Lindsay Rapp, CPDT-KA, Owner & Senior Trainer 

Lindsay grew up in Chicago’s northwest suburbs surrounded by lots of loved animals, from dogs and cats to horses. She competitively jumped horses in her youth before attending University of Kansas, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Event Planning. Upon moving home to Chicago, she worked in residential real estate for the next five years.

Wanting a career change, Lindsay followed her heart and pursued a new path working with animals. She knew she wanted to have a dog business, but she wanted to do it right. Having heard great reviews about AnimalSense and its Academy (now CanineLink), she enrolled in the six-month program designed for people interested in becoming professional dog trainers. “It was the best thing that could have happened to me. It gave me the knowledge and insight to open a fun, but also safe, dog business,” says Lindsay. Along with the wisdom she gained from Academy, she also found a whole new family of people who shared her beliefs in positive reinforcement dog training.

Lindsay was the voice of AnimalSense for the greater part of 2010 in the role of Client Service Coordinator. With her sights set on owning and operating a dog business, Lindsay became the proud owner of AnimalSense Canine Training and Behavior Services, Inc in June 2011. It’s truly a match made in heaven. Lindsay says she is lucky to have such a wonderful staff who are all dedicated to helping dogs and their owners build a forever bond.

In her free time, she loves playing with her three dogs: Dolce, Moxie and Kayla, working out, reading, developing her camera skills and enjoying the city. She is also a member of Young Professionals of Chicago, Bucktown Community Organization and on the Metro board of Metropolitan Family Services, which provides a high level of support for disadvantaged families.

Nicole Stewart, CPDT-KA, Director of Training 

Nicole’s life experiences have led her to believe that your choices put things in motion, but often they lead you to somewhere unexpected.  Nicole’s first choices, from age 10, catapulted her on an adventure to pursue acting in TV and film. Fully committing to that, upon graduating from Indiana University, she spent time in the Chicago acting scene followed by a 5-year stint in film’s “motherland” – Los Angeles.

Strangely, it was there that her passion for dogs bubbled to the surface. Though loving dogs for a lifetime, Nicole never thought of a career in training until a dog named Jake came into her life with multiple issues. After much searching, she found herself in a meeting with Paul Owens, co-author of “The ‘Original’ Dog Whisperer”, and it was then that her path changed. She studied for a year with him, apprenticed with him and finally taught for Paul over the course of three years, along with attending various conferences to further her education. Finally, her love of family and the Midwest lured her home.

In 2003, Nicole started a business of her own on the North Shore of Chicago focusing on helping families and their furry members. Now, as a Certified Pet Dog Trainer, she is honored to be a part of the AnimalSense family as Director of Training.

Her favorite place to be is at home with her fabulous – and patient – husband, Art, her son Tommy, her new daughter Harper, and her steady Clumber Spaniel, Finlay. When she does get a moment to breathe, she can be found engrossed in a movie, writing, or practicing yoga, but mostly these days, learning real lessons about life from her children.

Emily Geitner, Director of Operations 

Emily was raised in sunny & beautiful San Diego.  She spent her childhood around animals, primarily dogs, as her family bred 3 litters of Golden Retrievers.  After having 4 family dogs (Churro, Pistol, Belle & Marilyn), 31 puppies, 2 cats (Mr. Grey & Orange) and a vast array of other small animals (fish and birds) – her love for animals grew deep.  At the age of 14 Emily chose to become a vegetarian due to connection with animals.

While attending Tucson’s University of Arizona in 2001, Emily adopted an Alaskan Husky/Chow Chow puppy she named Dakota.  She and “Kota” quickly fell in love and have been together throughout life’s changes since that wonderful day in ’01 when they became family.

After returning to San Diego post-college Emily owned and operated a woman’s clothing boutique named Lounge.  After that 6-year role concluded, Emily yearned for a change in both life and scenery; she packed her bags and moved herself and Dakota to Chicago!  From 2010 to 2013 Emily has worked as the owner and operator of Kensington Lifestyle Assistance, providing premier personal assistant and concierge services to a large number of busy Chicagoans.

Emily feels as though her love for animals (particularly dogs) and affinity for business have become perfectly united since assuming the role of “Director of Operations” at Animal Sense.

