Rachel has loved dogs since the time she first laid eyes on one. She took her love of dogs to the University of Pittsburgh, where she decided to major in psychology and blend her interest in animal behavior and adoration of dogs. While at Pitt, Rachel worked at a doggy daycare/kennel for two summers so she could be around dogs as much as possible while learning about their behavior.

After graduating from Pitt, Rachel received her training certification from Animal Behavior College, completed her externship with the head trainer at the Dog Stop in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, and volunteered at a local shelter. During the externship, she brought her dog, a miniature Australian Shepherd named Koda, to many of the group classes. She also assisted in teaching some group classes to gain hands-on training experience. After the externship, she continued her work at the Dog Stop to help train boarding dogs.

Rachel joined the Train the Trainer program in the Fall of 2019 after discovering Paw & Order. She spent months working with Elissa and shadowing many of the trainers to gain valuable knowledge before becoming a full-time trainer herself.