Thanks to her background in the education of humans and her lifelong love of animals, Kellie Reilly is an important part of The Pet Connection’s dog training program. Kellie had pets growing up and developed a love of dogs, and in particular, dogs with fear aggression issues. Working with her own dog who experienced fear aggression motivated her to seek certification as a Training Partner with the Karen Pryer Academy, a program which teaches positive reinforcement through clicker training. Kellie’s professional career path, as a special education teacher and dog trainer at an open-admission animal shelter, has made her ideally suited for teaching humans how to help dogs with special needs. She believes that each animal is an individual and that it is crucial to proceed at their pace and find ways to make them feel safe during training. Kellie currently shares her life with two rescued dogs, Denim and Rue, and two chinchillas, Ashes and Sprinkles. She is still inspired by dogs who have now passed, Meiko, Liam and Koda.