Andrea Miller, Director of Marketing 

Andrea has been an animal lover her entire life, but decided to add to her expanding list of careers after years of volunteer work with homeless dogs. Her experience as an Adoption Counselor at PAWS Chicago prompted her to investigate the world of dog business. Andrea’s marketing background was a perfect fit for Chicagoland’s fastest growing dog training company, so she joined the AnimalSense team as Marketing and Promotion Coordinator. At the same time, she decided to try her hand at training and enrolled in the inaugural class of AnimalSense Academy (now CanineLink) in 2009.

After training for a few years, Andrea decided to focus on the details and is now Director of Operations.

She divides her time between her two passions: dogs and food. Andrea also handles Public Relations for The Chopping Block Cooking School, where she has worked in many different roles for the past ten years after graduating with honors from The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago in 2002.

Prior to that, Andrea worked as a television news producer in several markets and eventually, as executive producer of an ABC affiliate in Florida before pursuing cooking as a career.

Andrea graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication in 1996.

As evidenced by her different career paths, Andrea has many interests, including cooking, stand up paddle boarding, reading, yoga and music festivals. She recently returned to Pensacola Beach, Florida and continues her work for AnimalSense remotely, thanks to technology and a cool boss. Andrea recently adopted a terrier mix puppy named Bosworth who is teaching her about dogs all over again.

Sam Rosen, Client Services Coordinator & Junior Trainer 

Originally from the north suburbs of Chicago, Sam has been a lifelong animal lover growing up in a house filled with many four-legged friends.  Sam graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 2008 with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and returned to Chicago, jumping into the fast-paced world of restaurant/hospitality PR and Marketing.

Looking for a career change, Sam decided to follow her passion for dogs and enrolled in CanineLink in the fall of 2012. She is thrilled to be part of the team and looks forward to translating the valuable skills, knowledge and hands on experience acquired during her time at CanineLink to the AnimalSense community.

Sam’s other interests include skiing, Chicago sports, reading and exploring Chicago’s vibrant restaurant scene. She is also very passionate about her philanthropic endeavors, including being a tutor at Chicago Lights and her position as Co-Chairman of Metropolitan Family Services, Metro Board. Sam lives in Lakeview with her boyfriend and rescue pup, Barkley.

Erin Schneider, CPDT-KA, Sales Manager & Senior Trainer 

Erin grew up all over the United States, spending parts of her childhood in Oregon, Colorado, Texas, Wisconsin and South Dakota. One thing that followed her and her family anywhere they went was a love of dogs. From an early age, Erin understood what an important role pets can play in family life and experienced the richness that can come from good human/canine relationships. Erin’s bond with her family’s Dalmatian, Millie, was very strong and helped inspire a lifelong interest in and enthusiasm for animals. Her passion for dogs and the richness of those human/canine relationships are something that Erin has always sought to share with others. She would want every dog owner to experience the same kind of joy she has.

In 2003, Erin earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Hofstra University in New York. She moved to Chicago in 2004 and has worked in magazine publishing, selling advertising space. In 2005, Erin brought home her Westie, Bailey, and fell in love immediately. Bailey helped reignite her passion and Erin knew she wanted to work with dogs and help others have the same kind of joy she has with her pets. Opportunity presented itself when Erin took an AnimalSense Recall class with Bailey. Soon after, Erin enrolled in AnimalSense Academy (now CanineLink) and graduated from the program in 2010. The immersion in animal behavior courses combined with months of interacting directly with people and their dogs in training sessions has profoundly changed her life. Always seeking to learn and grow, Erin is continuously inspired and excited to work with clients and their dogs.

As a Senior Trainer, Erin is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with dogs and fulfill her dream of helping dogs and people live better lives together. Erin lives in Chicago with her husband, Jim, and her fabulous Westie, Bailey.

Ivonne Acevedo, CPDT-KA, Senior Trainer 

Ivonne is a native of Puerto Rico, where she grew up in a small town and in direct contact with nature and all kinds of animals. Her list of childhood pets included one cow, two goats, a rooster and, of course, many dogs.

