Meet the

TEACHERS

Each of our trainers is highly qualified with years of professional experience. While they all come from various backgrounds within the pet care industry and put their own unique spin on the curriculum, what they have in common is their passion for puppies and dedication to setting them up for long-term success through foundational training.

All of our trainers use positive reinforcement only.

Matching

For our Board & Train and Boarding Programs, we pair each student with a trainer based on their size, age, training goals, and vaccination status. During these programs, students stay in their trainer's home, where they are treated like family while we work towards your training objectives. This approach allows us to maintain small class sizes and group size-appropriate classmates together, ensuring each dog receives not only the necessary training but also the personalized care and attention they deserve.

Abby

After training with Puppy Preparatory for over two years, Abby recently accepted a position as our Assistant Principal. She is an excellent teacher, and we are excited for her to make an even greater impact on our students and their families through her new role.

Hi! I’m Abby! I am originally from Winston-Salem, NC and moved to Charlotte in 2018. Dogs have been a lifelong passion of mine and I am so grateful to have a career doing what I love. I have spent over seven years working with dogs of all ages and breeds in various areas of the pet care industry. Aside from working with dogs professionally, I have raised two of my own from 8 weeks old, a golden retriever named Bagel & a german shepherd named Draco. Draco has crossed the rainbow bridge but dedicated his last two years of life passing down all his wisdom to our students. Bagel still joins me to help socialize the students every day as my proud assistant.

I started working with Puppy Preparatory in 2021 assisting with training and day-to-day operations. I have now stepped into a new role as assistant principal to not only continue working with the students but to also help ensure puppies and their families have the best possible experience.

Leila

Leila is a lifelong animal lover with over nine years of professional pet care experience. Her years of professional and volunteer work with dogs sparked her interest and enthusiasm for training. Her nurturing approach and dedication have helped some of our shyest students come out of their shells and gain confidence. Leila works with many of our small to medium-breed students.

Hey, I’m Leila! I’ve been living in the Queen City since I moved here for college in 2017 but am originally from Fuquay-Varina, NC. I have been a dog lover my entire life and started working with dogs professionally in 2014. Since then, I have learned the ins and outs of puppy training by caring for dogs of all sizes, breeds, and temperaments. My own Maltipoo Boo loves other dogs and is thrilled to help socialize every new student that enters our doors. Boo is partially blind and while it never slows him down, it has given me additional experience administering medication and caring for dogs with special needs. His disability has taught me even more than I could have previously understood about reading a dog’s behavior and how to cater to their unique needs, personality, and circumstance. Boo and I currently reside in West Charlotte, where we can’t wait to welcome your pup into our happy home!

Stacey

Stacey has extensive experience raising and training puppies. She specializes in our youngest students and has a true gift for setting puppies up for long-term success from an early age.

Stacey's sidekick, Maggie the goldendoodle, is also an excellent example for our students. Stacey trained her as a service dog, and they volunteer together through Atrium Health.

Hi my name is Stacey! I moved to Charlotte 10 years ago with my family from NYC where I was a volunteer with ASPCA and Wagging Tails Dog Rescue. I have a goldendoodle named Maggie who I personally trained for Good Canine Citizen, Rally 1, and her Therapy Dog International license. Maggie and I volunteer at Atrium Health hospitals in the area and so many have benefitted from our services in memory care, assisted living, hospice care, nursery school, title 1 schools, and personal therapy for a 5 year old girl with leukemia as she fought and won her three-year battle with cancer. Yes! Maggie was there when she rang the bell! Additionally, I have been a whelping foster for South Charlotte Dog Rescue where I have birthed, whelped, fostered, and trained, over 50 healthy, special need, medical case, and even blind puppies! Training these puppies so they could find their forever home and become wonderful additions to a family was incredibly rewarding. I also volunteer as an on-call “doggie doula” and trainer at Project2Heal which donates service dogs to disabled veterans and children with special needs. Suffice to say, I am all about puppies and training! I am so excited to follow this new path to devote my skills, vast experience, and love for puppies by working with Puppy Preparatory to use compassion and positive reinforcement to train more fur babies to be amazing additions to families and be the best they can be!

Jenna

Jenna is a KPA-CTP certified trainer with over 12 years of experience. In addition to obedience work, Jenna also specialized in therapy training and has extensive experience raising therapy dogs. Jenna has two dogs of her own who love assisting her with the pups in her care!

Jenna is KPA-CTP certified and has been working with dogs since 2012. While attending the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Jenna rode for the equestrian club team, worked at a small animal hospital and volunteered with a non-profit organization that breeds, raises, and trains service dogs. Jenna immersed herself in all her passions. She received a certificate as a service dog trainer from paws4people and continued volunteering with the organization for another three years. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in environmental science from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2015. She set off to continue her training journey and has worked as a professional trainer since. She has specialized in training service dogs; breeding, whelping, and raising puppies; basic to advanced obedience; scent work; and off-leash training.

