Sarah’s love of creatures big and small has been a constant in her life right from childhood, so it was no surprise when her professional journey with animals began in 2006. Throughout the years she worked as a veterinary assistant, dog walker, shelter adoptions manager, and wrote for Bell Media (Sympatico), Dogbook, American Pet Magazine, and The Canadian Kennel Club. These varied experiences give Sarah a well-rounded perspective on our relationships with our pets, and a passion for keeping them in their homes and out of the shelter system.

While living in San Diego, Sarah worked alongside her friend Carla of Animal Synergy to implement a kennel enrichment program in the three county shelters. She trained volunteers and shelter staff how to meet the mental and emotional needs of the animals in their care. After the program’s completion, it was clear to Sarah that she needed to take the leap into dog training and began offering her services in 2015 with companies in Toronto and Oakville. With a few years of experience under her belt, Sarah felt ready to sit for her certification exam in 2019 and passed.

Her proudest work accomplishments during that time included training dog walkers on safe and positive handling practices, creating a brand new puppy class curriculum, mentoring 5 dog training apprentices, and re-developing and managing a group reactivity program rooted in the theory of BAT 2.0 (Grisha Stewart’s Behaviour Adjustment Training).

Sarah grew up in the GTA, earning her Bachelors Degree in English and Theatre & Film Studies with Honours from McMaster University. She currently shares her life with a Cane Corso mix named Nash, and Boone, a Boston Terrier.