Meet Emily — Lead Dog Trainer, Portland

Some journeys toward working with animals begin with a plan. Others begin with a feeling — a quiet understanding that connection, patience, and compassion can change lives in ways that aren’t always easy to measure. For Emily, Lead Dog Trainer at Hannah Pet Hospital’s Portland location, that journey has been shaped by dogs who guided her, mentors who believed in her, and a mission that finally felt like home.

Finding a Mission That Felt Like Home

Emily joined Hannah Pet Hospital in June 2025, drawn to a purpose that aligned deeply with her own experiences. After spending years working alongside a shelter, she had witnessed how often families faced impossible decisions because of the rising cost of veterinary care. Those moments stayed with her — not as statistics, but as stories.

“Being a pet parent is an incredible honor,” Emily says. “But it shouldn’t feel like a luxury.”

Hannah’s mission to help Pet Parents give their companions the longest, happiest lives possible felt like an extension of everything she already believed in. What resonated most was the way Hannah treats behavioral support as an integral part of wellness, recognizing that training and medicine are not separate conversations.

“Sometimes the behaviors we see are connected to something deeper — anxiety, discomfort, or medical changes. When the training Team and the medical Team work together, we can truly support the whole Pet.”

That collaborative approach allows Emily to help families not only address challenges but also understand their Pets on a deeper level — turning confusion into clarity and frustration into progress.

Speaking Dog: Building a Shared Language

At the heart of Emily’s work is communication. She believes that training is less about control and more about creating a shared language between Pets and their people.

“I love helping Members understand how their dogs think and learn. When that understanding clicks, everything changes.”

Through positive reinforcement and patient guidance, Emily helps families build trust that lasts far beyond the training space. One of her favorite skills to teach is loose-leash walking — a goal many Pet Parents share but often feel unsure how to achieve.

“There can be so much frustration on both ends of the leash. Watching that shift into calm, connected walks is incredibly meaningful.”

Emily is also deeply passionate about working with insecure, fearful, and reactive dogs. These cases require patience, empathy, and an ability to celebrate small wins — moments that might seem subtle to others but represent enormous growth.

“Seeing a dog gain confidence — even in tiny steps — is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.”

Raised by Woods, Water, and Watchful Dogs

Long before Emily stepped into professional training, animals were already shaping her world. Growing up in rural Maine, she spent her childhood surrounded by dogs who played an active role in daily life.

“Our dogs always had a way of looking out for us — leading us home when we got lost in the woods, watching my little sister near the pond, or helping carry firewood.”

Those early experiences weren’t structured lessons in training. Instead, they were quiet demonstrations of trust, instinct, and partnership. Emily learned that dogs communicate constantly — through body language, movement, and presence — long before she ever studied formal techniques.

Today, she carries those lessons into every session, encouraging Pet Parents to recognize the natural talents their dogs already possess.

“When we tap into those instincts and strengths, you can see the pride on a Pet Parent’s face. That moment never gets old.”

The Dogs Who Changed the Direction

Like many people, Emily didn’t always believe her childhood dream of working with animals could become a career. She remembers watching Free Willy as a child and feeling a spark — a desire for collaboration rather than control — but practicality eventually led her down a different path.

That dream returned through deeply personal experiences with two dogs who forever changed her life.

Her soul dog, Omar, once experienced a sudden behavioral shift that was later discovered to be caused by epilepsy. The experience reshaped Emily’s understanding of how closely behavior and health are intertwined.

“If I had Hannah back then, I truly believe we would have understood what was happening much sooner.”

After Omar’s passing, Emily began volunteering at a shelter in his honor. It was there that she met Dana, a reactive dog with severe separation anxiety who had been adopted and returned multiple times. Dana’s story was one of resilience — and it became a turning point for Emily as well.

One day, while working with Dana using a reactivity exercise called “engage-disengage,” a staff member noticed Emily’s approach and connected her with the shelter’s behavior and training manager. That moment led to mentorship, hands-on training hours, and eventually qualifying for the CPDT-KA certification.

“It’s because of Omar, Dana, and the people who believed in me at the shelter that I’m a dog trainer today.”

Dana eventually found a loving forever home, a reminder that patience and understanding can create second chances — not only for dogs, but for the people who love them.

Bread, Banjo, and a Bit of Star Trek

Outside of Hannah, Emily finds comfort in slowing down and embracing hobbies that keep her grounded. She enjoys watching Star Trek, baking bread, and learning to play the banjo — a skill she approaches with humility and curiosity.

“As someone who teaches others, it’s important for me to stay a student too. Learning something new reminds me how vulnerable the process can feel.”

That perspective shapes the empathy she brings into every training session, allowing her to meet Pet Parents where they are — without judgment, and with patience.

The Pack Waiting at Home

At home, Emily shares her life with three senior companions: Junior, an American Bulldog; Rosie, a blue nose pittie; and Kaya, a cat who prefers her independence.

“They’re all seniors now, and I’m so grateful to have Hannah’s support so they can age gracefully.”

Rosie and Junior are inseparable, while Kaya confidently charts her own path — a dynamic Emily embraces with humor and respect. Watching her own Pets grow older has deepened her understanding of the emotional journey Members experience, reinforcing the importance of compassionate, lifelong care.

For Emily, dog training isn’t about perfection — it’s about connection.

“When we help a dog feel understood and a Pet Parent feel hopeful, that’s when everything starts to change.”

At Hannah Pet Hospital, it’s the humans behind the care who make the difference — and Emily’s story is a reminder that sometimes the most powerful transformations begin with a single moment of understanding.