We're in time-out!
In 2021, Learn from the comfort of your living room.
Our Speakers
Karen B. London, Ph.D.
Title: Treat Everyone Like a dog: The Magic of Using Dog Training Techniques on People
Biography:
Karen B. London, PhD, is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist who specializes in working with dogs with serious behavioral problems, especially aggression. She began working professionally with dogs in 1997, and has spent years working with clients in one-on-one consultations, teaching group classes, and giving seminars about dog training and canine ethology for trainers, veterinary and shelter staff, and the public.
Karen received her BS in Biology from UCLA and her PhD in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied the defensive behavior of neotropical social wasps, and a nesting association between two species of wasps. (She has embraced the change to becoming a dog behaviorist and trainer as dogs are easier to work with and less aggressive than the wasps she knows and loves.) Her research and scholarly publications cover such diverse topics as interactions between species that live together, defensive and aggressive behavior, evolution of social behavior, communication within and between species, learning, and parental investment.
She is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University, where she has enjoyed teaching tropical ecology and conservation field courses in Nicaragua and in Costa Rica. She also teaches a freshman class about the importance of insects to society called “Sex, Bugs, and Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
She writes for TheBark.com, writes the animal column for the Arizona Daily Sun, and is the author of six books about canine training and behavior. Her most recent book is Treat Everyone Like a Dog: How a Dog Trainer’s World View Can Improve Your Life.
Instagram: @Karen.London.Dog.Behavior
Julie Squires
Title: How to Boost Resiliency During Challenging Times
Biography:
Julie Squires is a Compassion Fatigue Specialist and Certified Life Coach who brings a unique perspective and approach to support the sustained energy and passion of those that work with and for animals in the emotionally challenging fields of veterinary medicine, animal welfare, lab animal research, animal advocacy and conservation/environmentalism. She does this in a very distinct way, by empowering them to help themselves through easy-to-implement yet powerful tools that allow them to see that they have much more control over their emotional lives than they realize.
Julie’s approach is a direct response to a need she’s identified over the years, through a rare blend of work experience within the veterinary industry. From the oversight of organizational training and coaching with Nestlé Purina to direct experience as a veterinary technician and hospital administrator, Julie believes that the costly impact of compassion fatigue – the wellbeing and sustainability of both the individual and organization is both avoidable and reversible.
Julie has over twenty-five years of experience within leading organizations, developing and executing training, workshops and 1:1 coaching most notably for Nestlé Purina, Bayer Animal Health and IDEXX Laboratories. She is a graduate of SUNY Oswego and a Certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist through The Traumatology Institute. Julie’s approach is unique in that she offers insight and tools to achieve maximum emotional health and wellbeing as a Certified Life Coach.
Mark Cushing
Title: Pet Nation During and After COVID: Opportunities Everywhere
Biography:
Mark Cushing is the founding partner and CEO of the Animal Policy Group and a Stanford honors graduate. He acts as Trustees Counsel for Lincoln Memorial University and has served as adjunct faculty and lecturer at Lincoln Memorial University, Lewis & Clark College, and the University of Oregon law school. He has the unique job of advancing causes related to pets.
Mark Cushing is the author of PET NATION: The Love Affair That Changed America
How did America become a nation of adoring pet owners with dogs and cats everywhere?
That’s the mystery that piqued the curiosity of Mark Cushing, the founding partner, and CEO of the Animal Policy Group.
His book PET NATION: The Love Affair That Changed America (Avery, September 8, 2020) tells the remarkable story of the economic, media, legal, political, and social dramas springing from this cultural transformation.
Since 1998 the pet population in the U.S. has almost doubled—over two-thirds of the country now own a pet. No longer left to wander the neighborhood, dogs and cats eat “gourmet” food, get individualized medical attention, show up in public and at work, and even fly in the cabin. This year, they’ve provided intimate company during social distancing, and common ground with pet owners of the opposite political persuasion despite election season tensions. Many owners now consider pets family members. It wasn’t always this way. How did we get here?
In PET NATION, Cushing uncovers the answers in surprising stories that range from Pope Francis I’s confounding take on animals and the history behind Marie Antoinette’s beloved dog Coco, to Jiffpom’s current Instagram success.
Throughout PET NATION you will:
- Come to understand how the internet and other forces changed how pets are acquired.
