Margaret began dog training as a serious hobby in 1993, taking obedience and agility classes with her English Shepherd, Trudy (d. May, 2007). In 1996, Margaret’s Belgian Malinois/Australian Shepherd cross, Gus, developed fear-based aggression. While working with Gus on those issues, Margaret apprenticed with a professional trainer. You could say Gus is the founder of The Humaner Trainer. That’s him on our logo.
In addition to the HT curriculum, Margaret developed programs for Town Lake Animal Center and the Austin Humane Society, where she taught classes for two years. She has also mentored a number of dog trainers, including all the current Humaner Trainer staff. Margaret continues to expand her knowledge and skills by attending continuing education courses. She is fortunate to have studied with some of the best in the business including Terry Ryan, Jean Donaldson, Ian Dunbar, Patricia McConnell, Bob Bailey, Pia Silvani, Erich Klinghammer, and John Rogerson.
In addition to developing and teaching a variety of classes, Margaret counsels owners of dogs with serious behavior problems such as aggression and separation anxiety. Her experience helping Gus through his aggression issue gives her a unique perspective when helping others with this very troubling problem.
Margaret has been a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers since 1997, serving both as a committee member and chairperson. She earned the designation of Certified Pet Dog Trainer in 2002, passing the national exam administered by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. In 2003, she attended the prestigious San Francisco SPCA’s Dog Trainer Academy, receiving a Counseling Certificate with Honors.
Margaret was born in Chicago, attended high school in Tennessee, and graduated in 1983 from St. Edward’s University in Austin with a degree in Acting and Directing. Her background and experience in professional theatre has been instrumental in developing classes that are both educational and entertaining.
Margaret now shares her home with Gus, her new dog Mary Jane (Janie) a Belgian Malinois, and Edsel, a chocolate Burmese who tells them all what to do.
Lori Fennell - CPDT Trainer: Lori trained her first dog, a Miniature American Eskimo named Nikita, at age thirteen. She has since trained her other dogs in competition-style obedience. In 2003, Lori began attending Humaner Trainer Canine Academy classes with her dog Scout and discovered the fun of pet dog training. Lori began her apprenticeship with Humaner Trainer in 2004.
During her apprenticeship, Lori volunteered at Town Lake Animal Center, where she trained shelter dogs to make them more adoptable and taught other volunteers how to train the shelter dogs. Lori has also volunteered and fostered for Australian Shepherd rescue since 2001.
Lori is a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and earned the designation of Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT) in 2006, passing the national exam administered by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.
In addition to pet dog training, Lori is an admitted agility addict. She trains with and is an instructor for Austin K9 Xpress Agility Training Club. She competes with her dog Angus and is in training with her dog Scout. She and Angus have earned several novice and open-level agility titles.
Lori and her husband JP live in Austin with their two Australian Shepherds (Angus and Scout), a Border Collie mix (Zaphod), and two cat roommates (Ethan and Evinrude). She holds a B.A. in English from Texas State, where she also works.
Kim Kulpa - Assistant Trainer: Kim became curious about dog training in 2001, when she and her husband Barry adopted Gracie, an 18-month old “wild child” Great Dane from the Humane Society of Missouri in St. Louis. When Kim and Gracie attended their first training class, Kim immediately saw the power of positive dog training. Kim and Barry then adopted Milo, a 15-month old Great Dane with fear-aggression issues. Seeking to understand Milo’s problems, Kim became interested in canine behavior issues and in 2002, began assisting in pet dog training classes through the Humane Society.
Kim volunteered at the Humane Society of Missouri for nearly 5 years where she walked and trained thousands of shelter dogs and trained and mentored new shelter volunteers. In March 2005, she moved to Austin with Barry, Gracie, and Milo. Kim and Gracie began attending the Humaner Trainer Canine Academy in August 2005, after losing Milo to cancer. Kim became an apprentice with Humaner Trainer in April 2006.
Kim is a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and is working toward becoming a Certified Pet Dog Trainer.
Originally from New Orleans, Kim holds a B.A. in Sociology from LSU and a B.S. in Nursing from the University of Texas at Houston. She and Barry share their Austin home with Gracie and her “little” Great Dane brother, Woody.
