consulting and Training in Cleveland, Ohio. Her teaching credentials include lecturing on the regional and national levels and lecturing at multiple veterinary technology programs. She is a Fear Free certified speaker, a Fear Free Practice Certification Consultant, a behavior consultant for Cat Pawsitive Pro, and host of the podcast, Tails from a Vet Tech. Tabitha has helped to develop training and behavior programs for various veterinary hospitals and shelters and works as a consultant for many shelters and private veterinary practices.
Darris currently serves as the National Dog Training Manager for one of the nation’s largest pet retailers, focusing on program operations, communications, strategy, partner training and development and the implementation of innovative programs. Darris has worked in the industries of animal training, behavior, and broadcast television for 15 years. Darris is recognized with the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers as CPDT-KA and holds certifications as a Fear-Free Animal Trainer and American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen® Evaluator. He has trained animals at zoological facilities, working with both domestic and exotic animals. He fosters dogs, volunteers with rescues and adoption partners, and has worked on the front lines in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. Darris also serves as an expert judge on American Rescue Dog Show, and on-air contributor to local and national television and print publications on pet lifestyle and animal behavior.
Matthias Lenz has over 10 years’ experience as a professional dog trainer and is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP). He works full time as the Puppy Raising Manager for BC & Alberta Guide Dogs and helps pet dog owners through his personal business as well. He is a Supporting Member of the IAABC, where he served as the Chair of the Working Animals Division for two years before taking on his current role as a board member with the IAABC Foundation.
An engaged and well-respected member of the international dog training community, he has written and published several articles in the peer-reviewed IAABC Foundation Journal and has presented his work at international conferences and events.
San Choi is the founder of a dog training and daycare service in Los Angeles, California and serves on the IAABC Foundation Board. He is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner with eight years of animal care experience. He specializes in helping families build meaningful relationships between people and the animals they live with.
San believes living and training animals is rightfully rooted in science, consideration, and empathy, and is inspired and determined to explore the incredible avenues of growth the animal industry has to offer. He is most passionate about learning and connecting with people to create a better tomorrow with animals.
Born in Macau, China, San and his family immigrated to the United States in 1995 to seek a better life. They lived in the San Gabriel Valley for 25 years. Throughout his early life, many social challenges shaped his evolving perspective and led him to get directly involved in the movement to provide a better tomorrow for people with less opportunity. San carries his passion to help others beyond the dog training realm, volunteering and collaborating with organizations such as APPI United to help support the Asian-American community in the San Gabriel Valley.
When San is not working, he likes to spend his time hiking and training with his dogs Molly and Shadow, aqua-scaping fish tanks, participating in recreational basketball, and expanding his knowledge and skill in animal behavior.
Kierah Moore has been in the behavior realm for almost 10 years. It all started with a Chicago kid working on a farm for college credit. Upon receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Sciences, she eventually made her way to a large pet retailer where she trained dogs, trainers, and made an impact on pet parents’ lives every day.
Kierah finds deep purpose in being part of the IAABC Foundation’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team, a passion that has slowly become her northern light over the years, empowering her to be the change that she wants to see in the world.
Dr. Learn attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, she completed an internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in NJ. She remained in general practice for 20 years before she began her residency in Clinical Behavioral Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Lisa Radosta in South Florida, and Dr. Amy Pike in NoVA. She completed her residency training and was certified as one of only 90 board certified behavior specialists in the world by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. She is currently the Chief of Clinical Behavioral Medicine at the Animal Behavior Wellness Center in Richmond VA.
Dr. Learn has contributed to several veterinary behavior textbooks, journal articles, blogs and received the prestigious RK Anderson Resident Achievement Award for outstanding research in the field of applied animal behavior.
Catja lives with a retired older cocker spaniel, who still loves to work, and a younger Australian Koolie, who is starting his first competitions. Since 2009, when she finished her instructors’ course, Catja has been working full-time with teaching on the topic of training, both online and at in-person workshops and conferences. She is always on the path of continued education and curious to learn.