In 2003, she moved to Chicago, where she volunteered for several organizations including The Anti-Cruelty Society, Animal Ark of Forest Park, Chicago Canine Rescue Foundation and, more recently, PAWS Chicago. During a trip to Puerto Rico in July of 2006, she met and fell in love with 10 month old Golden Retriever, Pancho, who was living with some family members. They asked her if she wanted to take him since they couldn’t take care for him. Without thinking twice she said “YES!” and brought Pancho to Chicago.

In 2007, she enrolled in the Basic Obedience Dog Trainer program with the Animal Behavior College. The same year, she moved to Tampa, Florida where she worked as a Trainer with Courteous Canine, Inc. She returned to Chicago at the end of 2008 and worked on her own before joining AnimalSense in October 2010. She is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and is one of the few dog trainers in the Chicagoland area that is fully bilingual, offering training and counseling in English and Spanish.  Ivonne is proud to offer her services as a Senior Trainer on the AnimalSense team.

In addition, she holds a bachelor degree in Marketing and an MBA in Human Resources. She is also a Certified Human Resources Professional (PHR). She lives in Oak Park with her husband Javier, Pancho, and her daughter Daniela. Pancho is a member of Delta Society Therapy Dogs and is also certified as an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen.

Debbie Bickford, Senior Trainer 

Debbie has been helping people train their dogs in Chicago since 1999. She believes it’s important to always continue her education in modern, pain-free and intimidation-free training to be able to provide the best education for her students, both canine and human.

She studied drama, dance and psychology at Hofstra University in New York where she earned a B.A. in 1989, moved to Chicago in 1991, and had many ‘careers’ before deciding that dog training was where her heart and true passion was.

She is an honors graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers headed by world renowned trainer and behavior specialist Jean Donaldson.  She received her CTC (certification in training and behavior counseling) from the Academy in 2000.

Debbie has taught a wide variety of classes ranging from puppy to advanced, agility to tricks.  She is proud that for each of the last 5 years that the publication - ’Chicagoland Tails‘ held their “favorites” contest, their readers voted her as one of their “favorite” trainers.

Debbie is a proud member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, the Association of Animal Behavior Professionals, and The Pet Professional Guild.

She is a Charter member of NATE (National Association of Treibball Enthusiasts), a venue that is bringing the sport of Treibball to the U.S. She has trained dogs in the sports of agility, flyball, canine disc, canine freestyle, rally-obedience and Treibball. Her current rescue dog, Ludo, is training in the above sports, and is doing a great job as demo dog in her classes.

Debbie is excited to be the first and currently only trainer in Chicago to become a Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training licensed trainer – a team of trainers hand-picked by Victoria who use only the most up to date, humane, effective reward based methods.

In her spare time, Debbie likes to hike, camp, garden, and hang out with her dog Ludo.

Sally Bushwaller, CPDT-KSA, CNWI, Senior Trainer 

In 1992, when her husband, decided to go to law school Sally brought a wonderful rescued Weimaraner named Martika home. Sally was told by the rescue coordinator that a professional trainer had said Tika was untrainable. Never one to back down from a challenge, Sally began training Tika, the old-fashioned way, with a choke collar and corrections. While she still worked happily most of the time, they were still having some problems. When she decided to seek out a trainer with a different methodology it was then that Sally discovered the wonder of training with treats. From then on, it was smooth sailing and Tika and Sally earned 10 titles in everything from obedience, tracking, rally and agility to hunting. This wonderful cross-over dog was her inspiration to become a trainer.

Originally from Bethlehem, PA, Sally moved to the Midwest in 1975 to attend the Medical Institute of Minnesota, where she graduated in 1977 with a certificate in Veterinary Technology. After school, Chicago seemed like the perfect place to start her career. While Sally loved animals, being a vet tech was not the dream job she thought it would be and moved on to graphic arts and ultimately restaurant sales. Those other careers are all in the past as dog training is her final career change and dream job.

As a member of local dog training club, Sally became an instructor, and then in 2004, Sally volunteered to become Director of Training for the Rand Park Dog Training Club. Wanting to do a good job as DOT, Sally read every training book she could find and began attending seminars. After plenty of studying, Sally earned her CPDT in September of 2005. Sally taught clicker training classes at Paw Law in Roselle, assisted other local dog trainers with private lessons and became an instructor at The Anti-Cruelty Society’s School of Dog Training in July, 2006.

