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After attending DePaul
University, with a major in Psychology and Communication,
Jamie worked as a Social Worker and Case Manager for a not-for
profit organizations where she introduced a pet therapy program.
From January 1996 through January 2000, she founded, owned and operated Out-U-Go! Pet Care Services in Oak Park. . Additionally,
Jamie created, owned and operated Out-U-Go In-home veterinary
service, worked at the Anti-Cruelty Society as an
adoption counselor and kennel staff, and worked as an assistant
at the Lincoln Park Zoo. After establishing her reputation
in the community, Jamie was brought on as the Shelter Director
for the highly regarded Oak Park Animal Care League,
she ran the shelter from 2001 to 2002. Jamie has personally cared for and/or worked with more than 5000 dogs.
In September of
2003, Jamie became one of the only 550 dog trainers in the
entire world to have earned the prestigious title of CPDT, Certified Pet Dog Trainer.
Jamie's background
and education also consists of working in veterinary hospitals
and doing volunteer work with children and animals. In addition
to graduating from Arizona Canine Academy, she has
also received certification from Purdue University Veterinary
School in Behavior Modification and Owner Education. Jamie
has attended dozens of seminars, conferences and workshops
all in the interest of increasing her knowledge base and gaining
more insight into canine behavior. Her professional interests
include human-animal bond theories, agility, and working with
canine aggression and behavior disorders. Jamie also works
as the behavior consultant for Pet Vets Animal Hospital
in Oak Park, and is an active member of The Association
of Pet Dog Trainers, International Association of Canine
Professionals and The Trainers Network. Additionally,
Jamie is currently working on publishing her first book and
video with the working title: Dogs at Play; A Guide for
Non-Dogs (Humans!)
Most recently, Jamie and the AnimalSense staff officially “adopted” The City of Chicago Animal Care and Control as AnimalSense's philanthropy. Every week, the AnimalSense staff meets at the shelter to assist the shelter staff with temperament testing stray dogs living at the shelter in pursuit of aiding the shelter to find the most appropriate homes for each unwanted dog.
Animal Sense
is the culmination of her education, interests and passions.
When she is not
working with your dogs, she stays busy with her pets: Sam,
a Beagle-Terrier Mix, Liddie, a Belgian Malinois
-Doberman Mix and newly acquired Oodle the Toy Poodle
who Jamie recently adopted from Chicago Care and Animal Control. Let us not
forget her African Grey Parrot, Tahoe, and her fat
grey kitty, Wrigley. Additionally, Jamie personally
rescues, fosters and re-homes several dogs & cats each
year. For non-doggy fun, Jamie volunteers with Girls On
The Run, an after-school program for high risk young girls
to help them realize their personal goals through fitness.
She is also a head coach for Together We Tri - Where
she coaches, trains for and competes in triathlons.
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Kelly Elvin,
Head Staff Trainer
An Oak
Park resident since 1995, Kelly Elvin grew up on a horse
farm in New Jersey surrounded by horses, dogs, cats,
chickens and geese and was instilled from an early age
with love and respect for all animals. After attending
Bucknell University, with a major in English,
followed by law school at the University of Michigan,
Kelly worked as a litigation attorney. |
Boomer,
Sammy, Sarah and Kelly. |
Her background
with animals and her experiences with her own dogs served
as a springboard for continuing her four-legged education
in the fields of dog training and behavior. In addition to
nonstop reading about dogs, behavior, and training, Kelly
is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers,
the Association of Companion Animal Behavior Counselors
(ACABC), and the Delta Society. She is in the process
of completing her certification as a Canine Behavior Counselor
(CBC) through the ACABC and the American Institute
of Animal Sciences, and keeps her education up to date
by attending seminars and conferences throughout the year.
Kelly has worked as the staff trainer at Oak Park's Animal
Care League and currently assists homeless animals as
a volunteer and foster home for Central Indiana Lab Rescue
(CILRA). Her professional interests focus on enhancing
the communication between people and their dogs to create
and maintain a mutually rewarding and fun relationship.
When she is not
assisting Animal Sense clients, Kelly enjoys spending time
with her husband, Matt, and their three dogs: Sarah,
a German Shepherd/Doberman mix, Boomer, a black Lab,
and Sammy, a Golden Retriever. Sammy and Kelly have
been certified as Pet Partners with Delta Society and
enjoy their pet therapy visits to a local hospital. Sammy
and Kelly also participate in APDT Rally Obedience,
a form of competition obedience. When they're not doggin'
around, you may find Kelly and Matt enjoying a bike ride or
planning their next trip to visit with friends and family
somewhere around the US or Canada.
