Jamie Damato, CPDT-KA, Founder & Owner
A Certified Pet Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant and a 1999 graduate of Arizona Canine Academy, Jamie has a long history of working with animals and their people in a variety of settings. After attending DePaul University, with a major in Psychology and Communication, Jamie worked as a Social Worker and Case Manager for a non-profit organization where she introduced a pet therapy program. From January 1996 through January 2000, she owned and operated Out-U-Go! Pet Care Services in Oak Park. Jamie also 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 where she ran the shelter from 2001 to 2002. Jamies background and education also includes 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 personally cared for and/or worked with more than 20,000 dogs and counting…
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-KA, Certified Pet Dog Trainer.
Jamie regularly attends 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, 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 Animal Behavior Professionals and The Association of Pet Dog Trainers and CAPTA (Chicago Area Pet Trainers Association) which she also founded in 2004.
Jamie is a frequent guest on ABC-TV Chicago and the Fox program Good Day Chicago, where she is brought in to discuss all things canine. Jamie and AnimalSense have also been featured elsewhere in the media; including the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crains Chicago Business, Time Out Chicago, Chicago Parent, Chicagoland Tails, The Wednesday Journal, various Pioneer Press publications and also on WGN Radio Pet Central with Steve Dale. Additionally, Jamie is a sought-after featured speaker for conferences and workshops both locally and nationally. She is currently working on publishing her first book. Jamie has also been the on-set trainer for the Animal Planet series Animal Witness and has recently wrapped shooting her own Comcast On-Demand series that’s available now.
Her commitment to animals goes well beyond her business: She is a member of the City of Chicago Task Force on Companion Animal Welfare and Public Safety and also serves on the Subcommittee on Pet Day Care for The City of Chicago.
When she is not working with your dogs, Jamie stays busy with her own pets: she and her boyfriend Drew live in the South Loop with their dogs, Liddie, a Belgian Malinois/Doberman Mix, Poodle, the Toy Poodle, and Shuggy, the mutant Jack Russell Terrier, all rescued from the streets of Chicago. Additionally, Jamie has personally rescued, fostered and re-homed countless numbers of dogs and cats over the past 15 years. For non-doggy fun, Jamie travels as much as a business owner is able to, trains for an occasional triathlon, pretends to do yoga and serenades her dogs with her guitar.
AnimalSense is the culmination of her education, interests and passions.