Bill Dowd founded Skedaddle in 1989 using unique, humane and hands-on removal techniques, rather than the traditional trapping approach, to solve urban wildlife problems. He went on to pioneer these methods, becoming the industry leader and go-to authority on urban wildlife control. Since then, he has steered the company from its humble beginnings in Hamilton, ON, with a single service truck, to franchise locations throughout Canada and the U.S. and over 65 service vehicles. Bill remains committed to sharing his experience and knowledge of urban wildlife with the public to help increase understanding and reduce conflicts.

Adrienne joined the GHS during a transitioning phase – a time when employee morale was low and shelter productivity was down. Her can-do attitude and unique approach to motivating a team has been crucial to the GHS’ continued success – building a better, brighter future for both the staff and the animals in their community – including a new shelter which opened in Spring 2021. Adrienne thoroughly enjoys animal advocacy and believes strongly that we can create policies and partnerships that benefit both animals and people alike.

Adrienne completed an Honours degree in Media Studies and a diploma in Journalism through the University of Guelph-Humber, graduating with distinction. She earned her law degree (LL.B.) at the University of Ottawa in 2010. While studying law, she held internships with the Ontario Racing Commission and Humane Canada™ and was called to the Bar in Ontario in 2011. Prior to joining the Guelph Humane Society, Adrienne worked for Smith Valeriote Law Firm in Guelph. Originally from Toronto, she, along with her husband, their 2 children, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 2 rats, now call Fergus, Ontario home.

Dr. Alix Wilson graduated from veterinary school in 2005 and has been working exclusively with exotic animals since 2007.  She is the Medical Director at the Center for Avian & Exotic Medicine in New York City where she cares for the medical and surgical needs of small mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian pets.  Dr. Wilson also serves as a consultant for the Animal Care Centers of NYC, and the Wild Bird Fund, NYC’s premiere wildlife rehabilitation and education center.  The ASPCA and local law enforcement refer exotic animal welfare cases to Dr. Wilson for evaluation and documentation of evidence.  As a national and international lecturer, Dr. Wilson trains veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and students on the care of exotics pets and wildlife.  She is also an adjunct professor at LaGuardia Community College’s Veterinary Technology Program. 

Amanda has been enforcing animal related legislation for over 17 years. She started as an OSPCA Agent and Inspector in Hamilton. She moved on to Oakville Milton Humane Society, where she was an Animal Protection Officer, enforcing by-laws, Dog Owner's Liability Act and the OSPCA Act. She eventually became a Manager there. She's now moved further east to where she is happily supervising the City of Brampton Animal Services Department. Amanda has fostered over 100 dogs and over 200 cats in her career - not all at once, of course!

Ann has been a prosecutor for 18 years and recently joined with Amanda Barrett and Brampton Animal Services to prosecute all Dog Owners Liability Act matters. Ann is a licensed Paralegal and started with the City of Brampton Prosecution Department in 2002 on a one-year contract. Following that, she worked in an enforcement capacity for 3 years until she was able to get a permanent prosecution position. 

Brent is a Principal and Practice Leader in Project Management Services with Avison Young.  He works with clients as a Project Manager, Facilities Consultant and Implementation Planner specializing in office, industrial, mixed office/industrial commercial projects.  Brent has 35 years experience in “hands on” development of high-performance business environments from information to implementation, and a demonstrated ability to direct and control all aspects of complex projects.  Recently, Brent extended his portfolio into the animal sheltering field as the Project Manager for the construction of the Guelph Humane Society’s new facility.

Dave Pauli started his animal career in 1979 by starting a wildlife conflict resolution business in Madison, Wisconsin called Humane Animal Controls, Inc. Since then he also served as a superintendent of animal control, a bi-county humane society in Eastern Washington (Tri-Cities) and for the past 29 years as a field responder/manager for The Humane Society of The United States.

Dave has responded to domestic animal/exotic/wild animal projects in all 50 states and in Taiwan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Canada, Turks & Caicos, Costa Rico, Vieques, Culebra, St Johns, Molokai, and a seaborne rescue ship.

Dave currently works on remotely solving wildlife conflicts, but also responds to natural disasters and participates in chemical immobilization, and immunocontraception projects for deer. He also participates in volume capture projects for prairie dogs, and feral dogs and cats for translocation or spaying. The remainder of his time is allocated to helping all HSUS, Humane Society International and the Wildlife Land Trust with field projects or programs. He is an HSUS point person on wild pigs, prairie dogs, beavers, turtles and tortoises, pigeons, trapping issues and wildlife contraception.