Sally serves as the Director of Obedience for the Weimaraner Club of Northern Illinois and also is editor of the club’s newsletter. She is also a very active member of Weimaraner Rescue. She participates in everything from fundraising to fostering.

Sally is also a member of the Moraine Tracking Club. She is passionate about doing any kind of scent work with her dogs, but especially tracking and K9 Nose Work.

Sally has a particular interest in correcting dog’s behavioral issues via positive reinforcement and specializes in working with dogs with separation anxiety and reactivity to other dogs. In fact, she has just finished writing a book about her technique for helping dogs with separation anxiety, called the Separation Anxiety Tool Book.

Sally is close to achieving her certification to be a Canine Nose Work Instructor and is working towards becoming certified in CARAT (Clothier Animal Response Assessment Tool). CARAT is a novel behavior assessment tool for understanding & assessing behavior of dogs and other animals.  She is also a Canine Good Citizen evaluator and professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Sally loves to teach and we’re thrilled to have her teach our clients and their dogs!

Over twenty-five years ago Sally started a charity for children that raises money for needy kids who’ve written to Santa at the main post office, asking for the things most of us take for granted–food, clothing, boots, blankets, etc. Over the last 25+ years, Sally’s Kids has raised upwards of $125,000 for the kids.

Currently, Sally and her hubby live on the Northwest side of Chicago with two rescued Weims, Cassie and Hope. Sally enjoys competition and participates in a wide variety of dog activities, including competitive obedience, tracking, agility, rally, hunting and K9 Nose Work. While Sally doesn’t hunt herself, she enjoys training her dogs to do what they are genetically programmed to do. She knows most dogs like to have a job, so she makes sure hers have plenty of them, which makes for very happy dogs! Her dogs have helped her to become a better and more well-rounded trainer, as she is thankful for each minute she has had with them.

Sarah Gaziano, CPDT-KA, Senior Trainer 

Sarah Gaziano’s house has always been filled with large breed dogs. Growing up in that environment sparked her love of all large animals, especially dogs. She began riding horses competitively at the age of six, and as a teenager, Sarah continued to work with animals by getting certified as a therapy dog team with her family’s dogs. Much like all of the other AnimalSense training staff, her passion for dogs led her to seek further dog training education.

In 2005, Sarah went off to Milwaukee, WI to study Public Relations and Business at Marquette University. After graduating, she moved back home to start pursuing an MBA. After about a year into the graduate program, she decided to double up on her education and enrolled in AnimalSense Academy (now CanineLink). She graduated in November 2010. Through this program, she found a real passion for teaching dogs and their people and acceptance into the canine community. She is currently a Senior Trainer, as well as coordinator of CanineLink.

Sarah graduated from her MBA in May of 2011. She continues to do animal-assisted therapy work with her parent’s dog, Sitka (who can also be seen roaming around the AnimalSense office from time to time) and lives with her husband, David and their dog, Eddy.

Carol Kuhn, Senior Trainer 

Not surprisingly, Carol Kuhn has been a dog lover her whole life. Pets were always a welcome addition to her family, and through the years included a rescued cat, an English Cocker Spaniel, a deaf Dalmatian, a bunny, a Beagle, and a turtle.  She became a client of AnimalSense in 2008 when searching for help for a behavior problem for one of her dogs, a large hound mix named Murphy.  Through working with AnimalSense to learn more about Murphy and his behavior, Carol quickly became a fan of the practices and methods of AnimalSense and positive reinforcement training. Carol soon found herself enrolled in AnimalSense Academy (now CanineLink) in an effort to learn as much as she could about canine training and behavior.

As a March 2011 Academy graduate, Carol is looking forward to bringing her learning experiences and enthusiasm to her work, and to becoming more involved in the pet community throughout Chicagoland. She is constantly seeking out new opportunities to volunteer and help make the city a better place for dogs and their people.  Carol is proud to serve AnimalSense as a Senior Trainer.

