We are excited to announce that professional trainer Mike Kaviani is joining our behavior program to take it to the next level and start making a bigger dent in the last piece of the No Kill puzzle: the “Last 10%.” We’ve talked a lot about this demographic of dogs – the medium to large breed dogs with non-aggressive, treatable behavior issues who need some extra attention and training to help them reach their full potential.
And Mike is absolutely ready to help save these dogs! Mike’s last position was serving as director of training and behavior at Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation, where he conducted daily dog pack play groups, provided training and behavior modification, and offered adoption follow-up and support. He also taught weekly classes for advanced volunteer handlers. Previously, Mike worked at the Irvine Animal Care Center (IACC) in Orange County, California. There, he launched the 3rd Chance for Pets Program, which received national recognition when the IACC was given the 2007 Shelter of the Year award by Dogs in Review and Bow Tie Inc. While living in the Bay Area, he also served as the shelter services assistant for the organization BAD RAP.
We are very fortunate that Mike is bringing his expertise and enthusiasm to our program. He is kicking off his first day by doing an introduction to dog pack play groups. Play groups are a great way to help dogs in a shelter environment burn off shelter-induced stress by doing what they do best – act like dogs! Watch play groups in action at the Southampton shelter.
Please join us in welcoming Mike to the Austin Pets Alive! family!