Our Team
Miranda Hitchcock
Founder, MS Applied Animal Behavior, CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Certified
Miranda began her work with dogs as a volunteer at an animal shelter in Maryland, and then taught puppy classes and reactive/fearful dog classes before moving to Austin. Among her shelter work, she was the Shelter Operations Manager for Austin Animal Center and oversaw the shelter's behavior program and animal care. Miranda is a "behavior nerd" who's passionate about equity and access in the dog world. Miranda holds a Master's Degree in Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare from Virginia Tech. (She/Her)
Michele Mendoza
Founder, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Certified
A lifelong dog lover, Michele started dog walking and pet sitting to earn extra money while working in corporate marketing roles. A long-term client opened her eyes to positive reinforcement training and inspired her to learn more about dog behavior. In 2010, she left the corporate world to start a training facility of her own, training thousands of dogs everything from manners to agility. After selling the business, she worked on the Behavior Team at Austin Animal Center and connected with Miranda over a shared passion for dog behavior. (She/Her)
Eric Tarango
CPDT-KA, FFCP
Eric began dog training when he rescued his own dog who had resource guarding issues. In 2014 he moved to Austin, a dog loving city that helped him grow as a trainer. He shadowed a service dog trainer for a couple of years and was inspired to learn how animals thought and how they see the world. He started working as a dog trainer, teaching basic manners classes and private lessons for several years. He has helped and worked with thousands of dogs, and has a passion for learning about behavior problems and treatments in dogs. Eric also does dog training in Spanish for Every Dog. (He/Him)
Olivia Tiffany
CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP
Olivia got her start working in the kennel at DogBoy's Dog Ranch and eventually became the assistant kennel manager and a trainer for the company. There she learned about dog behavior, how dogs interact, and how to work with a wide range of breeds and personalities. She really fell in love with dog training when she adopted a black lab with leash reactivity. Helping her pup work through these behaviors made her want to help others who have the same issues. In 2021 she graduated from The Karen Pryor Academy and is excited to further her knowledge and education. (She/Her)
Kay Dameron
CPDT-KA, FFPE
Kay Dameron has been working with animals since a young age. She began fostering in 2015 and promptly became passionate about dog training when she saw the difference it made in foster’s lives. Facilitating communication between people and their dogs to create better relationships brings her joy. Kay is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, a Family Paws Parent Educator, and a CGC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator. When not building bonds between dogs and their humans, Kay enjoys spending time outdoors, gardening and painting! (She/Her)
Nisa Semione
MS, CDBC, FFCP
Nisa is a certified trainer and dog behavior consultant, and is Fear Free Certified.. In 2018 Nisa began her career as a professional dog trainer in her home state of New York. In 2024 Nisa graduated with her Master of Science degree from Virginia Tech's Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare program. She is a believer in lifelong learning and has committed to continuing her education through the latest accredited articles, books, conferences, and more. In her free time she can be found with her two dogs, Hari and Habit, training, competing in dog sports, or outside enjoying nature. (She/Her)
Kaci Taylor
VSA-CDT
Kaci started her deep dive into behavior study after adopting her now 6 year old dog, Buddy, and seeking certified help with his journey through reactivity, separation anxiety, and more. Positive science-based training became her passion after seeing how Buddy’s quality of life has been impacted, and completed her dog training certification program with the Victoria Stilwell Academy in fall of 2023. Kaci enjoys helping pet parents celebrate all of the tiny victories, and loves to know that their dogs are thriving in the patience and care they’re providing. (She/Her)
Lauren Biegel
Agility & Nosework
Following a childhood of begging for a puppy every Christmas (with 3 successes!), Lauren has taken every available opportunity to work with dogs: volunteering at local shelters, fostering, and working at a doggy daycare. Through her foster fail, Ollie, she learned about fear and reactivity behaviors and gained the confidence to adopt a high-energy puppy (Layla). Layla and Lauren have competed in scentwork, FastCAT, Barn Hunt and have done additional training in rally, agility, and tracking. Lauren fell in love with Every Dog as a volunteer and is thrilled to join the team! (she/her)
Joanna Cordry
CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, FFCP
