Trainer

Roberta Guertin, CPDT-KA

Roberta Guertin began as an AWS volunteer in 2010 and came on board as an animal care technician in 2015. Her interest in dog training started at home with her fearful shih-tzu and grew throughout her time at AWS. She…

Laura DesMarais, CPDT-KA

Laura Desmarais started her dog training career as a student of the Animal Behavior College program. In 2020 she spent time job shadowing AWS trainers as a volunteer and within no time, she was teaching classes of her own. Laura…

Brenda Horowitz, CPDT-KA

Brenda Horowitz decided to become a trainer after adopting a reactive dog. Through his training process, she became intrigued with how dogs learn. She worked with and learned from many remarkable trainers until she decided to pursue a career in…

Melissa McCue-McGrath, CPDT-KA

Melissa McCue-McGrath is a dog trainer, behavior consultant, presenter, and author. She earned her dog training certification through CCPDT in 2008 and has been working with dogs in sports, manners, and behavior since 2005. She served as the co-training director…

Kim VanSickle, CPDT-KA

Kim VanSickle has been a canine training professional for 30 years and has has seen the profession grow significantly, becoming more science-based. Her career began after earning her Associate of Science degree (AAS) from UNH. She first worked training police…

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Jackie the guinea pig and his friend Chelsea want you to know that they're Team #awsdog! Just like guinea pigs, dogs love to cuddle and therefore, they deserve the crown. However, those pesky cats remain ahead of the competition! Help Team #awsdog win by donating now! Follow our LinkTree right to the Giving Tuesday page. Woof!
Giving Tuesday is just getting started and Team #awscat is already ahead! If you're a feline fan like our teammate Jesse here, donate to Team #awscat to help them keep the lead!
Team #awsdog is kicking off Giving Tuesday with a little love from Tahoe and his human friend, Sam. When it comes to the question 'which pet is the Coziest Companion: Cats or Canines?', Tahoe and Sam are here to say Team #awsdog all the way!!

If you feel the same, donate to the cause and help canines everywhere win the day!
The cats and dogs at AWS are ready for another friendly competition this Giving Tuesday on November, 28! Who will win?This year's competition centers around which species is the Coziest Companion: Cats or Canines? Throughout the day on Giving Tuesday, follow along on our social media pages as the pets and people of AWS try to convince you which of their favorite species deserves your support as the coziest, cuddliest animal. 

Remember, the team who raises the most funds on Tuesday will be crowned this year’s Giving Tuesday winner. Most importantly, all funds raised in this friendly competition support pet care here at AWS. We look forward to seeing which pet comes out on top as the coziest companion! 

(psst! You can help your favorite team get ahead by donating early on our website. Just follow the link tree in our profile to the Giving Tuesday page!)