Dave is a certified Montana Master Naturalist, has been a wildlife rehabber for 42 years and has rehabbed and translocated hundreds of beavers!

Dorothee obtained her DVM from the University of Guelph, and a PhD in immunology from McMaster University. She is a board-certified veterinary pathologist and spent 2 years on faculty at the University of Georgia before joining the faculty at the University of Guelph. At Guelph, she practices as a veterinary pathologist providing diagnoses for the patients in the teaching hospital, teaches veterinary students and residents, and does research on the feline immunodeficiency virus and asthma in horses. She has published extensively and is a widely sought speaker.

Geoff Urton is an educator and coach, committed to bringing about extraordinary contributions from the inspiring people who dedicate their lives to purpose-driven work. Geoff brings his background in dialogue and negotiation (SFU) and not-for-profit leadership (Stanford) to support charitable sector leaders to reach their greatest potential in making a measurable difference for the causes that matter to them. In particular, Geoff “gets” animal organizations and their people, having served in various roles at the BC SPCA since 2004. 

Credentials:
- Certified Leadership Coach
- Associate Certified Coach, International Coaching Federation
- Graduate, Standford Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders
- Vancouver Island Top-20-Under-40
- Member, International Association of Facilitators
- Diploma, Dialogue & Negotiation (SFU)
- MSc (UBC)

Helen Prinold has a lifetime of training animals and their people as both a hobby and a profession.  After a 20+ year career in the Ontario government acting as a liaison between food retailers and the province, she opened her own dog training and behaviour business – Dog Friendship Inc. – in Guelph, Ontario.

Since 2011, Dog Friendship has offered private behaviour trouble-shooting sessions, puppy socialization, family dog training and sports preparation classes.  As part of an ongoing commitment to reducing untrained adolescent dogs in shelters, Dog Friendship also offers three free puppy classes to new puppy guardians.

Helen is a firm believer in continuing education and is a:

• Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (ccpdt.org)
• Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and member of the International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants (iaabc.org)
• Certified Fear Free Professional (fearfreepets.com)
• Doggone Safe/Be A Tree safety educator for children
• She also holds both a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Masters degree in Animal Behaviour and Welfare from the University of Guelph. 

She enjoys travelling extensively to both give and attend seminars and learn from incredible animal trainers.  In the fall before the pandemic, she spent a month in England, Wales and Scotland learning from farmers who work herding dogs.  She also understands the needs and hopes of service dogs and their handlers.  For two years she learned the ropes of the service dog industry while running the foster puppy program for a service dog charity and worked with the organization’s service dog handlers on solving performance issues. 

Since 2018 she has served as Chair of the Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers where her focus has been on increasing the skills and professionalism of CAPDT members.  CAPDT now requires members to commit to humane training practices and achieve a set amount of CEU credits each year.  The organization is currently working toward developing a national dog training curriculum and setting professional standards. 

Jacklyn Ellis is board certified by the Animal Behaviour Society as a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and is the Director of Behaviour at Toronto Humane Society. Before starting at THS, she served as one of Nestle Purina's leading authorities on feline behaviour in her role as a Behaviour Scientist in their research and development division. She earned her PhD in Animal Welfare at the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, where she conducted research on methods for reducing stress in shelter cats. Her work has been published widely in peer reviewed journals and she has presented at many national and international conferences, particularly on feline stress and elimination behaviour. She has recently completed two chapters for a new edition of the leading textbook on the behaviour and welfare of shelter animals. 

Kathrin joined the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth in September 2017. She has spent 30+ years in Not-For-Profit and Charity Association Management where she has lead organizations in the development and execution of meeting financial and strategic goals, while building capacity.  Prior to joining the Humane Society Kathrin was the CEO with Festivals and Events Ontario for two years, and Habitat for Humanity for 10 years.  She has an extensive background in organizational management; risk management and change management.

Driven by wanting to make a difference, she takes pride in her professional endeavours, personal relationships and family.  She recognizes her success is from the opportunities for growth, professional development and being mentored by so many amazing and inspirational individuals over the years.  Kathrin is passionate about empowering and supporting individuals and organizations to be their best.

Kathrin has her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waterloo; is a Certified Risk Manager with the Global Risk Management Institute and a Graduate of Fanshawe College’s Recreation Leadership program.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, golfing, kayaking, travelling and participating in Triathlons.

Kathy Duncan is the Director, National Programs, at Humane Canada™, Canada’s national voice for animal welfare.  Kathy has worked in animal welfare in Ontario for over 30 years.  She is an International Ambassador for the Human Animal Support Services project and has served on the board of the AASAO for 18 years, many of those as Chair.

