Growing up, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by animals as a foster family for a rescue in Philadelphia. We primarily raised litters of puppies and kittens, but also took in dogs with medical challenges. During that time, I took lessons in agility and disc with my childhood Australian Shepherd, Sugar, which began my love for dog sports.
In college, I worked as a dog trainer for an organization to train service dogs for children and adults with disabilities, mainly teaching public access and mobility-related tasks. Since then, I have volunteered to raise three service dogs for a different organization, including a Golden Retriever, a Standard Poodle, and a Labrador Retriever.
In 2022, I started with a rally class at the club, and have now tried scentwork, obedience, and agility with my American Foxhound mix rescue dog, Zeus. Zeus and I are currently competing in Novice and Open level AKC and CPE agility.
In 2025, I began working with animals full-time as a shelter manager in Vermilion County. In this role, I help staff, fosters, volunteers, and adopterswork with over 1,100 dogs per year, mainly focusing on complex behavior and medical cases.
At the club, I have taught Home Companion classes, as well as Beginner and Intermediate Agility. I love teaching teams the foundational exercises to work with each other, and seeing how that transforms into more advanced skills!