Before taking the leap to AnimalSense, Carol spent several years in the corporate world, working in Marketing and Administration. She can frequently be found in the bleachers at Wrigley Field, taking in a concert somewhere in the city, or stirring up trouble with her husband, Matt, and their beagle mix, Lulu.

Katie Moody, CPDT-KA, Senior Trainer 

Katie grew up outside Detroit in a house filled with pets including cats, guinea pigs, mice, hamsters and always at least one German Shorthair Pointer. However, her educational and professional path precluded her from dog ownership for several years. Katie has a BA in Economics from John Carroll University and an MBA from University of Chicago. She worked for Andersen Consulting and The Boston Consulting Group, travelling extensively to do technology and strategy consulting projects. She did manage to continue to pursue her interest in animal behavior and education during this time by volunteering as a docent at Lincoln Park Zoo for six years.

After marrying a lifelong Lab-owner and buying a house in Oak Park, she and her husband, Ned, unintentionally compromised by getting a German Shorthair Pointer / Lab mix puppy in 2001. Soon after, she found herself in puppy preschool at AnimalSense. She then made a significant lifestyle change by deciding to quit her consulting career to stay home with her daughters, born in 2002 and 2004. After adopting her current dog, Ruby, in 2008 and returning to AnimalSense for more classes, she decided to look into dog training as a potential second career. She enrolled in AnimalSense Academy (now CanineLink) in 2009 and is thrilled to be part of the AnimalSense staff as a Senior Trainer. Katie recently welcomed another Black Lab, Tucker, into the family.

Greg Raub, Senior Trainer 

Greg Raub credits his first West Highland White Terrier for turning him into a dog lover.  He credits his second with sparking his interest in learning more about dog behavior and training.

Greg first came to AnimalSense to better socialize his then two-year-old Westie.  His first Westie had been, in Greg’s eyes, the perfect dog.  But his second had developed fairly severe reactivity to other dogs.  He ended up in Doggone Issues.  Fast forward a few years, throw in a desire for a career change, and Greg enrolled in the AnimalSense Academy (now CanineLink).

Greg’s career as a dog trainer follows a long-term career in marketing and communications. He holds a degree in Journalism/Advertising and has worked as a copywriter, creative director and corporate communication manager.  Over the course of his career he has helped promote, explain, and publicize a wide variety business products, services and programs.  They range from equipment used in rock quarries and mining to technology for automated livestock feeding systems, employee compensation and benefit programs, metals and plastics.

Originally from Lafayette, Indiana, Greg has lived in the Chicago area for the past 20+ years.  Outside of work, Greg is an avid Chicago Cubs fan, enjoys theater and traveling and is active in the community.  For the past three years he has served on the board of directors for the Oak Park Area Gay & Lesbian Association and was recently elected to a second term as the board’s co-chair. Greg and his partner Steve live in Oak Park, where they share their home with now ten-year old Ernie, the Westie who got Greg into this business in the first place.

Paulette Solinski, Senior Trainer 

Paulette was born and raised in Chicago to two very loving parents who had one flaw. They weren’t crazy about dogs. From the minute she could talk, Paulette begged her parents for a dog. Finally at the age of ten, she got her first dog, Skipper, and Paulette’s obsession with dogs only began to grow.

In 2010, she took her love of dogs even farther and became a student of AnimalSense Academy (now CanineLink). After graduation, she took some time and decided that her new career path and life goals meant training people to teach their dogs. Now a Junior Trainer, Paulette can often be found working alongside her very own daughter, Sarah, who is also an AnimalSense trainer.

Alison Spanner, Senior Trainer 

After adopting her first dog Huck, Alison’s priorities changed.  Subjected to abuse in his previous life, Huck required intensive training and conditioning.  Through this process, Alison realized her true passion—learning to speak “dog”.  Now that Huck is (usually) a well-balanced and relaxed pup, Alison needed a new challenge.  Adopting Sonar, a deaf dog provided said challenge and also solidified her desire to train dogs of all kinds and their human counterparts.  Receiving formal training through AnimalSense Academy (now CanineLink) was an incredibly worthwhile endeavor, and Alison is thrilled to be a Senior Trainer with AnimalSense.  Currently, Alison is a dog walker and cat caregiver with Chicago Pet Sitters.  Additionally, she volunteers at Animal Welfare League.

