I first became interested in working with animals at age fourteen when I was asked by a neighbor to watch their parrots while they were out of town for the weekend. It was such a joy. From there I started taking on more petsitting clients with various species: cats, dogs, fish, hermit crabs, etc. I threw myself into learning anything and everything about pet care and was startled to learn how pervasive misinformation is about animal care. Most myths were simply companies trying to make a quick buck off of well-meaning people: things like fish bowls, hamster balls, and painted hermit crab shells. A few, however, were more complex in nature, particularly in the animal training world. Things like prong collars, alpha rolls, and dominance theory spurred active debate between trainers who had been working in the field for decades. I knew I would need a greater understanding of how each person arrived at their conclusion, and what the best way to form my own was. In short, I needed a background in science.

In summer of 2022, I graduated from Stanislaus State University with a degree in ethology: the study of animal behavior. Half of my coursework was in biology, and half was in psychology, and all of it gave me a strong foundation in the scientific method.