Meet our Trainers:

Jessica Davis: Jessica started doing agility approximately 9 years ago. Little did she know that just taking one class would start her addiction to this dog sport. She didn’t take her first agility class because she wanted to compete in agility. Jessica actually started because it was a last resort for her reactive aggressive dog, Boomer. Happily she can say that Boomer is just a shadow of his former (reactive) self.

Seeing what a difference agility made in the quality of Boomer’s life lead her to pursue competing and teaching. Jessica now has 3 active competition dogs( Boomer, Margo and Gracie) and 2 more up and coming stars in training. Her dogs have titled in multiple agility venues, earned their Canine Good Citizens and herding titles. Agility is an ever-evolving sport and she continually educates herself on different training techniques and methods.

Agility first and foremost should be a fun positive rewarding experience. Remember though, all dogs are not created equal, but through positive and rewarding training, progress can be made! Her philosophy is: “If you aren’t having fun, neither is your dog!”

Meredith Lunn, CDBC: A Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (iaabc.org), Meredith has been an instructor and behavior consultant at the Upper Valley Humane Society Training Center since it opened in 2002.

She teaches all levels of skills classes as well as several specialty classes. The main focus of her behavior consultations is working with reactive dogs. She also works with shelter dogs to help them be great family pets in their new homes. Her goal is always to improve the relationship between dog and guardian.

She has experience working with a wide variety of dog breeds, but has worked extensively with small breeds, Great Danes and Australian Shepherds. She has owned and raised Aussies for 25 years under the Tricorn Acres kennel name (tricornacres.com), and has interest in conformation, agility and Rally-O.

The Behavior Editor for the Australian Shepherd Journal, the national breed club magazine for the United States Australian Shepherd Association, her bi-monthly column has earned the Maxwell Award from the Dog Writers Association of America. She is an American Kennel Club registered evaluator for its Canine Good Citizen program.

Meredith and her husband John enjoy an active life trying to keep up with work, their Australian Shepherds, two adult children and three grandsons.

Charlene Swainamer: Charlene has been involved with dog training for 20 years. After beginning at UVHS as a volunteer in 2002, Charlene progressed to teaching training classes at the Training Center and became a certified evaluator for Therapy Dog International (TDI) and the AKC program Canine Good Citizen (CGC).  Charlene is heavily involved in therapy dog work herself with her own former UVHS shelter dog, Olivia, who has just been named the 2006 Mid-Vermont and Mid-New Hampshire Red Cross Volunteer Pet of the Year in recognition of Charlene and Olivia¹s incredible contributions to the community.  Olivia and Charlene participate in UVHS¹s Paws to Read Program, visit schools and health care facilities, and provide community outreach and humane education at UVHS events.  

Charlene shares her life with four miniature Schnauzers, a Pug, a Golden Retriever, and five cats.

Meet our Training Assistants:

Mary Cantlin: Mary came to UVHS, as a stray looking for canine friends, in the summer of 2008. Understanding that she was a "softie" and would want to adopt all the animals at the shelter Mary opted for volunteering at the Training Center.

Mary is interested in learning positive reinforcement training methods and about the differences in canine and human communication. Her long term goal is to become a certified dog trainer.

Mary lives with four animal companions: a mixed breed dog named Jovi; two stray cats who decided to move in to her home, Zephyr and Napoleon; and a Beta fish named Fins who "winters over" in the warmer environment at her home.

Susanne Collins: Susanne started volunteering at UVHS with the dogs at the Animal Care Center and took them to Shelter Dog Classes. She desperately wanted a dog in her life but knew she wasn't ready. Instead, she decided to learn as much as she could about raising a dog before making that lifetime commitment. It was a good plan. The Shelter Dog Classes taught her how to work with a dog using positive reinforcement methods. She loved the sense of communication that went on between a handler and dog. Shortly after, Kipper, a sweet and oh so mellow Lahsa Apso, sauntered into her life. Kipper and Susanne took classes at UVHS until he became a TDI certified therapy dog. He brings his Kipper Magic to Pediatrics at DHMC every month.

It was time to add a second dog to her family. So Piper, another Lhasa Apso, arrived. Independent and sassy? That would be Piper. She took all sorts of classes at UVHS including Canine Good Citizen (she passed and is also a TDI certified therapy dog) and Rally-O.

Susanne was having so much fun working with her Lhasas that when she was invited to assist in training classes she jumped at the chance. What could be more fun than a Sunday afternoon full of crazy doggy antics? How about a third dog in the family? Tucker, a very responsive Shetland Sheepdog puppy is her dog-sports-partner-in-training. With the help of the UVHS, they are going to explore the worlds of Rally-O and agility together.