A lifelong learner, Alison graduated with her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2010 and her Bachelors of Philosophy from Miami University in 2007.  Alison’s other hobbies include walking around the city with Huck and Sonar, drinking coffee and craft beers, reading fiction, writing book reviews for Booklist.com, developing training protocols for deaf dogs, and stuffing a mean Kong.

Lynne Liliedahl, Junior Trainer

Although Lynne doesn’t currently enjoy the company of a furry, four-legged companion, she’s loved, lived, and worked with cats, horses and dogs for most of her life; and as a dog walker and pet sitter, she’s worked with all kinds of dogs. Watching the movie Dr. Dolittle as a kid inspired her lifelong quest to learn to talk, and more importantly, listen, to animals. She believes that improving the lives of companion animals includes not just training dogs, but teaching and empowering them and their “people” to create strong, humane bonds of trust and understanding.

Her favorite moment in any training session is that instant when the light bulb goes on, for dog and owner, when one can see the connection being made. She’s seen lives transformed for the better after moments like that. After an adulthood of working in positions as diverse as computer programmer to store management trainee for 7-Eleven, she’s thrilled to be pursuing a lifelong dream of working with animals, and she’s honored and proud to be part of the AnimalSense family.

Lynne’s other passions include music (she sings Soprano II in a Women’s community chorus, plays guitar and occasionally writes songs), photography and continuing to learn new things every day about how the world works.

Lynda Lobo, Junior Trainer 

Lynda has been working with animals professionally since 2005, but her love for animals and commitment to their welfare has been life-long – even donating her first allowance to the ASPCA!  Since birth, Lynda’s family has always included both dogs and cats, giving her a unique perspective on multi-species coexistence.  Not to mention the rats, fish, frogs, gerbils, snakes and hamsters she’s had over the years!

A Chicago native, Lynda’s young life was filled with zoo camp, nature walks, and rescuing stray pets and wildlife.  In 2008, Lynda earned a degree in anthropology, women’s studies, and environmental justice from the Evergreen State College.  After working in environmental education for the City of Olympia, WA, she began dedicating her time to dogs through various jobs at a grooming/daycare facility.  She completed a volunteer internship at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah – which she says was the best experience of her whole life – caring for and training all sorts of animals, from dogs and cats to pigs and horses to rabbits and pigeons. Did you know pigs can walk nicely on leash?

Lynda moved back to sweet home Chicago in 2010 with her cat Rikku (formerly a stray kitten living in a dumpster!).  Shortly after, she adopted her project dog from Best Friends, a sweet shy Doberman/Lab mix named Surf.  A true best friend, soulful, goofy, and shy, Surf has changed Lynda’s life for the better, teaching her so much about canine behavior and companionship.  She and Surfy also share their life with another Best Friends rescue named Ryan.  Coming from a hoard where she was treated as feral, earning Ryan’s trust and confronting her aggression, fear, and reactivity through positive reinforcement has been an incredible journey for Lynda.  She knows firsthand the challenges and the amazing rewards of loving dogs who aren’t “perfect,” and hopes to bring that compassion to her training career.  Lynda is currently the Retail Manager at the Bark Bark Club, and has experience in animal rescue, shelter work, grooming, daycare, walking, and retail.  She graduated from CanineLink Academy, and is trained in Pet First Aid and CPR.

In her free time, Lynda enjoys making art, vegetarian cooking, reading, volunteering, gardening, stretching, swimming, photography, and microbrews.

Chris Long, Junior Trainer 

Chris was raised in the Chicago suburb of Lemont where her family has owned a dog boarding kennel for the past 45 years. She grew up surrounded by dogs, cats, horses, farm birds and the occasional baby raccoon or fawn that needed to be raised. She has always been passionate about all animals, but dogs have always occupied a special place in her heart.

At the age of 19, Chris moved to Massachusetts for 4 years, where she learned how to groom dogs and also worked at a farm animal sanctuary, caring for a variety of animals including donkeys, horses, goats, mules, and of course, dogs.  After moving back to Illinois, Chris began a career as an animal handler, providing various animals for print and film projects. This career, combined with her passion for dogs led her to earn her dog training certification from Animal Behavior College in 2006. While continuing to work as an animal handler, Chris is also attending Roosevelt University, planning to earn her bachelor’s degree in psychology in December 2012.

