I am the first Applied Behaviorist to earn a Master’s of Science degree at Simmons College in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with an animal specialty, and I am a BCBA (Board-Certified Behavior Analyst). Currently, I am doctoral candidate in ABA at Simmons, as well as an adjunct professor in the Master's Program in Behavior Analysis. My undergraduate degree is from Lesley University, where my major was Intercultural Communication. I like to think my degrees give me a special ability to communicate the science of behavior to humans; this is my passion, and I love to teach it. I have been training dogs as a hobby and professionally for 10 years, gaining insight by starting with a recalcitrant-appearing bull terrier named Fanny with whom I wanted to do Agility. (Her behavior was not unlike a country star at a Nashville “meet and greet,” running out of the Agility ring to greet every canine and human within 5 feet of the ring... not a good way to score points towards Agility titles.) Traditional correction-based methods did not have the wanted effect, nor did feeding her massive amounts of treats. It wasn’t until I met Brenda Buja, behavior maven and nationally-ranked Agility competitor (with her Staffy bull, Stella), who reintroduced me to the science of behavior and how it could be applied for desired results. The results? Fanny was the top AKC Agility bull terrier 2005 and 2006, and was invited to the AKC Agility Invitationals, in Long Beach, California, where she made a respectable showing, garnering a clean run and a LOT of applause at the Awards Banquet. Fanny has also earned a Rally Obedience title, two legs towards an Obedience CD, and was only the second bull terrier to earn a Versatility Award from the Bull Terrier Club of America without a breed championship. I owe her a lot. At age 11, Fanny is retired from Agility, and her only jumps are on the couch to snuggle and nap. In the you-learn-most-from-your-own-dogs department, my husband and I also own rescue bull terrier, Pepper, a dog we fostered for our breed Club, and kept when my husband and Pepper became close, apparently inseparable, pals. From a combination of bad breeding, previous harsh training methods, and being badly bitten by other dogs, Pepper's fearfulness made her reactive towards other humans and other dogs. Working with Pamela Dennison and Emma Parsons, I learned the art of desensitization and counter-conditioning aggressive dogs. I continue to work with dog aggression, daily. My youngest bull terrier, Radio, earned his Canine Good Citizen Award at age 8 months, and has been my introduction to the world of breed conformation; he is a breed champion, an showing him in the breed ring taught me a lot. I used to scoff at breed handlers. “How hard can it be?” I scoffed. “They can use food and toys to keep their dogs’ attention in the ring!.” (Unlike Agility and Obedience, where you must carry nothing but the smile on your face.) Once I started showing this young male dog, I realized the challenge- there are other DOGS in the ring, very close – and distracting- to yours! Radio has since moved onto the new canine sport of "Nosework," a fun sport born of K-9 scent discrimination. He is the second bull terrier to be certified by the National Association of Canine Nosework. (This means he is trained to detect a discrete odor- on a q-tip- in various locations.) Radio has also been the subject of stimulus equivalence research for which I have been awarded two Marian Breland Bailey Awards from the Applied Animal Behavior Special Interest Group of the Association of Applied Behavior Analysis International. Since 2006, I have been the Training Coordinator at the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), in Boston, MA, where I teach and supervise a very successful training program for pet dogs, provide staff enrichment, train Shelter dogs and their new owners, and help to assess surrendered dogs for the best placement. I also created a wildly popular and successful volunteer program at the MSPCA that is based on a Behavior Analytic curriculum. Called "Safewalk," it has enriched the lives of hundreds of dogs and humans in its two years of existence. Outside of the MSPCA, I have a private behavioral practice and work with pet owners and their animals in their homes. Having completed my Ph.D. coursework, I am in the process of running subjects for my dissertation, which entails creating a valid tool to assess the function of animal behavior. My academic interests have focused on stimulus equivalence in dogs, using prompt delays to transfer stimulus control, and functional analysis of problem dog behavior. My passion is teaching behavior analysis to humans; this helps all species to get along.