She has competed in the highest level of working trials including obedience, tracking and search and rescue and has also been working with drug detection and rally obedience over the past years. But no matter if she works with working or family dogs, her focus is on developing the basic skills through clean training sessions and fluency in the trainers’ skills. She is passionate about clean training, fluency, shaping, back chaining and giving the learner choice in the training. Practicing the basics and having great mechanical skills, is one of the things that will elevate your training to the next level, in her opinion. She believes that every dog handler can and should work with their dog, and that planning your session to be as clean and efficient as possible, will create more reinforcement opportunities for both learner and teacher.
Catja’s first focus is to teach 80 different basic skills, that makes it possible to teach just about anything “advanced” later. Dividing all training into the smallest behaviors possible, before even thinking of adding the cue and setting the stage for clean training loops, is a high priority. She uses shaping wherever it is possible, and always tries to have a clean, smooth session, with clear information for the dog while removing all background distractions.
Meeting the learner where they are and getting to be part of team growth is the most rewarding thing for her. Catja works with learners at all levels and also believes in continued education for everyone.
Shawna Karrasch started using positive reinforcement (R+) when she worked at SeaWorld in San Diego. For ten years she was immersed in using R+ in a systematic way, teaching complex behaviors to many species. You cannot, after all, coerce a whale or sea lion to do anything they don’t want to do! From there, she developed a love of horses and jumped into that world by working first with show jumping phenoms, John and Beezie Madden. Since then, Shawna has worked with other Olympians and top athletes as well as casual horse owners whose primary goal is having a loving companion. Shawna has been instrumental in sharing this applied learning theory with the horse world and was an original pioneer. R+ has taken off from the work she began back in the 90’s and this method of training has grown a hundred fold thanks to what she started. She is a fun and highly engaging speaker with a gift for clearly explaining the science and theory. Not too many of us came to horses learning any other way except traditionally. Shawna’s marine mammal background gives her a completely unique perspective on teaching both people and animals. Her expertise in the field of equine behavior is second to none.
Justine is an IAABC Certified Horse Behavior Consultant, a member of the Application Review Team and a Co-Chair of the UK & Ireland division. She is also a registered Accredited Animal Behaviourist with the Animal Behaviour & Training Council, one of the organisation’s trustees and the chair of their Equine Committee. She was recently awarded an Honorary Degree for distinction in the equine industry from Writtle University College, UK.
In 2021, Justine set up an online education platform providing behaviour and welfare education for equine professionals and caregivers. She lectures on the Equine Behavioural Science BSc degree course at Writtle University College and teaches as a visiting lecturer at several UK universities. Justine practices as an equine behaviour consultant, teaches and mentors behaviour students worldwide and works as an expert consultant in legal disputes and court cases involving equine behaviour. She holds lectures and workshops around the UK and regularly contributes to a wide variety of international publications, either writing articles, commenting or answering specific questions about horse behaviour and training.
Gabriel Lencioni graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences from the University of São Paulo. During those years, he was concerned about how patients were being treated, so in search of better approaches, Gabriel went on to study animal behavior and welfare sciences. Gabriel has published research on the topic of automated methods to assess facial expressions related to pain and other affective states in horses and is currently working on his PhD at the University of São Paulo, in Brazil.
He is a Certified Horse Behavior Consultant with the IAABC and Fear Free Elite certified.
With a science-based approach, Gabriel lectures on animal behavior and welfare and his work focuses on improving behavioral and physical issues through prevention, positive reinforcement methods, and developing LIMA protocols for horses and dogs.
As an IAABC Certified Horse Behavior Consultant and ABTC Accredited Animal Behaviourist, Trudi runs a successful horse behavior and training consultancy in the UK, helping horse guardians and charities find solutions to behavior problems. Complementing her behavior work, Trudi creates programmes of gymnastic training to refine the horse’s physical and emotional balance both on the ground and ridden.
Using reward-based training methods following LIMA protocols, Trudi is a bit-less specialist, and has been providing video assessment to online students since 2010.
As a guest lecturer at UK universities, writer, conference presenter and provider of courses, Trudi imparts the science behind behavior and training but is primarily focused on the practical application of the science to help horses and their humans.