Joanna has a Masters degree in Educational Psychology and a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis, and she's always been fascinated by the behavior exhibited by all animals. She’s been lucky enough to balance a career in behavioral health and disability advocacy with her love of all things dog and dog behavior . She’s apprenticed with a service dog organization, worked on the behavior team of a shelter, competed in agility, and practiced recreational nosework. She’s currently a student in the Karen Pryor Professional Dog Trainer Academy and the Pet Harmony PETPro program. (She/Her)
Alexandra Dilley
MA, CPDT-KA
Alexandra was the Director of Behavior and Training at the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington, DC. During her time there, she worked with the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center in Asheville, North Carolina, to develop HRA's first intensive program for severely fearful dog rehabilitation. She also taught classes on everything from obedience to dog reactivity. She has a Master's in animal behavior and completed a formal mentorship program on the treatment of separation-related problem behaviors. Alexandra provides treatment for dogs with separation-related problems.(She/her)
Andrea Carter
CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP
Andrea’s first job working with dogs was as a kennel tech at a small board & train facility, and her experiences volunteering with shelter dogs created a space in her heart for dogs who need friends the most. After teaching group classes at a pet store for 7 years she completed the Karen Pryor Academy to deepen her understanding of training. Volunteering with Service Dogs Inc. and working at the Austin Animal Center on the Behavior Team helped ignite a desire to keep learning even more about why dogs do what they do, and how we can help them fit into our lives successfully. (She/Her)
Rachelle Trafton
Trainer
Rachelle was born and raised in Austin, and grew up visiting the Austin Animal Center and hiking or biking every weekend. She started delving into training nine years ago when she adopted a six month old dog reactive dog, Lucy. I quickly was drawn into studying positive reinforcement training, and learning how to communicate with her. When the opportunities to train at PetSmart and DogBoy's Dog Ranch came up, she grabbed them. Rachelle is excited to educate people about their fur babies and teach them that they, too, can speak dog. It's the coolest thing in the world. (she/her)
Carolyne Castner
Trainer
Carolyne is a native Austinite and lifelong animal advocate. She started her work with dogs as a volunteer with Austin Pets Alive and the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter. She was fascinated by the work the behavioral teams did to help improve the life of long-stay shelter dogs and dove head first into the world of dog training! Carolyne lives with two cats (who are clicker and target trained!) and a service dog named Maggie. She is fascinated with animal learning theory and is a dedicated student in the science of positive-reinforcement training. (She/Her)
Latania Fenn
Agility Trainer
Latania is an avid dog lover and a huge enthusiast of dog sports. She found an insatiable interest in dog training after getting her heart dog Atlas. They started dog sports and hit the ground running trying their hands at everything from agility, to scent work to barn hunt.
Latania found a deep love for the science of training and the way enrichment can help dogs thrive and strengthen the bonds between owners and their pets. Latania was originally a volunteer at Every dog and super excited to join the team! (She/her)
Jill Simkin
Training Supervisor
Jill's career has centered around politics, but her personal life has involved a lot of time with cats and dogs. She has a keen interest in working with volunteers and staff to make their efforts as effective and enjoyable as possible. Her campaign buddies were two cats who had excellent recalls, and when she (FINALLY) was in a position to get her own dog in 2021 she was bitten by the training bug. In her free time she enjoys swimming, throwing her dogs favorite little pink ball one million times a day, and pretending to crochet while actually just fighting over yarn with her kitten. (she/her)
Our Board Members
LaTonya Jeffery
LaTonya has over 16 years of proficiency participating in all phases of software development. She is theLead Business Architect/Principal Consultant at Advance Business Group, LLC. LaTonya has two lovable Portuguese Water Dogs, Koda and Karly and has developed a love of dog training. (She/Her)
Jess Mills
Originally from Austin, Jess worked in the New York City Mayor's Office for four years and has an MBA from the University of Texas. Currently, he is the Founder and Principal of Rivercity Group LLC, which provides strategy consulting to nonprofits. He has always been passionate about helping animals. (He/Him)
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Camille Sabino
Camille is passionate about social impact. She has worked in for-profit and nonprofit settings from startups to public companies. Camille got her Master's in Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California. Outside of her career, Camille enjoys spending time with her senior rescue dog, Finley. (She/her)