Chris splits her time between Chicago and the suburbs. Chris spends much of her free time with her boyfriend and his two teenage children. She can often be found on her family property, riding her horse or helping to care for the dogs, cats, birds, and goats that live on the small hobby farm.  Whether exploring the city or wandering around on the farm, her little shih tzu/silkie mix Georgie is never far from her side.

Nicolette Meyer, Junior Trainer 

Nicolette has been a lifelong lover of dogs but was never able to have her own furry friend until a few years ago. It was this pup, Otis, who sparked her interest in canine behavior after developing some less than polite habits. After studying at various colleges for fine art photography, creative writing, and interior design, Nicolette eventually decided to enter into the pet care industry by becoming a dog walker. After several years of enjoying the outdoors with dogs of all breeds and sizes, she decided to take the next step and become a trainer.

After attending CanineLink Academy, Nicolette is extremely excited to put her new knowledge into practical use by joining the AnimalSense team. She believes that with hard work, consistency, and love any dog can become the polite pup they were meant to be.

Andrea Obey, Junior Trainer

Andrea is a native Chicagoan and animals have always been an important part of her life. Over the years she’s generally lived with dogs as her companions, but a kid was fascinated by all animals and the natural world. She was always the one climbing trees, digging for worms, bringing home stray animals and trying to care for them, much to her parents’ chagrin.  Andrea started riding horses at age six as an avid student of both hunter/jumper and dressage style riding and showed competitively in these disciplines throughout her school years.

As an adult, Andrea worked several jobs, including working for a major health care company as a senior project analyst.  During this time, she had two lovely dogs.  One of them was a fearful two-year-old Husky/Shepherd mix named Elvis.  Andrea tried to work on Elvis’ fear aggression with more “traditional” methods with no positive results. If anything his reactivity got worse.  She needed help.  She enlisted her cousin Kelly Gorman Dunbar and Kelly’ s husband, Dr. Ian Dunbar to help her work on his behavior issues.  A whole new world opened up to her: dog-friendly science-based animal training.

Andrea read whatever she could get her hands on, worked hard and Elvis quickly turned into a dog who could be polite and friendly to anyone he met!  Shortly thereafter, Andrea received the devastating news that Elvis had Systemic Lupus and was terminally ill.  Not knowing at the time that this dog would change her life, she kept working in the corporate world while dealing with the great loss of her dear companion.Eventually, Andrea realized that she could no longer work in a corporate setting and deny that she longed to work with animals.  She quit her job, went back to school to study Wildlife Science, moved to Wisconsin for almost two years to volunteer at a wildlife sanctuary, quickly landed a job as a zookeeper and finally felt she was in the right place. Soon she realized that a lot of what she learned about training and behavior as it applied to dogs also applied to all animals. While at the zoo Andrea was able to utilize and hone her natural instincts and animal husbandry skills and learned to balance compassion, knowledge and the power of observation.

She returned home to Chicago and began thinking there was still even more to learn about animal training and behavior.  At the encouragement of Kelly, other family members and friends, Andrea enrolled in AnimalSense Academy (now CanineLink) and graduated in June 2011.

In August 2011, she launched own business, Sit. Walk. Obey. A specialized animal care service that offers  pet owners wonderful, personalized care for their animals while they are away. When Elvis was ill, she so wished she could have someone both compassionate and knowledgeable around to care for him while she was at work.  Sit. Walk. Obey. focuses on in-home pet care for animals who may have special medical or behavioral needs.  Andrea is certified in pet CPR and first aid, a certified dog walker with dog*tec, works at an animal hospital as a vet assistant and client care representative, and is working towards earning her CPDT certification.  Andrea’s compassionate nature shines through her interactions with animals and people.  She is so happy to be on the right track and truly loves her work.

Sarah Ann Williams, Junior Trainer

Sarah spent a large portion of her childhood in Arizona, where dogs were a common sight in her house. It was the strong bond she formed with her family dog, a yorkie-beagle mix named Cocoa, that inspired her love of dogs at an early age.  If you had asked her, at the ripe age of seven years old, what she wanted to be when she grew up, her answer would have been, “An animal trainer!”