Kevin Strooband is the Executive Director of the Lincoln County Humane Society and has been with the organization for over 31 years. Kevin, a former animal cruelty investigator, operates the shelter and full service veterinary clinic in St. Catharines. With a team of 30 staff and over 200 volunteers, they help over 3,000 animals annually. Kevin will share the LCHS’s newest venture, designed to better help their community.

Kristen Hassen, MA, is the Maddie's Director of American Pets Alive!, overseeing the Human Animal Support Services project, the Maddie's Learning Academy, and AmPA!'s life-saving initiatives. Previously, she served as the Director of Pima Animal Care Center, the open-admission animal services department in Tucson, Arizona, and before that, the Deputy Director of Austin Animal Center, in Austin, Texas. Kristen is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Animal Control Association. Kristen writes and teaches nationally and internationally on a variety of subjects including animal services organizational restructuring, transforming animal services culture, progressive animal control, high volume foster programs, animal welfare as social justice movement, crisis communications, community-centered sheltering practices, the Human Animal Support Services elements, and the future of animal welfare volunteer programs. 

Larisa has worked at the Toronto Humane Society over the past 7 years in a number of different capacities. She started in Animal Care, and since has worked in Adoptions, Foster and Transport. She has a Project Management certificate from the University of Toronto and is a certified Project Management Professional.  She also holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts (Hon. BA) degree focused on Major in Environmental Geography & Human Geography from University of Toronto. In her current role, Larisa oversees the operations and care of over 1000 animals each year. 

Dr. Linda Jacobson obtained her veterinary degree in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1986 and subsequently completed a residency in small animal internal medicine and a PhD on the disease mechanisms of canine babesiosis, a tick-borne disease. She completed the University of Florida Online Graduate Certificate in Shelter Medicine in 2015. She currently serves on Standard of Care Working Group for the College of Veterinarians of Ontario and is President of the Ontario Shelter Medicine Association. She joined the Toronto Humane Society in 2010 and spent many years working primarily with cats. She is currently Senior Manager: Shelter Medicine Advancement, focusing on research and education that improves the lives of homeless animals and those lacking access to veterinary care. Her interests include infectious diseases, hoarding and gardening for biodiversity.

Lindsey has been with Pickering Animal Services for over 15 years.  She has been responsible for developing the department from the ground up. Lindsey was instrumental in the design and oversight of construction for their current animal shelter and is in the process of embarking on a project to build a new permanent animal shelter in Pickering.  She has developed many policies and procedures and currently oversees staff directly in the shelter, along with a robust volunteer program in the community.  Lindsey also believes very strongly in community engagement and public education.

Lindsey is the current Chair for the Association of Animal Shelter Administrators of Ontario (AASAO), as well President of the Canadian Association for Humane Trapping.  She is also part time Faculty with Durham College and teaches Introduction to Facility Management to students enrolled in the Animal Care Program.

.

Over the past two decades, Lisa has worked in various aspects of animal care, animal welfare, and wildlife conservation, with experience in diverse issues affecting companion animals, captive and free-ranging wildlife, and species at risk. Her roles have focused on management, strategic planning, leadership, and program development with animal welfare organizations at the local and provincial level, as well as Ontario Veterinary College. Since 2015, Lisa has been the Associate Director of the Guelph Humane Society and helped to bring their new state-of-the-art animal shelter to reality, opening in spring 2021.  She is excited about the innovative ways this space will impact animals and people in the Guelph and Wellington communities.

Lisa has an MSc in biology, and enjoys life living in Guelph with her husband, 3 kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 1 guinea pig.

Michèle joined World Animal Protection in 2019 and works on captive wildlife issues, with a particular focus on wild animals kept as pets. Michèle has done extensive research into the exotic pet industry and the wildlife trade in Canada. In addition to contributing to numerous reports on captive wildlife issues, she also co-authored a paper on regulatory solutions to the trade, use and keeping of exotic pets, which was published in 2020. Prior to arriving in Canada, Michèle obtained a BSc in Animal Husbandry from HAS University of Applied Science in the Netherlands and an MSc in Animal Biology and Welfare from the University of Essex, UK. She is also a member of the Royal Society of Biology and a designated European Professional Biologist.

Rick joined the Oakville & Milton Humane Society (OMHS) in 2018 after a 30-year career within the charitable health care sector.  Having previously worked with the Canadian Cancer Society as the CEO for Ontario and National VP of External Engagement, Rick enjoyed working with volunteers and staff at local, regional, provincial, and national levels.  Rick knew that returning to work within a grassroots organization is what he eventually wanted to do.   Being an animal lover with a passion for animal welfare brought him to the OMHS.   It offered an opportunity to continue working in the charitable sector and the ability to support a cause dear to his heart. 