- Understand the human-animal bond and examine the realities about pet healthcare.
- Learn how pet rights legislation works, appreciate the links between animal and domestic abuse, and the unforeseen problems that come with elevating the legal status of pets.
- Discover the truth about today’s dog shortage, and the societal and economic implications.
- Learn how pets are the great unifier at a time when America’s more divided than ever.
What do all these trends add up to? By exploring the history of pet ownership and its acceleration in the last two decades, PET NATION helps us understand the evolution of American society and psyche today and the implications for tomorrow.
The Dog Guys
Title: How to Offer or Maximize Dog Training in the Wake of Covid
Description: What does a $50,000/month dog training program look like? How can I take advantage of all these new pandemic puppies that need training? Learn from some of the best the do's and do not's in setting up or improving upon a dog training program. Avoid many of the mistakes and headaches that facility owners make when offering dog training solutions.
Biography:
Jason Davis is a dog training and pet care expert. Since 2002, he has taught thousands of people how to build healthier relationships with dogs.
He established The Dog Guy training solutions and transitioned from an independent operation at his home to co-founding the Folsom Dog Resort and Training Center in 2008.
By 2016, the Folsom Dog Resort training program was servicing more than 460 dogs in a year and generating revenue reaching nearly three-quarters of a million dollars. Together with his partner, Jason worked with other pet care facilities to create their own successful dog training program or fine tune existing ones.
After selling the Folsom Dog Resort in 2016, Jason has continued to consult with pet care and training facilities across the country.
>>>>>>>>>
Tucker Williams is a professional dog trainer and an owner-operator of Reynolds Dog Resort in Oregon. Tucker graduated from Brigham Young University in 2017 with a degree in business management and an emphasis in marketing.
In 2018, Tucker worked with a successful dog trainer out of California named Jason Davis to launch a very successful dog training program for Reynolds.
Tucker currently provides instruction and oversight for all dog training efforts within Reynolds Dog Resort's three locations and consults alongside Jason Davis to help other facilities implement dog training programs.
Mallory Poirier and Dan Poirier
Title: Company Culture
Biography:
Our names are Dan & Mallory Poirier. We are cousins, business partners, and owners of the largest dog daycare in Buffalo, NY. At Fetch n’ Catch, we employ 30 team members. We maintain an average employee turnover ratio of less than 8% annually, 142 points less than the 150% industry average. We foster a strong culture of teamwork, positivity, and success.
Mallory & Dan are also the founding partners of Core Culture Consulting Group, a pet-industry consulting firm, which educates and consults with other pet facilities across the U.S. and Canada. They frequently travel around the country, teaching other pet businesses about safe dog handling, culture building, facility operation, and best practices for dogs and humans alike. They have spoken to audiences of 25 to 200 at several national pet-industry conferences, in an effort to raise standards across the industry. Dan and Mallory are Professional Certified Animal Care Providers, by the Professional Animal Care Certification Council. They were the first two individuals in New York State with this distinction.
Mallory’s desire to work with animals became a reality when she turned 18 years old. After moving to Detroit, she worked as a veterinary technician at Thomson Animal Hospital. After two years, she returned to her hometown of Buffalo, NY, and worked as a veterinary assistant at Brighton Eggert Animal Clinic. Mallory is also a Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator. In her free time, she enjoys skydiving, cooking, traveling, hatching throwing, and spoiling her Miniature Schnauzer, Quinn. She also shares her home with her boyfriend Karl and two cats- Chuck & Nora.
Dan has a bachelors degree in Marketing Management from the University of Akron. He currently holds a second-degree black belt and was a professional Tae Kwon Do instructor for over 6 years. Dan is a proud recipient of the Buffalo Business First 30 under 30 award. Dan has loved animals for as long as he can remember. He and his wife Christina share their mini farm in Elma, NY, with a French Bulldog named Caesar, cat Dora, Elvis the pig, two goats named Jerry & Elaine, and chickens. In his free time, Dan enjoys reading, golfing, target shooting, and traveling.
Phillip Paris
Title: The Customer isn't always Right: A common sense, yet humorous approach to customer service.
Biography:
Phillip Paris is the owner of Ponderosa Pet Resort located in Georgetown, TX. He is also the founder of Phillip Paris Consultants, a pet industry consulting & coaching firm. He started his career as a long-time Police K-9 Handler and Head Trainer and served as a police officer for 17 years prior to entering the private pet care industry.