Prof. Robin Foster is a life-long animal admirer, ally, and advocate. As an animal admirer, she earned a PhD in animal behavior and has taught university courses in animal learning and behavior for more than 30 years. She also conducts and supervises student research on animal learning, behavior, and human-animal interactions. As an animal ally, Robin is certified as an Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) and an Equine Behavior Consultant (CEBC), and she owns a private consulting practice for equine and canine behavior cases. As an animal advocate, Robin currently serves as membership secretary for the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) and is past chair of the Applied Animal Behavior Committee of the Animal Behavior Society.
Dr. Trevino grew up in Houston, Texas. In 2009, he graduated from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine; later, he completed his Masters in Public Health from the University of Texas. Dr. Trevino has practiced both emergency and general veterinary medicine in the greater Houston area for many years. For a six-year period, he provided international aid for animals as a World Vets staff veterinarian.
Dr. Trevino recently returned from a year immersed in emergency medicine in Anchorage, Alaska. He continues to serve as a volunteer veterinarian/medical director for Friends For Life Animal Shelter in Houston.
When not practicing veterinary medicine, Dr Trevino is an avid cinephile, food-lover, Lego-builder, Batman enthusiast, and outdoor adventurer.
Tarah Cornelius is the Director of Animal Care at the Houston Zoo. She has worked with animals in zoos for over 20 years and has been at the Houston Zoo for the past 8 years. She serves on the steering committee of the Behavior Scientific Advisory Group and a member of the Ambassador Animal Scientific Advisory Group for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. She has an Associate of Science degree in Zoo Animal Technology from Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida.
Dr. Gibson grew up in southern Illinois with a family Yorkshire Terrier. In high school, he volunteered at shelters in the St. Louis area where he assisted with socialization, enrichment, and basic training of the shelter dogs. This sparked his interest in animal behavior and welfare and started his journey to veterinary behavioral medicine.
Dr. Gibson continued volunteering at shelters during his undergraduate education and began working with the shelter veterinarian. He co-authored a manuscript on the molecular process of bacterial biofilm formation. He then applied to the veterinary medicine curriculum at University of Missouri. During his veterinary education, Dr. Gibson maintained his interest in behavioral medicine but also became very interested in dermatology. He served as President of the Shelter Medicine Club and the Student Chapter of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society. Dr. Gibson participated in a research project on the otic (ear) microbiome in dogs and presented these findings at the Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholars Symposium in 2018. He was an ICU veterinary assistant at Veterinary Specialty Services in St. Louis for several months between veterinary school semesters.
Throughout his veterinary education Dr. Gibson sought exposure to behavioral medicine by networking with other behavior professionals and doing external rotations with multiple board certified veterinary behaviorists. He also completed his Fear Free Certification in 2021, achieving Level 2 Certification in 2022. While he was considering a career in dermatology, these experiences along with challenges with his German Shepherd, Charley, and her fear aggression toward dogs, anxiety, and separation-related distress, convinced him that his future lay in behavior. Additionally, Dr. Gibson felt his goal to improve the welfare of dogs in general was best accomplished by obtaining Board Certification in the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. After finishing his rotating internship at Auburn University in 2022, Dr. Gibson joined Texas Veterinary Behavior Services to begin his residency training in veterinary behavioral medicine.
Andre Yeu is the founder of When Hounds Fly Dog Training, responsible for growing it to over 6 locations across Canada, with a talented team of 20 dog trainers and behavior consultants.
He is one of only two Canadians to be part of the prestigious Karen Pryor Academy Faculty, where he delivers the Karen Pryor Academy program and certifies other talented trainers across the country.
Andre is often sought out by the media for his dog training expertise, and has appeared on television programs such as CTV Your Morning, eTalk Daily, Global TV News, and CBC News. In print, he’s often interviewed by publications such as Canadian Living and the Toronto Star.
Andre lives in Toronto, Canada, and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce, with Honours, from the University of British Columbia.
Gabrielle Johnson (they/them), owner of Best Life Dog Services, is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the IAABC and holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology. They specialize in aggressive behavior and nervous system dysregulation, using virtual training options to support clients worldwide. Gabrielle works with clients using a trauma-informed and integrative approach, and actively creates a safe space for clients who are disabled, chronically ill, mentally ill, and neurodivergent.
