Hi! Welcome to Squirrel! Our passion is helping people and dogs understand each other so they can live happy lives together.  I’ve been training dogs for over forty years and been a family practice/urgent care/executive physician for twenty-eight of them, before leaving medicine to focus full time on making dogs smile. That means I’m as used to teaching people as I am dogs.

Since childhood, I’ve been obsessed with communicating with animals. I lived for the Jane Goodall and Jacques Cousteau “specials” that came on TV, and in junior high school became fascinated with Lana, the chimp who learned a computer language called Yerkish. I was enchanted by Koko, the gorilla, who learned sign language and had an infamous relationship with her kitten, Ball. At overnight camp, when the other girls were playing sports and gossiping, I could be found in the nature den communing with the deer, skunk, and rabbits, two of whom (Thumper and Fremont) I took home at the end of the summer.

I’ve bred and hand-raised hamsters, had two parakeets (Fubert and Peabody), a dwarf bunny (Peepers), an Appaloosa (Apple), a box turtle at some point, and, of course, dogs. There was Twinkles (Cairn terrier), Patches 1 and 2 (Old English Sheepdogs), Boomer (Briard), Barney and Hank (Bearded Collies), Bam Bam (Golden Retriever), then Cosmo Calvin (Golden Retriever), and the love of my life, my sweet Zoe Rose, a shepherd mix rescue, who I lost at the age of 13. Squirrel's logo is an homage to her, and my mission is a dedication to her memory and that of all my wise, beloved animal companions who preceded and will someday follow her. 

After graduating from the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training and Behavior, taught by Victoria, Lisa Lyle Waggoner, Brad Waggoner, Aly Lecznar, and Irith Bloom, I went on to mentor with the internationally renowned author of the Control Unleashed Series, Leslie McDevitt, and become a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor (CCUI). I specialize in errorless learning, fearful/reactive dogs, cooperative care, day training (while you work), virtual training, and giving dogs agency over their lives. In addition to working with private clients and teaching group classes, I am passionate about my volunteer work as a trainer and general caretaker at my local shelter, PAWS (Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society), where I fall in love every weekend. As a PAWS partner, I donate 20% of the proceeds from Squirrel! to the shelter. 

I love all dogs, but have a special soft spot for large breeds, “bully” breeds, and “mutts” of all sizes. Squirrel! is the culmination of a lifetime of dedication and experience. I look forward to working with you. Listen. Learn. Speak. Dog. Sit happens. Now go make a dog smile today!