Through his time of managing his pet resort, Phillip has learned many valuable principles and lessons that he shares with people all over the U.S. His passion is helping businesses understand the industry, increase revenue, manage payroll, implement excellent customer service systems, empower owners to make big shifts in their businesses, and to help modernize the pet care industry through innovative and creative methods.
Phillip resides in Georgetown, Texas with his wife, 2 children and a dog named Hank. In his time off, Phillip enjoys boating, watching his kids play sports and flying airplanes!
Sherry Acanfora-Ruohomaki
Title: Plan Now or Panic Later
Description: Plan now or Panic later: Being prepared is vital to all businesses but especially for those that work with living creatures. Determining what classifies as an emergency to you and your business as well as how to plan a course of action for the emergency is important but can seem daunting. This session will go over an outline to help walk you through determining what you should plan for in addition to the most common thought of emergency (fire) and how to work around any obstacles to ensure you have a plan that works for you.
Biography:
President/Owner, K9 Kampus & Facets Consulting Group
Sherry’s companies represent her unique ability to uncover gaps and then build businesses that deliver unparalleled service to fill marketplace needs. K9 Kampus, a luxury Dog Daycare & Boarding Facility here in Melbourne Florida, is one of her unique approaches that expands traditional pet daycare, boarding and grooming services to encompass agility and training in a spotless, safe, and secure environment. Facets Consulting Group provides expertise in technology start-ups, lean manufacturing principles, business development, and organizational health.
Sherry’s background includes B.S. degrees in both Computer and Electrical Engineering, an M.S in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Florida Tech, and an Executive MBA from the University of Central Florida. Sherry was the Director of Operations for Florida TechStart on the campus of Florida Tech, a technology accelerator funded by a 2 year grant from the National Science Foundation in collaboration with UCF’s highly successful Technology Incubator. As owner of Facets Consulting Group she specializes in programs for Effective & Efficient communication skills in the workplace and conflict resolution and has developed her own programs for Corporate Organizational Health. Sherry co-founded XL TechGroup, focused on technology innovation & company creation. She also worked in Silicon Valley California for LifeScan a Division of Johnson & Johnson and Electronics for Imaging as Manager of Manufacturing & Quality Engineering.
Sherry is the recipient of the 2016 Small Business Administration’s Business Person of the Year for the State of Florida and for the South Florida District and the 2014 Small Business Administration’s Women owned Business Person of the year for the South Florida District. Sherry was awarded the Space Coast Business Bernie Simpkins Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2016. Sherry has also been a Top Ten Nominee for the Bright House Regional Business Awards for 2015 and 2016 and been nominated for the Melbourne Regional Chamber of Commerce Women of Excellence award in 2014 and 2016. Sherry received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Psychology & Liberal Arts from Florida Institute of Technology in 2019. Sherry also volunteers as a mentor/facilitator in the Ignite Program hosted by WeVenture on the campus of Florida Tech. Sherry serves as the Vice President on the FIT Alumni Board of Directors and is Chairmen of the Board of Directors for the No Limits Academy a not-for-profit school for children with brain and spinal injuries.
Sherry is married to Davin Ruohomaki who is the Senior Director of planning, engineering & construction at the Orlando International & Executive Airports. They have a beautiful 9 year old daughter Isabella who is a blossoming equestrian and also loves soccer. Prior to receiving her engineering degrees Sherry was a crew member and mechanic for a Professional Pro Stock Drag Racing Team and enjoyed bracket racing in Englishtown New Jersey with her own car that she still owns today. Sherry is Black Belt in Karate and was a fitness instructor for 17 years. The Ruohomaki family has been made complete with their dog Tootsie and their 2 bunnies Pizzaz and Finito.
Panel: Melissa Babich, Robin Fox, Therese Morin
Title: You're thinking it's time to sell. Now what?
Description: Learn from former ODDS who have sold their businesses.
Panel: Liz Blondy, Melissa Giannone, Eve Molzhon
Title: Pandemic Puppies
Description: Our panelists will share strategies on how they have added puppy daycare and training programs, solicited vet referrals, and how they’ve had to adjust to meet the needs of puppies during a pandemic.