Dr. Pike is a native Arizonan and graduated from Colorado State University’s school of veterinary medicine in 2003. Working as an Army veterinarian after graduation and taking care of the Military Working Dogs returning from deployment spurred her interests in behavior medicine. Dr. Pike completed a Residency program and became board certified in 2015. She is owner of the Animal Behavior Wellness Center and was recently named one of the “Top Veterinarians of Northern Virginia” by NoVa Magazine for the sixth year in a row.
Dr. Pike speaks all over the world about veterinary behavior medicine, has been published in numerous veterinary journals, has conducted, co-authored and published three scientific research studies, and is a contributing author in five clinical text books. She is the editor for the new edition of Blackwell’s 5 Minute Veterinary Clinical Consult – Canine and Feline Behavior, due out in the Fall of 2024. In addition, she mentors 3 clinical behavior residents and is a clinical instructor for online education as well as the Masters Program in Applied Animal Behavior at Virginia Tech. She is an advisory board member for Royal Canin, Fear Free, and the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, and is a consultant for Chewy, Inc.
Dr. Kristina Spaulding has been in the dog training and behavior profession for over 20 years and owns Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior LLC. She has a B.S. in wildlife ecology and a PhD in biopsychology—the study of the biological basis of behavior—and is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. As part of her graduate training, Dr. Spaulding was formally trained in effective teaching techniques. In graduate school, she received an award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student. She is currently a co-instructor for the graduate level course in animal behavior consulting at Virginia Tech.
Dr. Spaulding’s interest in teaching has carried over to her applied behavior work where she teaches a variety of online courses and webinars on the science of behavior. Dr. Spaulding also regularly presents on canine behavior science at conferences and other events. She is the author of The Stress Factor in Dogs: Unlocking Resiliency and Enhancing Well-Being.
She is particularly interested in stress, neurobiology, cognition, emotion, and well-being and how to apply these concepts to the prevention, early intervention, and treatment of behavior problems in dogs.
In 2019, Dr. Spaulding received the Association of Professional Dog Trainer’s (APDT’s) Member of the Year Award. She currently serves on the IAABC Foundation Board.
Dante is the founder of DanteDogWorks. His focus is on teaching other dog trainers and dog owners around the world how to successfully train and live with dogs using positive reinforcement-based training.
Dante started his dog training career in the late 1990s and was one of the first dog trainers to introduce clicker training in Brazil. He is an international presenter and a dog sports enthusiast, having represented Brazil and Canada in multiple World Agility competitions, titled dogs in Rally Obedience and Dock Diving, and taught and performed Dog Dancing for almost a decade in Canada and the United States. In recent years, Dante developed a dog training platform that offers multiple courses for his Brazilian audience. He also teaches a post-grad course at the UNIRP University (Centro Universitário de Rio Preto).
Since 2020, Dante has worked as a volunteer developing training programs and training staff at the Rio Preto Zoo.
Kiki Yablon is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP), Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), a Karen Pryor Academy faculty member, and a co-instructor for Susan Friedman’s BehaviorWorks, and holds a master’s degree in applied behavioral science from the University of Kansas, where her thesis research involved dogs who barked at their caregivers while they were on Zoom.
Kiki came to dog training in 2005 as a novice dog guardian with an undersocialized adolescent shelter pup, Pigeon. She had the good fortune to live next door to a marine mammal trainer at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, who turned her on to clicker training, which in turn led her to her first mentor, Laura Monaco Torelli. After graduating from KPA, she worked for Laura for eight years before leaving amicably to focus on her own private in-home training and consulting business, Kiki Yablon Dog Training. Some of Kiki’s particular training interests include loose leash walking, excessive barking, proactive puppy raising, “weird” problem behaviors, and teaching and problem solving solutions that involve arranging the environment to do most of the work.
In her previous career, Kiki was an editor for magazines and newspapers, and currently puts those skills to use writing about the application of behavior science to dog training on her well trafficked blog.
