Lisa Berkenstock BS, CVT, CPDT-KA
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Lisa Berkenstock, owner of My Pet's Teacher, is an animal professional with over 30 years of professional experience. She holds a BS in biology from Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture, and is also a licensed veterinary technician. She has also taken courses at Purdue University in the diagnosis and treatment of animals with behavior problems, and principles and techniques of behavior modification for domestic pets. She has worked both as a humane educator for the PSPCA and also at the Philadelphia Zoo. Lisa is affiliated with the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians (SVBT) and is a state representative for them. She is also an adjunct professor at Manor College, teaching a “Breeds and Behavior” class where she educates the next generation of veterinary technicians.
Lisa is skilled in behavior modification and training for both canines and felines. She continues professional development regularly, and enjoys learning as much as she can about the species with which she works. Lisa is committed to improving the relationship between people and their pets and educating the public on animal-friendly methods. Lisa and her husband and five children share their home with a menagerie of rescue animals. She is an expert in managing a multi-pet household, and is extremely knowledgeable about the relationships and interactions between people and their pets. |
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Dana Ebbecke, BA, CPDT-KA
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Dana Ebbecke is a certified professional dog trainer. She began her journey into dog training thanks to a very eccentric rescue pooch. A lifelong lover of all things animal, she started volunteering with a dog rescue during high school and continues to advocate and volunteer for homeless pets still. She graduated with a BA in psychological and social sciences from Penn State University. She is a master’s candidate in psychology with a concentration in animal behavior at Hunter College and also has a certificate in applied behavior analysis from Arcadia University. She is currently working on her master’s thesis which focuses on behavior evaluations of dogs.
Dana enjoys learning and continues to work regularly on professional development. Her interest in animals and animal training extends to horses and exotic animals, as well as dogs. She has trained a number of species of animals, including: dogs, birds, horses, and guinea pigs. She attends continuing education events regularly. Dana is knowledgeable about bully breeds and advocates for education about Pit Bulls and other bully breed dogs. |
Julie McLaughlin, CVT
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Julie has been training with My Pet’s Teacher since 2008. She teaches classes and private appointments for basic training as well as specific issues. As a full-time veterinary technician, she became interested in the behavioral component of treating pets, especially helping rescue dogs and dogs with anxiety. Julie has been a foster parent for seeing-eye dogs and has also been a foster home for rescue dogs awaiting their permanent homes. She lives with her husband Josh, pit bull mix Daisy, and orange tabby cat Wash.
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Lynn Brearey, BS, CPDT-KA
Lynn completed her professional dog training education through CATCH Canine Academy, and has gone on to earn certification through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPT). Prior to attending CATCH she received her Veterinary Assistant Certificate through Penn Foster in 2014. Lynn teaches pet dog manners classes and in-home consults and training but finds her passion working with rescue groups and fosters to help rescued dogs acclimate to new environments. Training hard to place dogs at the SPCA is also close to her heart. She is highly motivated to help dogs stay in forever homes and realizes that training dog’s good behaviors and manners is the best way to accomplish this. Lynn and her husband Dave live in Pennsburg with their 2 rescued Labs, Remington and Ellie and their African Grey parrot named Chico.
Krista Davis, CVT
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Krista is a certified veterinary technician at a small animal and exotic practice in the area. She developed a love for animal behavior and training while working at a guide dog training school in New York. While attending school to become a veterinary technician, Krista saw the importance of supporting behavioral health as well as physical health. With her training in animal behavior, Krista hopes to build and strengthen the human-animal bond and provide support when it is needed in those relationships. She teaches Puppy Kindergarten and Pet Dog Manners I. She shares her home with her husband, a boxer mix named Harvey, and two cockatiels, Dee and Dennis.
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Colleen Campbell, BS, CPDT-KA
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Colleen’s interest in dog behavior began after her family adopted a rescue dog who is fear-aggressive. Colleen saw firsthand the powerful effects of positive training. Colleen earned a BS degree in biology from Delaware Valley College and recently completed her course requirements for the CATCH dog training program which enabled her to become a certified pet dog trainer. In addition to training and spending time with her 2 rescue dogs, Colleen works with rescue dogs that need some extra training and volunteers at the Bucks County SPCA in Quakertown. She teaches Puppy Kindergarten and Pet Dog Manners classes, private consults and is a certified AKC Canine Good Citizen/Puppy STAR evaluator. Colleen believes in research-based training and enjoys the many educational opportunities to stay current with positive reward-based training techniques so that she can better teach her clients how to understand and help their dogs.
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Katarina Cruz
Katarina is a veterinary technician at an animal hospital in Jenkintown. She came to have a strong interest for behavior while taking a class called “Breeds and Behavior”, instructed by Lisa Berkenstock. She teaches Puppy Kindergarten. She has three dogs, Wiz, Dixie and Zoey, as well as a rescued parakeet named Blu and a rabbit named Bambi.
Christina McLay, CCDT
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Christina has completed her training through CATCH Canine Academy and has been mentored by Lisa Berkenstock over the past year. She has always had an affinity for animals, particularly dogs. As a child she was continuously bringing something home with her. She discovered her passion for dog training when she decided to get dogs of her own, two Jack Russel mixes. The excitement they had to learn something new encouraged her to pursue a career in dog training. Christina has also been a volunteer with Main Line Animal rescue for over a year now. There she has learned about the many different personality types of dogs and the different struggles dogs in shelters can face. This helps her stay motivated in training to ensure that every dog that gets their forever home. Christina teaches Puppy Kindergarten.
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Laura Sestito, CVT, CPDT-KA
Laura found a love for animal behavior during her studies in the Vet Tech program at Manor College and now currently works as a Veterinary Technician in a small animal general practice. She is also a Level 1 graduate of Pat Miller's "Peaceable Paws" dog training program. Laura enjoys getting to know dogs and their humans and aims to utilize positive dog training to help them build strong (and loving!) relationships. At home, she lives with her yellow Labrador Retriever, Miller, and her family's spunky new Pekingese/Lab Mix, Ginger. Laura teaches Finding Focus and Puppy Kindergarten.
Shawna Sullivan, CVT
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Shawna is a certified veterinary technician at a small animal general practice. She has always loved animals and been interested in behavior. She wanted to further her knowledge and decided to do so after meeting Lisa at Manor College. Shawna loves helping all animals, but realizes she has a special interest in working with shelter animals. She teaches Puppy Kindergarten, Pet Dog Manners I, and Finding Focus. She lives with her 3 rescue animals; Baxter, a Havanese Mix, Winnie, a one-eyed Pit Mix and Boo, a black domestic shorthaired cat.
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