Professional Dog Trainer/Behavior Consultant  Jacksonville, Florida

1999-present: Provide behavior counseling and training on Veterinarian referral to owners and their animals.

1999-present: Consult with owners on Veterinarian referral regarding aggressive and/or potentially dangerous dogs.

1999-present: Consult with Veterinarians, Animal Control agencies and others on aggressive dogs and dog attacks.

2000-present: Give education seminars and training demonstrations throughout the Southeast as a member of the Innotek Pro-Staff.

1996-present: Train dogs for field competition and hunting, specializing in retrieving breeds.

2002-2005: Write regular dog training column and pet training related book reviews for firstcoastcommunity.com web site (Florida Times Union).

2002-2005: Coordinate and produce firstcoastcommunity.com Pet of the Week web feature (Florida Times Union)-winner of the 2003 Humane Media Partnership award from the Jacksonville Humane Society.

1998-present: Provide educational booths and demonstrations at local dog-related events (Pet Expo, Paws in the Park, Florida Disc Dog Championships, etc.)

2001-2007: President, Curly-Coated Retriever Club of America

2004-present: AKC Legislative Liaison, CCRCA

2006-present: Lead researcher, Cooperative Study of Aggressive and Dangerous Dogs/Canine Aggression Genetics Project, sponsored by the University of Florida McKnight Brain Institute, the University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine, and the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Department of Neuropsychopharmacology

 

 

 

 

Selected consulting duties

 

2007: On-scene investigation, fatal dog attack, Summerville, SC.  2 year old male victim.

2007: Present Training Seminar "Dangerous Dogs", Atlantic Beach Code Enforcement Board, Atlantic Beach, FL.

2007: Present Training Seminar “Investigating Fatal and Serious Dog Attacks”, Calgary Animal and Bylaw Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

2007: Presenter, “Fatal Dog Attacks; A Report From the Front Lines”, Banff Summit for Urban Animal Strategies, Banff, Alberta, Canada.

2007: On-scene investigation, fatal dog attack, Middleburg, Florida. 42 year old adult female victim.

2007: On-scene investigation, fatal dog attack, Boger City, North Carolina. 2 year old male victim.

2007: Presenter, “Fatal Dog Attacks and Canine Legislation”, Kansas City Dog Advocates Midwest Canine Legislation Conference, Kansas City, Missouri.

2007: Presenter, American Kennel Club/Canine Health Foundation Breeders’ Symposium, Dallas, Texas “Puppy Temperament and Early Puppy Socialization.”

2007: On scene consultation with Rescue Shelter in Houston, Texas.

2007: Presenter, American Kennel Club/Canine Health Foundation Breeders’ Symposium, Springfield, Missouri “Puppy Temperament and Early Puppy Socialization.”

2007: Presenter, “Disaster Response for Specialty Clubs – Building Cooperation from the Ground Up.” AKC Parent Club Conference, Peachtree City, GA

2007: Consultant, expert witness, constitutional challenge lawsuit (American Canine Federation and Florence Vianzon v City of Aurora, Colorado)

2007: Presenter, Georgia Bar Association/Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia "Animals in the Law" seminar.

2007: Testify before Florida Department of Agriculture workshop on dog related administrative rules.

2007: Testify before the Texas State Legislature/Criminal Justice Committee on HB 1355/SB411 regarding enhanced penalties for dog attack.

2007: Consult on dog bite civil case, New York, civil damages/personal injury case.

2007: Present seminar, "Handling and treatment of aggressive and dangerous dogs", Muttshack Disaster Response, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

2007: Present seminar, "Transporting aggressive dogs in disaster response", Muttshack Disaster Response/Louisiana State Animal Response Team, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

2007: On-scene investigation, fatal dog attack, Richmond, Virginia, with hands-on evaluation of involved dogs.  6 year old victim

2007: On-scene investigation, fatal dog attack, Brewton, Alabama.  18 month old victim.

2006: On-scene investigation, fatal dog attack, Dillon, South Carolina. 10 year old male victim.

2006: On-scene investigation, fatal dog attack, with hands-on evaluation of the involved dog, Montgomery County, Texas.  41 year old male victim. 

2006: Presenter/Speaker, National Dangerous Dogs Summit, Denver, Colorado.

2006: Evaluate potentially dangerous dog, Jacksonville Housing Authority, Jacksonville, Florida.

2006: Consult with Office of the Solicitor, Dekalb County, Georgia on serious dog mauling ("Mercedes" case).  Guilty plea by defendant.

2006: Conduct training seminar, "Investigating Fatal Dog Attacks", Chatham County, Georgia for law enforcement and animal control officers.

2006: Provide expert testimony before the Marion County, Florida Code Enforcement Board on Dangerous Dog classification of Anatolian Shepherd.

2006: Presenter, Georgia Bar Association/Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia "Animal Cruelty Case Investigations and Prosecutions Seminar".

