Some of my very best friends are animals.
"I was one of those little girls who preferred stuffed animals to dolls, who
collected toads and brought them inside as pets, and who would have had a
menagerie if Mom would have let me. My brother was given a beagle puppy about
the time I was born; I thought that pup was my other brother. I was able to
convince my folks to let me rescue two silver tabby cats, Ki-ki and Lucky, whom
I adored. Dad, in an effort to keep me busy one day, challenged me to make
friends with a couple of rough-looking ponies in a neighborhood field. No
problem -- but once that task was accomplished, I wanted a horse, too!"
Training & Experience
Janet
Velenovsky is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Certified Dog Behavior
Consultant, Associate Certified Cat Behavior
Consultant, and a Certified Training Partner from
the Karen Pryor Academy. Janet led the Training & Behavior Education
Department for Premier Pet Products for seven years. She was a speaker at the 2006 Association
of Pet Dog Trainers annual
conference in Kansas City, MO, where she talked about cat behavior, and about
opportunities for therapy dogs and the 2008 conference in Louisville, where she
spoke about teaching APDT Rally. Janet also spoke about the expanding role of
therapy animals at both the 2007 and 2009 national
conferences for the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Janet served on the Board of Directors for IAABC,
briefly as President in 2008, and is currently the Chair of the Working Animals division. In 2009, Janet received the
IAABC's
"Animals as Other Nations" award.
Janet and Kaizen, her first Golden Retriever, an experienced therapy dog, visited
Katrina-ravaged Louisiana in December 2005 as members of Hope Animal-Assisted Crisis Response (www.hopeaacr.org),
a non-profit group whose teams offer comfort and support for aid workers and
those affected by natural and man-made disasters. Janet now makes therapy visits
with Teddy, Piper, Oscar, and Keiko, all registered with Therapy Dogs, Inc.
Janet has a passion for helping cats and dogs live peaceably together. There are many strategies for helping these species get along, including clicker training for the cats!
Janet attends many veterinary, training, and behavior educational events each year, enjoying seminars and workshops with leaders in each field. She speaks in public often for veterinary students, training groups, behavior consultants, and pet owners.
Memberships, Accomplishments, Etc.
Memberships & Achievements:
Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA)
Past President, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)
and Chair, Working Animals Division
IAABC Certified Dog Behavior Consultant,
Associate Certified Cat Behavior Consultant
2009 winner of
IAABC's "Animals as Other Nations" award
Therapy Dogs Inc. member with multiple canine partners
HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response Team Leader and Eastern US Regional
Director
AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator
Cat Writers' Association, member
International Association of Giraffe Care Professionals, affiliate member
Design Patent Held:
Come With Me Kitty Cat Harness & Bungee Leash by Premier Pet Products
Training:
Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP)
HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response Certification Training - 2005 & 2012
SF-SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers Counseling Certificate - Winter 2005
Graduate of Purdue University's DOGS Course - 2004
Clean Run Agility Camp - Virginia 2004
Red Cross Pet First Aid Training 2004 & 2006
Richmond SPCA Pet University - Behavioral Teams, Green (canine) and Blue
(feline)
Presentations:
Midwest Veterinary Conference 2009 & 2011 - hands-on workshop "Behavior Modification using Gentle Leader Headcollar and Easy Walk
Harness"
APDT Conference 2008 - "How to Teach a Rally-O Class"
Blue Ridge Community College Vet Tech Program - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010
Ohio State University Veterinary School, Behavior CE Seminar - September 2007
Midwest Veterinary Conference - 2007, 2009, 2011 - Gentle Leader Workshops
IAABC Conferences 2007 & 2009 - The Expanding Role of Therapy Animals and
2011 - Pet Loss & Bereavement
APDT Conference 2006 - Cat Behavior & Therapy Dogs, plus Gentle
Leader Workshop
1st IAABC Conference 2005 - Behavior Modification with Gentle Leader
Interviews:
Wine Country Dogs with Dennis Wood on KVON - May 2008
Good
Dog! Podcast - March 2008
Snouts in Our Town Visits Premier Pet Products - Video Download
Conferences Attended:
APDT - Denver 2004, San Jose 2005, Kansas City 2006, Portland 2007
Cat Writers' Association - Atlanta 2008, White Plains 2009, 2010
ClickerExpo - Philadelphia 2004, Minneapolis 2005, Tucson 2006, Rhode Island
2006, L.A. 2007, Cleveland 2007
AVSAB/ACVB Meetings - Philadelphia 2004, Minneapolis 2005, Hawaii 2006,
Washington, DC 2007, New Orleans 2008, Seattle 2009, Atlanta 2010, St. Louis
2011
Regularly attends North American Veterinary Conference,
Midwest Veterinary Conference, Western Veterinary Conference, American
Veterinary Medical Association annual conference,
Central Veterinary Conference
HSUS Animal Care Expo - Dallas 2004