Emma Smith

I began working with dogs when I started as a receptionist at a doggy daycare. I quickly fell in love with the atmosphere but learned that there were other areas of animal welfare that needed me. I found a job at my local animal shelter and really found my passion for the dogs that needed a little extra attention. I would ensure time in my day to work with my "project dogs", whether or not that meant coming in early or working late. Eventually I realized this was something I wanted to really focus on, so I enrolled in Starmark Academy's Canine Training and Behavior Specialist course. After graduating from the 4 month course, I returned back to my local animal shelter to be their full time trainer. I was able to offer so much to both the community and our shelter dogs; group classes, private lessons, behavior consults, personalized training, workshops for our volunteers and fosters, and more. When I decided to make the change to Best Friends, I was excited for the opportunities to learn and grow from the behavior team. I was also excited to work with the unique population of dogs that live at the Sanctuary. My experience at Best Friends has helped me widen my tool belt, I've learned how to train dogs in a completely different way than I originally did. While that has been a challenge to master, it has given me many different skills to apply to my training. I look forward to all of the ways I will continue to learn, grow, and mature in my training journey.