In her spare time, Jenna enjoys spending time with her family (including her two cats and two dogs), primitive camping, and traveling. She aspires to build a homestead while continuing her journey with working with animals.

Alex

Alex's ten-plus years of experience and commitment to continuous education in the field of dog training make her a phenomenal addition to the Puppy Preparatory Pack. In addition to her wealth of knowledge, her passion and love for puppies could not be more evident. We are so excited for your furry family member to meet and work with her!

Hi I’m Alex! I have over ten years of experience working with dogs. I started with an internship and working as a trainer at a big box company. I learned much of my skills working with White Oak Animal Hospital in Fredericksburg, VA. Over the years, I’ve attended many dog training seminars to continue my education in the field. In recent years I have also started my own boarding, in-board training, puppy smart start, and private lessons and assessment business. I have experience working with dogs of all shapes and sizes and am skilled in reactivity issues, obedience training, confidence building, and many other areas of training. My family and I have relocated to the Charlotte area with our 3 pupperonis and I am thrilled to now be a member of the dog community in the Queen City. I am very excited to take in puppies as part of the Puppy Prep team and get your furry friend off to a great start!

Meredith

Meredith has an impressive background in rescue work and training service dogs, so she has truly seen it all! While she enjoys working with dogs of all ages, she is a strong advocate for the importance of early foundational training to reduce the risk of unwanted and harder-to-solve behavior issues later in life. Meredith works primarily with our medium to large-breed pups.

My name is Meredith and I have lived in the Charlotte area since 1994. I grew up in Potomac, Maryland riding, training and showing horses and always had a dog or two by my side. I became active in the rescue world after graduating college and have rescued, rehabilitated, bottle-fed and fostered at least 300 dogs. I have assisted with community outreach for the past 5 years and in 2019 I started “Project Six”- a company that donates trained shelter dogs for local veterans. I have placed 4 dogs thus far and hope to continue doing this for years to come. Puppy training is one of the best decisions you can make as it sets the dog and you up for success right out of the gates. Watching a puppy learn new skills is one of the greatest joys in my life second only to the happiness a well-behaved puppy brings to a family.

I am grateful to work with Puppy Preparatory and can’t wait to help make your dog a super-star.

Meagan

Meagan's nearly 20 years of experience working with dogs in various areas of the pet care industry makes her exceptionally well-suited to help set our students up for success. Her specialty includes confidence-building and socialization with an approach of fun, structure, enrichment.

Hi, I’m Meagan! I have been working with dogs professionally for nearly 20 years, through rescues, breeders and dog daycares, and felt called to pursue my dream of training 4 years ago after moving to the Charlotte area. I have a passion for working with clients and I love every second of helping dogs and puppies learn to live happier lives with their families! Puppy Preparatory’s goal of setting puppies up with a great foundation in their lives really resonates with me since as a trainer I so often deal with dogs that missed out on that key time period of socialization and learning. Plus, I love sharing my life and home with puppies! I specialize in confidence building and believe wholeheartedly in filling our dogs’ lives with as much fun, structure and enrichment as I can. I also have a pack of personal dogs who love teaching puppies the ropes- we can’t wait to welcome new additions into our lives and get them started off on the right foot!

Liz

Liz has a long history of training and working with dogs in a variety of settings. Like many of our trainers, she has spent time volunteering for rescues and fostering dogs, giving her invaluable experience that helps her serve her students and shows that this is far more than a job, it is a passion!

Hi I’m Liz! I’ve been around dogs my entire life. As a teenager, I raised a puppy for the seeing eye, trained my personal dog for therapy dogs, and assisted in obedience classes. I took a break from training for college but I couldn’t stay away! For the last 6 years, I’ve been fostering for a local rescue and as well as training my own. I’ve spent that time expanding my knowledge of dogs from online courses, working in doggy daycares, and various trainers. Thru years of experience with dogs I’ve seen the importance of setting a good foundation to help them succeed in life and with their families. I look forward to helping your pup be ready for a happy life!

Emily

Emily began her career as a positive reinforcement trainer in 2018. In addition to her work as a trainer, she also works part-time at a local vets office as she pursues her vet technician license online. Emily also recently became Fear Free Certified! Emily and Ellen are sisters that work together, giving their students the attention, care, and level of training they all deserve.

