Born in the English countryside, Als has always been an animal lover. Her earliest memories are of her beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel “Lara”. 

After over a decade working as a litigation lawyer in the City of London, she gave up life in the UK to follow her heart across the ocean where she married husband Scott.  Her professional dog training journey started when she and Scott adopted a 1 year-old “Lab-mix” who proved to be an independent girl with a lot of tenacious terrier traits. Als knew there had to be a better way to train a dog than the harsh tools and methods that well-meaning friends were recommending. Thus began her quest to learn as much as possible about modern and force-free, science-based training methods. 

After extensive study and hundreds of hours of practical training experience, Als became a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (“CPDT-KA”) in 2018. Later the same year she was named by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (“IAABC”) as recipient of the “Rebecca Park Scholarship” earning a place on their course Animal Behavior Consulting: Principles & Practice which she completed in 2019. In 2020 Als became a Fear-Free Certified Dog Trainer, and was approved by the American Kennel Club as an evaluator for their Canine Good Citizen program. In 2021 Als was certified by Cooperative Paws as a Service Dog Coach, and in 2022 successfully completed both the Puppy Start Right Instructor course through the Karen Pryor Academy, and Michael Shikashio’s “Mastercourse - Aggression in Dogs”. She continues to advance her professional knowledge by regular attendance at leading industry events and conferences. Als volunteers with both Pets for Vets - the incredible organization that matches veterans with shelter animals, and on the Ethics Committee for the Association of Professional Dog Trainers.

Als serves invested pet parents in-person at her Rutland, Vermont based dog training facility “Mountainside Mutts” and online through her Massachusetts based company “Girl Friday ACK LLC”. According to Als, “The best time to start training your dog is now. Don’t wait until unwanted behaviors arise, start reinforcing the things you like right away.” Whether you’re bringing home a brand new puppy or adopting an older dog, Als is dedicated to helping committed owners raise the dog of their dreams through compassionate coaching. She believes that there is no feeling in the world that’s more rewarding than truly connecting and communicating with an entirely different species and she is committed to helping her clients do this too. Als believes that training should be a fun and enjoyable experience for both human and dog, and designs her training classes to incorporate games and concepts from notable leading dog trainers like Susan Garrett, Absolute Dogs and Leslie McDevitt. Underlying all that Als does is her commitment to training without pain and a view that “Spending time with your dog should never feel like a chore."