University of Denver and Karen Pryor Academy

Colorado Springs/CO/USA

My experience as a member of HAI has been attending webinars and networking with other professionals. I have found the webinars to be highly useful to my own work and practice and appreciate the diversity of webinars offered within HAI. I have run animal-assisted programming for groups and individuals, children through adults, including both canine and equine therapies. I have about 10 years of experience in this area and graduated with a certificate in Animal Assisted Intervention from the University of Denver in 2012. My internship was at a service dog agency that ran programming for high-risk youth to learn to train dogs using positive reinforcement. I belong to networks of Animal Assisted practitioners as well as positive reinforcement animal trainers and have connections throughout the United States. I have started my own practice/business (half animal-assisted therapy and half dog training) in my community and could offer information on how to start up and some of the challenges of working in private practice, along with consultation for those interested in private practice who still want some support clinically. I am a Certified Training Partner of Karen Pryor Academy and have extensive experience in positive reinforcement animal training and behavior.