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Cathy Theys,
Assistant Trainer
After a lifetime
of wanting a dog, when she turned 25 years old Cathy decided
that finally she would have the time and space to devote to
a puppy. Two years later, after much reading, Cathy finally
got her first pup in the spring of 2001. Since then, she continues
to study the art of dog training and practice with her Golden
Retriever, Aza.
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Aza, Cathy and Anastasia (under the blanket).
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Cathy's interest in
teaching dogs and their humans is complemented by her educational
background. She has been working as a computer science lecturer
at the University of Illinois at Chicago since she graduated
from Purdue University with a Masters in Electrical Engineering
and a BS in Computers and Electrical Engineering. While at Purdue
University, she took electives in psychology studying behavior modification
and learning theory.
Cathy is an active member of The Association of Pet Dog Trainers and has recently been enjoying participating in conferences and seminars. Cathy, along with the rest of the AnimalSense Team enjoys volunteering at Chicago Care and Animal Control each week.
Currently Cathy balances
working, spending time with her husband, Mitch, and their new baby,
Anastasia, born May 2002, and of course playing with Aza
the wonder pup.
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Nadine Onesti,
Assistant Trainer
As a graduate
of The Animal Behavior College, Nadine brings her experience
and love for animals to our great staff.
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Nadine
and her dogs.
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Nadine is self-educated and a graduate of Animal Behavior College, where she earned her certification in dog training and behavior modification with Animal Behavior and Training Associates. She believes very strongly in the use of positive reinforcement. She is also a member of the Humane Society of the United States, The ASPCA, the International Association of Canine Professionals, and The Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
In February 2003, Nadine
was featured on Fox News after training two dogs owned by
anchorperson, Tameron Hall. Tameron has two three-year old toy breeds
that were never housetrained, and after Nadine worked with Tameron
and her dogs, she was so pleased, that they did a segment on it. Nadine, along with the rest of the AnimalSense Team enjoys volunteering at Chicago Care and Animal Control each week.
Nadine is married and
has two teenage sons still at home. Along with her human family,
Nadine shares her home with two dogs. Bart, is a 60 pound
Chow mix she adopted at three months old in 1998; and Joey,
a 6.5 pound Toy Poodle/Bichon Frise Mix she found wandering the
streets in January of 2001. In Nadine's spare time she enjoys cooking
and horseback riding.
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Sarah Rothberger,
Intern
Before moving
to Chicago in June of 2003, Sarah lived in a variety of places
throughout the eastern US and abroad, most recently, Pittsburgh,
PA. She always had the opportunity to live with or around
animals, including an awesome collie named Georgie Girl, who
lives with her mother and sister in Kentucky. As a girl, Sarah
worked in a horse stable as a stable hand, and as an adult,
she volunteered in a high volume animal shelter caring for
dogs and fostering kittens.
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Currently an intern
with Animal Sense, Sarah's educational background is in English,
with a BA in Literature from SUNY Potsdam and an MFA in Poetry
from the University of Pittsburgh. Before moving to Chicago,
she taught writing to college students and poetry to high school
students and cancer patients. She now works for a doggie day care
and volunteers for the Chicago Canine Rescue Foundation.
In addition to her work with CCRF, Sarah and her partner have recently
opened their home to foster unwanted Australian Shepherds
for a breed rescue group.
Currently, Sarah lives
in Chicago with her partner and they share their home with two cats,
Josie and Annabelle, and a 9 month old puppy named
Winnie, a mixed-breed dog of mysterious origin, who they
adopted together from Chicago Animal Care and Control in September
2003.
For non-doggie fun, Sarah enjoys writing, reading, painting, and
creating fiber and bead art. She loves the outdoors, especially
hiking and canoeing and is thrilled about living so close to one
of the Great Lakes.
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Dr. Yael Cidon,
Guest Instructor
Some of you
may know Yael as your veterinarian, but here is your opportunity
to work with her in a different environment.. as a trainer!
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That is right, Yael brings
over 20 years experience working with our canine friends to the
classroom. Her teaching style is fluid, clear and sensible. Not
only is she a great teacher to canines, she is one to humans as
well; Yael has been Jamie's mentor for many years and Jamie is honored
and excited for the opportunity to share a classroom with her once
again.
Yael is the owner of
Pet Vets Animal Hospital and the world's best veterinarian.
Yael, however is owned by Eve, a little rodent-like dog
who has captured the hearts of many. In Yael's spare time, or what
there is of it, Yael enjoys working out and traveling to California
to visit with family.
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