“Growing up” put that goal on the back burner for a while, though Sarah remained an avid animal lover.  In 2009, she graduated Knox College with a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish.  Unable to find employment in her field, she ended up working as a dog walker which is where her childhood dream pawed its way to the surface once again: during this time, she came across many different kinds of dogs, all with different ways of interacting in their environments. Getting to know these different animals, talking with the owners about their relationships with their pets, and thinking about all of the different things that contribute to how dogs behave became a deep area of interest for Sarah. Inspired, she searched out and attended CanineLink Academy (formerly AnimalSense Academy) in Chicago. Now, Sarah is thrilled to be working for AnimalSense, and pursuing childhood ambition, at long last!

When she is not immersing herself in everything “dog”, Sarah enjoys reading captivating novels, playing all kinds of games (video games, board games, and card games, you name it!), drawing, and practicing flute, which she just began learning.

Lynn Brezina, CPDT-KA, Behavior Consultant 

For over 40 years, Lynn has had man’s best friend at her side, first in the show arena and now as a trainer. Although Lynn began her college career as a psychology student, she ended up earning a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from DePaul University. She also attended Northeastern Illinois University for an Early Child Education teaching certificate. Even though Lynn completed the necessary work for certification, when she got an offer to train dogs she took it.  It was then that Lynn discovered she loved working with people and their dogs much better than she liked competing with her own dogs.

In 2003 Lynn created her private practice CompanionAbility, LLC.  Lynn is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.   She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, as well as an American Kennel Club, Canine Good Citizenship evaluator. She is also an academic instructor for CanineLink, formerly known as AnimalSense Academy.

Lynn is delighted and very proud to be a behavior consultant for AnimalSense.

Betsy Lane, TTouch® Instructor 

Betsy Lane is Chicagoland’s only Certified Tellington TTouch^® Practitioner for Companion Animals. Her work with groups and individuals throughout the Midwest uses novel, positive training experiences to address underlying issues that affect dogs’ behavior and performance, such as anxiousness, fear, restlessness, or gait or movement problems. Helping dogs overcome these challenges enhances the effectiveness of other positive training methods while deepening the human-animal bond. A cautious canine first led Betsy to TTouch, and helping shy, cautious, or fearful dogs gain confidence, resilience, and trust in their environments remains a personal passion. Betsy is thrilled to have partnered with AnimalSense to share the TTouch method with future dog trainers, pet-industry professionals, and other individuals. You can find out more about her business at www.petkido.com.

In addition to her TTouch work, Betsy certifies new dog-handler teams for SitStayRead (Chicago’s premier dog-based, public-school literacy program), and is a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator for the American Kennel Club. She is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers; two of her recent articles have been published in The APDT Chronicle of the Dog. Betsy is trained in pet first aid and canine CPR through Heartworks CPR. She is an avid, lifelong reader of nonfiction about animal behavior and positive training methods.

In her spare time, Betsy can often be found in local forest preserves and corporate parks training with her tracking dog, a German Shepherd named Biscuit (CGC, TD, TDX)—or at home, working in the yard under Biscuit’s constant and expert supervision.

Jamie Damato Migdal, CPDT-KA, Consultant 

Jamie Damato Migdal has been working with dogs and their people for more than 16 years. From pet sitting to shelters, veterinary assistant to dog behavior expert, Jamie’s experience and passion with dogs has made her a leading expert in behavioral training. Her techniques are based on real science, but can be easily understood by the layperson. Jamie’s areas of expertise include working with human-canine bond theories, canine aggression and behavior disorders. In 1996, Jamie founded Out-U-Go Pet Care Services which is now serving pet communities all over the country. Three years later, she founded AnimalSense Canine Training & Behavior, the fastest growing dog training company in the Chicago area. Jamie is now on to the next phase of her career by using her insights, talents and knowledge to help dog lovers become dog trainers as well as educate current dog professionals in canine behavior. While creating this business CanineLink, writing her book Dog Friendly Life, and taking care of her dog The Poodle, Jamie and her husband, Drew, welcomed their daughter Sadie Rose Migdal on October 13, 2011.