Lindsay Rapp, 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, 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.

Andrea Miller, Director of Operations

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 nine 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, reading, yoga and music. She lost her 15-year-old Beagle Rayme last year and is looking forward to adding a new dog to her life soon.

Carol Kuhn, Client Services Coordinator & Junior 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 both a Junior Trainer and the Client Services Coordinator – that happy voice on the phone line when you call our office with questions.

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.

Ivonne Acevedo, 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.

Sally Bushwaller, 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, 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.

Katie Moody, 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.

Shelly Marks, Senior Trainer 

Shelly Marks was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado. She grew up close to nature with the Rocky Mountains as her backyard. She developed a deep love and appreciation for the animal kingdom at a very young age and was the main caretaker for her family’s many adopted creatures. As a young and creative adult, Shelly pursued a career in Fashion Design and graduated with full scholarship from Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles. After five years of creative design soul searching, Shelly discovered that her heart was yearning to work with people and animals. By the time she adopted Floyd, a frightened scraggly terrier-poodle mix, her mind was made up to seek out a career working with dogs.

Shelly took puppy classes with AnimalSense and a short time later returned to find out about opportunities with the AnimalSense Academy (now CanineLink). She was accepted to the first Academy class in 2009 and shortly after graduating began working as a Junior Trainer and Client Services Coordinator.

Shelly devoted herself to learning all available information on canine behavior and modification techniques. As much as she learned from working with her peers and fellow employees, she was equally affected by the many touching and important phone calls from clients seeking help with their canine companions. She spent the past two years assisting clients over the phone and in the classroom to help resolve their behavior needs. Shelly learned that owning a dog affects every aspect of your life and helping to resolve a behavior issue is crucial to bringing peace to the home. Shelly is now a Senior Trainer and is proud to offer her services in both group classes and private lessons.

Shelly strives to bring peace of mind to all her clients and shares her passion for dogs and positive reinforcement training with anyone willing to listen. Floyd now lives happily and fear-free with his feline sister Peru and human dad Gavin.

Erin Schneider, 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.

Alison Downs, Junior 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 Junior Trainer with AnimalSense.  Currently, Alison is a dog walker and cat caregiver with Chicago Pet Sitters.  Additionally, she volunteers with Safe Humane Court Case Dogs and 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.

Catherine Gonzalez, Junior Trainer 

Catherine is a native Chicagoan and a life-long animal lover and has had dogs since age five.  She took a traditional path after high school and went to college and law school.  After her daughter’s wedding and her son went off to college, Catherine decided it was time to follow one of her first loves and enrolled in AnimalSense Academy (now CanineLink), graduating in June 2011.  Catherine has two dogs, Oz, a Rottweiler, and Bella, a Bichon and Pekingese mix.  Oz is Catherine and her husband’s third Rottweiler – she fell in love with the breed about 15 years ago when one approached her at the AKC show and put his nose in her side and looked up at her with, excuse the cliché: soft, brown eyes.  Her early dog training experiences made her uncomfortable with some of the techniques used in class and she is thrilled now to be involved in positive training.  Catherine is fascinated with the idea of establishing meaningful communication with another species and loves to see each dog’s “aha – I get it” moment. She looks forward to continued professional and personal growth with AnimalSense.

Catherine lives in the northwest side of Chicago with her husband (and childhood sweetheart) Chuy and their two children Olivia and Michael and son-in-law Adam.

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.

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.

Greg Raub, Junior 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, Junior 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.

Sam Wittreich, Junior Trainer 

One of Sam’s first sentences was “Can I pet your doggy”? The family pet was an ill-mannered, but beautiful Dalmatian rescue who inspired Sam to want to work with and help animals. He volunteered at Animal Care League and worked as a dog walker for a couple of years. He especially likes the differences in temperament and personality of all of the dogs he gets to know. Sam can’t say enough good things about positive reinforcement in dog training, and was drawn to AnimalSense Academy (now CanineLink) for that reason.

Sam is lucky to have a lot of dog in his life: a two-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier mix named Benny. He’s very happy to be a part of the AnimalSense family as a Junior Trainer and to help dogs (and their people) in any way possible.

Lynn Brezina, 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.

Valerie Chalcraft, Animal Behaviorist

Dr. Valerie J. Chalcraft is an applied animal behaviorist with a Ph.D. and a M.A. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Nevada. Dr. Chalcraft has studied the development of abnormal behavior of many species in captivity including chimpanzees, gorillas, lemurs, elephants, and farmed animals in varying degrees of intensive confinement.

Dr. Chalcraft’s focus on companion animal behavior started in New York City as a Companion Animal Behavior Specialist at the Animal Behavior Center of New York and the Queens Community Animal Shelter. Dr. Chalcraft also served as Director of the Behavior Helpline at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in Manhattan and has observed many hours of behavior consultations with applied animal behaviorists at the ASPCA.

Dr. Chalcraft established her private consulting firm, Applied Animal Behavior to serve clients in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. Dr. Chalcraft moved Applied Animal Behavior to Chicago in 2005 and has been regularly referred by many veterinarians, trainers, shelters, and rescue groups in Chicago and the suburbs. She has been interviewed by various local media, including ABC television, the Chicago Tribune, and several college newspapers.

Dr. Chalcraft’s emphasis has been to address problem behaviors from a perspective of fulfilling frustrated natural behaviors and learning new responses through behavior modification with a positive emphasis.

Denise Theobald, Canine Massage Instructor 

Denise Theobald has always had a passion for understanding the relationship between people and their pets. In her 20 year career of being a massage therapist and personal trainer, Denise has focused on caring for her client’s emotional and physical well-being. Denise studied and applied her knowledge of body work and exercise to accommodate our four legged companions and started a business called Petrissage, teaching therapeutic massage to veterinarians, animal care workers and pet owners.

To expand her experience in the pet care industry and to finally fulfill her dream of being fully educated in the care of companion animals, Denise joined AnimalSense Academy to study canine training and behavior. Denise believes that the emotional and physical link is key to a happy relationship between a person and their dog. Denise is a graduate of the inaugural class of AnimalSense Academy (now CanineLink) and is now teaching canine massage classes at AnimalSense. She is a nationally certified canine massage therapist through NBCAAM (National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure and Massage). Denise recently started her own business, Canine Massage Chicago, which offers career training and therapeutic canine massage services.

Denise Theobald lives in Park Ridge with her partner Julie, cats Smokey and Stanley and yellow labs Jackson and Lucy.

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, 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.