Hi I’m Emily! I moved with my family to the Charlotte area from Florida in 2014. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside our furry friends since 2018 when I began working at a positive reinforcement boarding/training/daycare facility in Tega Cay, SC. I have been working at a veterinary clinic since 2020 where I have been able to grow my knowledge on animal care and meet all sorts of dogs! Furthering my education is very important me as I have recently become Fear-Free Certified and am currently enrolled in an online program to become a Veterinary Technician. My love for dogs began far before any of this, throughout my childhood that was blessed with the company of many pups. Helping dogs is something my family and I have bonded over and value greatly. I currently have 4 small rescue dogs that fill my life with joy and I can’t wait for your puppy to meet them and become the best of friends. I am so grateful to be working with Puppy Preparatory where I’ll be able to make a positive impact during such a vital part of a dogs life: puppyhood! I cannot wait to meet your fluffy family member!

Ellen

Ellen shares her family's deep love of animals, so much so that she, too, made it her career. Ellen has been working as a positive reinforcement trainer since 2019 and is Fear Free Certified. Ellen lives and works with her sister Emily giving their students an abundance of attention. They primarily work with our small-breed boarding students and are excellent at brushing up on and improving their skills.

Hi, I’m Ellen! I’m originally from Florida but I’m a Carolina girl at heart! Ever since I can remember, I’ve always shared my home with wagging tails and wet noses! Currently, I’m blessed to have 4 small rescue pups, and my dwarf Rabbit named Winnie! From an early age I always knew caring for animals fulfilled me and I decided to make it a vision for my future. In 2019 I began working at a Positive Reinforcement dog daycare and training facility in Fort Mill, SC and fell in love learning about dog behavior! Now I work part-time at The Inn at Baxter Vet here in Tega Cay, SC where I’ve been able to continue learning about Positive Reinforcement training and became Fear Free certified. I’ve had the privilege of being able to work with all kinds of furry friends ranging from all sorts of sizes, ages, and personalities. I love having the honor of being able to impact dog’s lives in a positive way that will last for their whole lifetime! I am currently pursuing a career to become a Veterinary Technician where I aspire to use my love for animals and knowledge of their behavior to help pets be the happiest and healthiest versions of themselves possible! I’m so thrilled and thankful to be a part of Puppy Preparatory, I can’t wait to meet you!

Nicole

Nicole's background in animal welfare sparked her passion for training. She closely identifies with Puppy Preparatory's mission to give puppies and their owners a solid foundation to help prevent behavioral issues that can lead to a dog being surrendered. Nicole studied training at the Animal Behavioral College and is Fear Free Certified.

My name is Nicole and I moved to Charlotte in 2022. I have been passionate about animals since a young age, but this passion was ignited in 2017 when I began my professional career in animal welfare at a municipal animal shelter in Southwest Florida. I spent years working with dogs of various ages and temperaments who were displaced from their homes for various reasons, with the majority being behavioral issues that could have been prevented while the dogs were still puppies. Seeing the vast number of dogs who entered the shelter system due to behavioral concerns, encouraged me to pursue a career where I could help this particular population of dogs. Since then, I have helped the Humane Society of Charlotte provide positive outcomes for thousands of animals in the Charlotte community and have achieved my dog training certification through Animal Behavior College, in addition to being Fear Free certified. I am excited to work with Puppy Preparatory to help new puppy owners build and maintain a positive relationship with their dogs and to help set puppies and their owners up for success for the rest of their lives.

Katie

Katie grew up in a family of animal lovers and learned the ropes of training dogs from an early age. She has cared for dogs of nearly every size, breed, and age and while she loves every pup she meets, she primarily works with our medium to large-sized students. While she gets results in every area, her specialty leash training and calm greetings.

Hi, I'm Katie!

I grew up on a farm in High Point, NC and have had dogs my entire life! I recently purchased my first home in Charlotte and share it with my three year old Shiba Inu named Kira. I've cared for dogs of all breeds and sizes and love teaching them new skills! I started working with dogs in college and once I graduated in 2016, I moved to DC and joined Rover where I gained even more dog and puppy experience. I'm happy to be back in Charlotte and can't wait to meet even more puppy faces through Puppy Preparatory!

Students are matched with their teacher based on size, age, and training goals. Puppies are paired with classmates of a similar size so they can play and practice socialization safely.

Pet First-Aid & CPR Certified

All of our trainers are Pet First-Aid and CPR Certified

Positive reinforcement Only

All of our trainers use positive reinforcement only with our students. We are strong advocates for this method especially when it comes to working with puppies.

Background Checked

All of Puppy Preparatory's trainers have passed a background check.

Training in the home

All students are kept in the home and treated like family during training. We believe this is the best way to set puppies up for success post-graduation. All of our trainers are committed to this and no puppy is ever left alone overnight.