Michael Shikashio is the founder of AggressiveDog.com and focuses on teaching other professionals from around the world on how to successfully work aggression cases. He is a five-term president of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) and was the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) Member of the Year in 2020.
Michael is sought after for his expert opinion by numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, New York Post, Fox News, The List TV, Baltimore Sun, WebMD, Women’s Health Magazine, Real Simple Magazine, SiriusXM Radio, The Chronicle of the Dog, and Steve Dale’s Pet World. He also hosts a podcast show where he chats with the foremost experts on dog aggression.
He has been a featured keynote speaker at conferences, universities, and seminars in more than 200 cities and 14 different countries around the world, and offers a variety of educational opportunities on the topic of canine aggression.
Dr. Denise Johnson is a general practitioner of veterinary medicine and IAABC Certified Cat Behavior Consultant. Special interests include behavioral health and low-stress handling. Additional qualifications include Elite Fear Free, Low-Stress Handling Silver, and Cat Friendly Veterinarian Certifications.
In addition to being a certified member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, she serves on their ethics committee and as a peer-reviewer for the IAABC Foundation Journal. Dr. Johnson is also a member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s Speakers Bureau. She spends her free time working on Committed to Claws, an education project that provides pet owners and pet professionals with resources to reduce the incidence of onychectomy.
Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and Certified Cat Behavior Consultant who has been working with cats in shelters, homes, and clinics for over 20 years. She offers cat behavior consulting through Feline Minds.
She completed her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, and was a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis where she researched the health and behavior of orphaned neonatal kittens and cats in multi-cat households. Mikel is author of the forthcoming book “Play with Your Cat!”, co-author of the book “Total Cat Mojo,” and has published her research in several academic journals.
Mikel lives in Sacramento, California with her boyfriend, Scott, (a cat-loving CPA) and their three rescue cats.
Jennifer, along with her husband, founded Medical Mutts with two goals in mind: helping those who need service dogs and helping dogs that have been abandoned find a quality forever home.
Jennifer has a Doctorate in Psychology with a specialization in Animal Behavior (Ethology). She completed her studies at the Faculty of Psychology in Geneva Switzerland where she was an assistant professor for 8 years. She has worked professionally as a dog trainer and behaviorist since 1988.
Jennifer started the first professional dog training school based on clicker training in France (Animalin). She is the author of Selecting and Training Your Service Dog: How to Succeed in Public Access Work.
Passionate about helping people in difficulty, she learned how to train service dogs while working as the Director of Training for ICAN, a local prison-based organization. She enjoyed coaching the inmate trainers and helping them develop skills to better their lives while helping people with disabilities. It was during those years that she learned about the impact of life-threatening conditions, such as diabetes and started developing training protocols for medical alert dogs. Her love for dogs led her in 2013 to continue working with service dogs while also making a difference for dogs in need. She since has set her focus on medical conditions and the use of scent for service dogs.
With her scientific background, she also contributes to ongoing scientific research in the field of medical detection and has co-authored the first peer-reviewed studies proving the existence of a scent, that dogs can be trained to detect, in patients with diabetes or epileptic seizures. Given her expertise in the field of service dog training and medical detection, as well as her fluency in both English and French, Jennifer also coaches service dog organizations and trainers internationally.
Dilara Göksel Parry was raised in Istanbul, Turkey and holds degrees in Psychology (Neuroscience emphasis) and Comparative Literature from Oberlin College. She has worked in the animal welfare field for the majority of her professional life, including 12 years as the Cat Behavior Coordinator at the San Francisco SPCA. In 2008 she co-founded Feline Minds with Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado, where they focus on private consultations to help cat guardians live harmoniously with their cats, and consult with animal welfare organizations with an emphasis on improving cat sheltering practices. In addition to staying busy with Feline Minds, Dilara works part-time at Cat Town Oakland, an innovative, cage-free rescue for cats deemed unadoptable in traditional shelter settings.
Dilara is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant. She enjoys writing educational material to “translate” cats for humans, and has been interviewed by MSNBC, Animal Sheltering, thedodo.com, PetMD and Chewy, as well as written for the Bay Woof Foundation and Maddie’s Fund. She shares her life in Richmond, CA with her family of humans, cats, dogs, and chickens.
