Shannon has been a dog-lover all her life. Upon moving to Ottawa, Shannon began working with dogs as a “foster mom” with Ottawa Dog Rescue, where she adopted her first dog, Blue, a Great-Dane/Pointer mix with whom she began her journey of more formalized dog training. It was Blue who deepened Shannon’s understanding of the animal-human bond. Blue and Shannon became the first official Carleton Therapy Dog team, which became the inspiration and ultimately evolved into the large-scale integrated Therapy Dog program on campus today.
Shannon has completed the coursework for the Best Friends Professional Dog Trainers Program, and is currently working toward her CPDT-KA certificate. Shannon’s passion for teaching and learning stem largely from working in Student Affairs at universities across the country; now at Carleton where she is the Manager of Mental Health Strategy and Initiatives. Shannon is Vice Chair of Ottawa Therapy Dogs (OTD) Board of Directors, as well as a volunteer evaluator for OTD, and feels passionate about the reciprocal benefits of Therapy Dog work in the community.