Hello, I'm Eileen! Dogs have fascinated me for as long as I can remember. While other kids ran to the toy store in the mall, I bee-lined to the newsstand to procure the latest edition of Dog World, culminating in, much to my family’s annoyance, proclaiming the breed of every dog we saw for weeks following.
While working in the corporate world of NYC, I volunteered at the local animal shelter, assisted dog trainers with their classes, and trained dogs to become therapy dogs. I was a regular visitor with my soulmate therapy dog, Daphne, at a psychiatric unit of a large hospital in Brooklyn, NY.
After moving to Richmond and working in animal shelters, a boarding facility, and a veterinary clinic, I pursued my first love— training and behavior. Graduating with honors in 2016 from Jean Donaldson’s Academy for Dog Trainers and earning the title Certified Trainer and Counselor (CTC) was life-changing. I now train dogs full time as I endeavor to help dogs be dogs in a human’s’ world. Using compassionate training techniques based in the science of learning, I can help dogs and their people with basic manners, leash-walking problems, housetraining, fear, aggression, and many other behavioral issues.
I share my life with my dog Willow who thinks she’s a cat, and my cat Kurt who thinks he’s a dog. Gardening, cooking, and crafting are some of my favorite hobbies, along with photographing old cemeteries and reading a good mystery novel.