Rick leads a talented team of almost 50 staff and 600 volunteers all working to serve the community and protect the animals in Oakville & Milton. A major focus for the team is community engagement and outreach with a goal to build long lasting community partnerships that will support the work of the Society for many years. 

He is a member of the Ontario Animal Welfare Network and values the expertise and strengths that each organization brings to the table to assist one another with animal welfare matters.  

Rick has already adopted two dogs from the OMHS- Mocha an 11 year old cockapoo and Snow a five year old Bichon Frise.

Rob Andrews has taught enforcement and non-enforcement employees alike, in numerous organizations of all sizes and functions across Canada. The need for this type of communication training is immense and is critical for any front-line worker who works with the public, especially in an enforcement capacity. 

Rob has trained staff in organizations such as the OPP Academy (lead instructor for 17 years), the Canadian Police College for the RCMP in Ottawa, dozens of humane societies in Ontario and Canada, the Ontario Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General, Alberta Law Society, and municipalities of all sizes. He is the lead instructor of A.C.T. Tactical Training Systems and a retired OPP Officer. Rob is presently on contract with the Ontario Provincial Police and teaches de-escalation and other related topics to their members

Dr. Weese is a veterinary internist and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. He is a Professor at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Director of the University of Guelph Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, and Chief of Infection Control at the Ontario Veterinary College Teaching Hospital

Shayne Turner has recently retired from the field of municipal law enforcement after almost 36 years. He served as the Director of Municipal Enforcement Services with the cities of Kitchener and then Waterloo for a total of 20 years.  He served on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Association of Property Standards Officers for 15 years, holding the position of President for 4 of those years, and remains involved as an instructor in their certification training program.   Shayne has also served on the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council for 8 years, serving as Chair of the Council for 3 years.  Most recently, Shayne has established Municipal Compliance Solutions, a small business that provides services to the municipal law enforcement community such as by-law and policy development as well as mentoring and coaching of officers.

Sue graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1987 and completed a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife at the University of Guelph prior to this. Wildlife conservation has always been her passion, and her goal has always been to utilize her veterinary skills in a project that has direct conservation impact.  She worked for many years in private practice and founded and ran her own hospital for a short time. She then began working for charities including Toronto Humane Society, and gradually narrowed her focus exclusively to wildlife, running the Earth Rangers wildlife hospital until its closure, and then working as a wildlife veterinarian at Toronto Wildlife Centre. Sue has also taught the wildlife course to veterinary technicians at Seneca College since 2005, along with teaching a full wildlife medicine course to veterinarians and technicians from 2006 to 2016.

One of her more recent awards was being named to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest honour! Dr. Carstairs is also a member of the Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialty Group (TFTSG)*, and has received the J.R. Dymond Public Service Award, the Environmental Excellence Stewardship Award, the Silver Salamander award in recognition of her commitment to the conservation of Ontario’s turtles, and so much more!

Sue feels very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to take on the role as Executive and Medical Director of the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre since 2009. The direct conservation impact, combined with the ability to fully utilize her veterinary skills, makes this role her dream job. Sue also feels privileged to work with an equally passionate team of professionals.

An award-winning researcher, speaker, and educator, Dr. Taryn M. Graham focuses on promoting health in cities through pet-friendly policies and programs. She holds degrees from Concordia University (BA), the University of Waterloo (MA) and the University of Calgary (PhD). Her doctoral thesis focused on pets in housing, and she is recognized internationally for this work. Taryn consults on a wide range of animal issues to academic, government, corporate, and non-profit sectors, providing expert input, strategic planning, and leadership training. She is also the founder of PAWSitive Leadership, a humane education program that uses the fun and engaging world of dogs to teach compassion to kids. Taryn has experience training dogs and volunteering in animal shelters.

Tracy graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2010 and developed her medical and surgical skills in general practice for four years.  In 2015, she co-founded a Humane Alliance partnered high-volume spay/neuter clinic in London Ontario, and worked as the primary surgeon, performing an average of 35 procedures per day.  Tracy completed a Graduate Certificate in Shelter Medicine in 2015 and went on to achieve a Master of Science in Veterinary Medical Sciences with a concentration in Shelter Medicine in 2018, through the University of Florida.  She now works for the City of London as a shelter veterinarian at the municipal shelter and companion animal hospital.  Her passions include stress-reduction in the shelter environment and feline population control through TNR and accessible spay/neuter.