Biography
Growing up, Nicole trained dogs and horses for her family and friends. As soon as Nicole graduated from college (with a double major in marketing and advertising), she took a position at a large dog training facility as a daycare manager and worked her way up to head trainer.
Nicole switched her focus to animal behavior in a shelter environment in 2005, when she joined Animal Friends, a no-kill organization based in Pittsburgh.
Between 2008 and 2012, Nicole worked for the Pennsylvania SPCA as the Director of Animal Behavior and Training. In this role, Nicole specialized in retraining and rehabilitating fighting pit bulls and helping them adjust to life as family pets.
From 2011 to 2016, Nicole worked for New Leash on Life-USA as the Director of Behavior. Her responsibilities included developing curriculum, speaking at conferences and events on behalf of the organization, and working hands-on with inmates and their rescued dogs.
From 2011 to 2021, Nicole taught the shelter behavior residency at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
Nicole remains active in animal rescue as a clinician and contractor at several area shelters.
Nicole is a sought-after speaker and writer, has produced numerous training videos, and is the author of “The Kid Your Dog Didn’t Ask For” and”“The Teaching Dog: Partnering with Dogs for Instruction, Socialization, and Demonstration in Your Training Practice”. Many publications have featured her work, including The Dodo and the Wall Street Journal.
A number of local and national television shows have featured Nicole, including Animal Cops: Philadelphia; Animal Planet’s: Dogfighting Exposed; National Geographic Network’s show ‘What Breed Am I?”
Currently, Nicole provides group and private dog training and behavior modification to the Philadelphia metro area through her business, Philly Unleashed; which has been named the “Best of Philadelphia” by Philadelphia Magazine.
From 2013-2017, Nicole sat on the Board of Directors for the Certification Counsel for Professional Dog Trainers (ccpdt).
Nicole resides on a small farm in the Philadelphia area with her husband and young son. The family spends their days remodeling the farmhouse and tending to a menagerie of animals including her Labradors named Triceratops and T-Rex, along with a rotating herd of horses, donkeys, goats, cattle, and chickens. With what little time Nicole has left, she trains and competes in dressage with her Norwegian Fjord horse, Hilde.
