Ever since I was a little girl, I longed for any kind of animal connection. I went to every dog owner I saw to ask very politely, “Excuse me, may I pet your dog?” For every single birthday, special event, or after passing any dog, I begged my mom for a puppy of my own. Like a broken record my mom would answer, “Yes! When you are old enough and able to take care one by yourself in your own apartment.” Translation: No puppy. I would respond, “What about a Kitty? Hamster? Llama?” No. No. No. I wanted any kind of animal at all and I was relentless about making my wishes known.

I needed another outlet for my insatiable desire to be around animals. At 12 years old, I began pet sitting, and volunteering at the San Francisco Zoo and the SPCA.  I developed a hard work ethic and foundation for animal training, handling, and husbandry. I was thrilled to soak up as much information as I could. At home, we did get mice, hamsters, fish, and a snake. In college, I eventually moved into a house with two boxers. Rather than relieving my longing, this propelled me toward becoming a full-time animal professional.

By trying on many different roles, I learned early on that animal training was my professional niche. I believed becoming a zookeeper was the best way to do it.  I went to UC San Diego to study Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution with a minor in Psychology.  Hungry for practical knowledge, I worked with the Suisun Wildlife Center, the Carnivore Department at the Houston Zoo, and the Living Coast Discovery Center. In 2014, I landed what I believed to be my dream job, an internship at the San Francisco Zoo’s Animal Resource Center.

I had pushed myself for so long to become a zookeeper it surprised me that something was not quite right. As a keeper, I had trouble staying motivated. I reached out to a friend to ask, “How do you stay engaged at the Zoo when everything is so similar day after day?” He told me, “It’s easy for me! The moment I see the giraffes, I know there is nowhere else I could be.” Listening to him, I understood that I did not feel that same way about any of the animals at the zoo. So, I decided to stop romanticizing my role as a zookeeper and started working with my favorite animal of all time. Dogs.

I started working with puppies in SF Puppy Prep’s Dayschool program. The transition from training exotic animals to training dogs was seamless. The fundamentals of training are the same across species with a major difference that dogs are genetically formatted to learn from humans. This trait is very unlike a bird of prey who you never completely trust not to aim a talon at your face. With dogs, less safety management means a lot more human collaboration.

Humans and dogs are both very social species and form strong bonds to one another. While training, we constantly set up achievable challenges for our dogs to accomplish. By rewarding these achievements, we build confidence, trust, and love for one another. A dog’s happiness after a job well done is positively contagious! This shared repetition of success is the reason that I am so eager to come to work every day.

After over a year of training indoors, I joined the Outdoor Education program to work with puppies all across the city. This program has allowed me to grow and use my animal training knowledge to its fullest potential. I could not be more pleased to be learning and working alongside this great team.