I am an ordained inter-faith, inter-species Animal Chaplain.

I have felt deeply connected to, curious about, and inspired by animals my entire life. And this passion has led me through a varied career working with and for animals, and the people who love them. I have worked in veterinary clinics, doggy daycares, grooming salons, on the history of dogs with the American Kennel Club, and in animal welfare.

Most notably, I worked for over 12 years at a large, non-profit animal shelter in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I started as an Adoptions Advisor, but my special interest in better understanding and benefitting the human+animal bond led me into Humane Education and animal behavior. I started the shelter’s first stand-alone education department, and worked afterhours as a dog trainer. Over time, I became the leader of many varied areas within the shelter, including Volunteer Management, Outreach, Adoptions, and public Training services. I worked supporting staff and teaching members of the public about animal care through many wild ups and downs (which are typical in animal welfare). Through that, I became very interested in what support I and my team most needed to really thrive in this challenging work. I learned a lot about practical self-care and protecting ourselves as caregivers.

Throughout that time, I also learned so much from my own animal companions: our family of dogs and cats, plus the many foster animals who rested briefly at our home as part of their journey. From my own animals, I learned intimately about the ecstatic daily joys brought about by our deep bonds, and the crushing lows of losing someone I loved so dearly. Their lessons and love only inspired me to learn more in order to help others experience the magic of a deep connection with animals.  

In 2021, I left the shelter to start my own animal training business, Quest Companion Dog Training, where I use my knowledge of bond-centered human+animal relationships to teach canine caregivers to communicate compassionately and effectively with their dogs. And in 2022, I came across the Animal Chaplaincy training opportunity with Compassion Consortium and knew I found something significant and deeply meaningful to move towards.

As a Chaplain, I specialize in helping animal caregivers through some of the hardest steps of our journey with our companions: their movement towards death, and our grief after their passing.

I also wish to support other animal professionals to connect with their work in a way that reignites a sense of meaning and joy, and insulates us from the feelings of burn-out, emotional distress, and compassion fatigue that can end our careers and even our healthy experience of life outside of work.

As a professional animal trainer, I am deeply dedicated to science, which helps us understand so much of the beauty of our world. But I am also dedicated to acknowledging our experience of the “transrational,” the Mystery which our human knowledge cannot yet describe, but that we innately feel and desire connection to. Bringing these two worlds together has benefitted me so much over the years, and I hope I can make my experience beneficial to you as you move through your own journey.