Angela serves as the Intake/Adoption Coordinator for Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue and is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She has been a Board member and officer for over ten years with The New England Federation of Humane Societies. She is a member of the Especially for Pets Dog Training Academy Development Team and teaches in Sudbury.

Christine believes that training is the necessary foundation to a lifelong relationship with one’s dog. It helps strengthen the bond between families and their canine. Christine’s passion is sharing the positive, therapeutic qualities a pet can have on human life. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Pets and People Foundation and is involved in demonstrating Therapy Dog techniques for prospective volunteers. Christine also serves as Secretary and Administrative Assistant. In 2007, The Pets and People Foundation honored Christine with the Lollipop Award for outstanding service. Christine, her three therapy dogs and one retired therapy cat that have made over 375 Pet Therapy visits. In her free time, Christine enjoys working her dogs in agility and freestyle. She believes in consistency and patience in training and believes that training your dog should be fun. Christine feels it is very rewarding to see an owner and a dog bond during her classes. She currently owns an adopted mixed breed and two adopted Standard Poodles. Christine teaches in Acton and Westborough.

Dave has an extensive background in canine rescue, search and rescue and canine law enforcement. He has over 18 years of experience in helping families and dogs enjoy a long and safe life together. Dave’s extensive background also includes working with New England Akita Rescue and training family pet dogs. He has trained at the national and international level, as well as provided resident training services. Dave teaches in Wayland and Canton.

Gail has been training and certifying detection dogs since 1992. She is the head trainer of the Massachusetts Rescue & Recovery K9 Unit, a canine search and rescue (SAR) organization that operates in Massachusetts. She is a Canine Search Specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), Massachusetts Task Force 1. Over the course of her SAR career, Gail has certified three dogs to the highest levels in their respective fields and is the only Certified K9 Nose Work Instructor in the New England area. At the first Official Nose Work 1 Trial held in Massachusetts, six out of the eleven canine teams that titled the first day were students with whom Gail extensively worked and the three highest scoring dogs at that Trial were taught by Gail. Gail teaches K9 Nose Work in Sudbury.

Janice has been training dogs as great family pets and as competition participants for 17 years. She co-founded German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc. (GSRNE) and ran their foster home program for over a decade. With that experience, Janice has practical solutions for behavior issues to offer the busy pet owner and family, and she fully understands rescue dog issues. Janice has qualified for national level competition with her German Shepherds in two different sports. She is currently training her Belgian Malinois puppy for competition obedience, agility, and scent detection work. Janice teaches in Westborough.

Kate is a lifelong dog owner, with over ten years experience as a professional dog trainer. She completed course work in animal behavior and training and has apprenticed with behavioral specialists and trainers. She is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and a board member of the Charles River Dog Training Club. Kate’s experience as a former mobility instructor for visually impaired individuals, some of whom had additional special needs, strengthens her skills in dog training. Kate owns Fat-Coated Retrievers who are titled in the areas of obedience, conformation and field. Kate’s goal is to train people to train their dogs. Kate teaches in Sudbury and Acton.

Leslie has been with Especially for Pets since 1994. During this time, she has created and implemented a number of the educational programs offered at Especially for Pets. She is Especially for Pets' Obedience Manager and also helps to develop a variety of special, community based projects and events. Leslie states that "working for Especially for Pets has been a pleasure and a privilege.” She feels that the company culture truly respects and encourages each employee bring their particular talents and interests to the table. As a result “this is why Especially for Pets is an industry leader in the retail sector and more importantly, a large contributor to humane and animal awareness."Leslie’s personal canine passion is being a volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), which is a nationwide, non-profit organization that provides assistance dogs to people with disabilities, other than blindness. She has served as President for CCI's New England volunteer group. Currently, she is the Volunteer Trainer for New England-based puppy raisers. As volunteer puppy raisers, Leslie and her family train, socialize, care for and love one of these special puppies for the first 18 months of his life.  After this, the puppy enters advanced training with the goal of graduating and being placed with a disabled person.  Leslie has had the honor of raising five puppies for CCI; Lively, Zillah, Enzi, Titan and now Bogie.

Lisa is a top ranked, national competitor in the sport of Obedience and has earned several perfect scores. She has a degree in animal behavior and has worked as a veterinary technician for eleven years. Lisa has been teaching pet and competition classes for almost 30 years. She currently teaches pet and competitive classes at the Dog Training Academy in Sudbury and is a member of the Especially for Pets Dog Training Academy Development Team.

Marita is a certified AKC CGC® Approved Evaluator and has worked with dogs in various capacities for over 13 years. She grew up with German Shepherds and is currently excitedly awaiting a new Australian Shepherd puppy with whom she plans to compete in agility and canine freestyle. Marita focuses on positive reinforcement training and loves to problem-solve and help owners better communicate with their canine companions. Marita teaches in Canton and Newton.

Martha is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) and a professional member of The Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Her goal is to teach families how to communicate and develop a trusting relationship between canine and human. She likes to see her students leave class with a firm foundation in basic good manners. Martha is a trainer in the inmate prison program for New England Assistance Dogs (NEADS). She works with inmate puppy raisers at a local prison as they raise puppies to become service dogs. She is also Director of Training for ARFF Agility Club.  Martha’s rescued mixed breed dog and her young Brittany compete in agility, conformation, tracking, and obedience; they hold many titles and championships. Both dogs have their AKC Canine Good Citizen certificates and also serve as therapy dogs through Therapy Dogs International. Martha teaches in Newton.

Robin has been a volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) since 1996 and has raised twelve puppies. Robin trains with a fair and consistent methodology that encourages owners to have great expectations of their canines while having fun. She facilitates a positive but not permissive relationship between owner and pup as she demonstrates how to 'think dog'. Robin’s leadership and training techniques work to foster good manners both at home and in public. Knowing puppies and their phases of development, her goal is to assist owners in achieving a relationship that they're proud of and raising a happy dog. Robin teaches in Canton.

Sheila has been training dogs professionally for over seven years. Growing up in Iowa taught her to believe that integrating your pets into your lifestyle makes for the most successful relationship. She currently has two dogs—Kismet, a German Shepherd, and Karma, a German Shepherd mix. Kismet is a certified Therapy Dog and has titled in Rally. Sheila teaches in Medway and Westborough.

Sheryl is a professional dog trainer who is certified through Karen Pryor Academy and Animal Behavior College. She is a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). A lifelong dog lover, Sheryl has won AKC Conformation titles with her Portuguese water dogs, and one point, bred them. Temperament testing and socializing her own litter of puppies kick-started her interest in how one raises the most confident and well-adjusted dogs possible. She uses reward-based training to help owners turn their dogs and puppies into polite and friendly companions. Sheryl teaches in Medway and Westborough.