2006: Consult with Long Island Bulldog Rescue regarding alleged Bulldog attack.

2005: Present seminar "Dealing with aggressive, traumatized and difficult dogs", St. Tammany Humane Society and St. Tammany Parish Animals Services, Covington, LA. 

2005: Invited guest, National Response Plan Partnership Meeting at FEMA Joint Command Center, Baton Rouge, LA.

2005: On-scene work in New Orleans, LA in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita dealing with traumatized and frightened dogs in shelters. Rescue and Recovery work in New Orleans.

2005: On-scene investigation, Huntington, WV, fatal dog attack, 2yr old victim. Guilty plea entered by owner of dog to manslaughter charges-first successful prosecution of its kind in West Virginia. Conviction upheld by West Virginia Supreme Court on appeal.

2005: Presenter, Georgia Bar Association/Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia "Animal Cruelty Case Investigations and Prosecutions Seminar".

2005: On-scene investigation with Charlotte/Mecklinburg (North Carolina) Animal Control on serious dog attack.

2004: On-scene investigation with Animal Control authorities, serious dog attack, Nassau County, Florida.  Adult female victim.

2004: On-scene investigation with Animal Control authorities, Jacksonville, Florida, fatal dog attack on infant. 5 week old victim.

2001-2003: Consult with and advise Jacksonville (Florida) Animal Care and Control on revisions of local Animal Control Ordinance, specifically the Dangerous Dog section.

2003: Testify before the Brevard County Animal Services Board regarding aggressive dog attack.
 

Professional organizations:

Consultant, National Canine Research Council

Member, American College of Forensic Examiners

Member, International Institute for Applied Companion Animal Behavior

National Pro-Staff, Innotek/SportDog, Pet Safe, Inc.

Member, Association of Pet Dog Trainers

Member, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants

Member, Dog Writers’ Association of America

Member, Curly-Coated Retriever Club of America

Certifications

Certified Pet Dog Trainer (2005-present)

Federal Emergency Management Agency certificate, Disaster Response/Animals in Disaster: Awareness and Preparedness, Community Planning

Federal Emergency Management Agency certificate, Livestock in Disasters

Federal Emergency Management Agency certificate, Emergency Program Manager

Federal Emergency Management Agency certificate, Disaster Mitigation

HSUS, Dog Bite Prevention for Law Enforcement

Certificate, Advanced Obedience Instructor

American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Evaluator

Certificate, "Behavior Evaluation", Puppyworks/Sue Sternberg

Certificate, "Muzzling Dangerous Dogs-Is Canine Profiling Effective", PetSmart Charities/ASPCA

American Temperament Testing Society

 

Publishing credits

Waterfowl Magazine, Spring 2000-“Rookie Weekend”

Waterfowl Magazine, Fall 2000-“Travels with Charley”

Waterfowl Magazine, January 2002-“Schoolin’”

Bird Dog and Retriever News, April/May 2002-“Pitfalls of E-collar Training”

Waterfowl Magazine, Spring 2002-“Indian River Bluebills”

Hunting Retriever Magazine, August/September 2002-“Training Plans”

Dog and Handler Magazine, August 2002-“7^th Annual Disc Dog Championship”

Waterfowl Magazine, September 2002-“Introducing your dog to Geese”

Waterfowl Magazine, October 2002-“Dogs Afloat”

Waterfowl Magazine, October 2002-“Muzzleloading for Geese”

Waterfowl Magazine, November 2002-“The Swan”

Waterfowl Magazine, Spring 2003-“On Dogs”

Florida Times Union/First Coast Community, May 20, 2003-“National Bite Prevention Week”

Florida Animal Control Association Quarterly (FACA TRAX), Fourth Quarter 2003-“No-Kill Animal Control: Nice But Unworkable” reprinted from the Florida Times Union 08/14/2003

Florida Times Union/First Coast Community, March 11, 2004-“Pet Ordinance Review”

First Coast Parent Magazine, May 2004-“Summertime Pet Safety”

Florida Times Union/First Coast Community, May 5, 2004-“Dog Bite Prevention”

Florida Animal Control Association Quarterly (FACA TRAX) 1^st Quarter, 2005-“Profile of an Attack”

Dog and Kennel Magazine, April, 2005-“Poong-san Dog of North Korea”

Journal, 2005 Animal Cruelty Case Investigations, Prosecutions and Animal Law, April 7, 2005, ICLE #-56010, "Specificity in Dog Bite Investigations: Introducing the Six-Level Bite Assessment Tool".

Journal, 2006 Animal Cruelty Case Investigations, Prosecutions and Animal Law, May 18-19, 2006, ICLE #066341, "Investigating Serious and Fatal Dog Attacks: A Suggested Protocol".

 Journal, 2007 Animals in the Law, May 17, 2007, ICLE #076576, "Anatomy of a Dog Bite".