Melissa Taylor is the Behavior and Training Manager at Friends For Life Animal Shelter in Houston, Texas. Melissa has logged more than twenty years in shelter animal behavior, starting with an internship at the ASPCA’s Animal Behavior Center in New York City. She developed a lasting love for cooperative care from training livestock and wildlife as the Coordinator of the Behavior and Training Department at the Houston SPCA, and applies the same principles to the dogs, cats, exotics, and humans she works with now at Friends For Life.
Over the course of her career, Melissa has focused on the development of shelter humane education programs, particularly those for volunteers, with the intention of mentoring new companion animal trainers and behavior consultants with practices steeped in evidence and based on building trust, security, and partnership. Melissa has started several shelter behavior volunteer programs and consults with other humane organizations on starting such initiatives of their own.
Chirag entered the field professionally in 2004 and has since become a leading figure in the profession internationally. He consults on the behavior management and training of all animals living under human care (including domestic and wild ones). He is highly sought after for work with high profile private clients and organizations, as well as teaching workshops and presenting at conferences. Chirag has been an expert on a number of TV shows.
Chirag is passionate about the application of ethical behavior change science to improve the life of animals living under human care by teaching animals to be active participants in their own daily and veterinary care in a low-stress manner. The goal is to empower all learners including the human ones.
Chirag earned his BSc(Hons) in Veterinary Sciences from the Royal Veterinary College in London and a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Animal Behaviour from the University of Lincoln, UK. He also holds an Advanced diploma in practical aspects of companion animal behavior and training from the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology. In 2005, Chirag completed an internship in dog behavior and training with a focus on aggressive behavior under the mentorship of Jean Donaldson at the San Francisco SPCA and developed his understanding and skills in puppy training under the mentorship of Ian Dunbar. Chirag has taken various classes and courses in Applied Behaviour Analysis and continues to do so in the fields of Applied Behaviour Analysis and Clinical Animal Behaviour.
Chirag is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK and has previously served on their committee. He is also a Certified Parrot Behaviour Consultant (CPBC) with the International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants (IAABC) and is registered as an Accredited Animal Behaviourist with The Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC). He was invited to join the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), Animal Training Focus group as the scientific officer and external consultant in 2015, which he did until 2021.
Chirag has worked for Dogs Trust as Assistant Head of Canine Training & Behaviour and managed the Animal Behaviour Centre at Dr. Roger Mugford’s Company of Animals. He also held a post as a research technician at the University of Lincoln where he was responsible for the training of Rats and Degus in a sponsored odour discrimination and induction project. In addition to this, Chirag worked in veterinary practice part-time for over 6 years.
Dr. Haug graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in 1993. She did a one year rotating internship at Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine before returning to Houston in a general practice. Dr. Haug worked in general medicine and emergency medicine until 1999 when she returned to Texas A&M to complete a residency and Master’s degree in Behavioral Medicine. After her residency, she remained on faculty at TAMU running the Animal Behavior Service until 2007 when she returned to the Houston area to work in a private referral practice doing behavioral medicine exclusively. Dr. Haug currently sees behavior cases in a variety of species.
She is a past President of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, a Certified Animal Behavior Consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. Dr. Haug has a special interest in neurobiology, learning principles, and pharmacology. She is a frequent speaker at veterinary and behavior conferences and writes for several industry publications. She has also authored chapters in a number of animal behavior textbooks.
Dr. Haug began showing Doberman Pinschers in 1980 and actively competed in obedience and conformation for many years. She also has experience with agility and tracking. She is an active equestrian and currently shares her home with her husband, a pit bull mix dog, and an Arabian gelding.
Kayla Fratt is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant with a background in ecology and shelter behavior. Since 2019, Kayla has merged dog behavior and ecology to work in the field of conservation detection dogs. In addition to co-founding a conservation detection dog organization, Kayla travels internationally to provide training and support to emerging working dog groups. Kayla provides mentorship and education for best practices and standards for scent-detection dogs through consultation. She also hosts a podcast to spread the word about how working dogs and their handlers can contribute to conservation efforts.