Waltham Dog Training Staff

Terri Bright, Ph.D., BCBA-D, CAAB, Director of Behavior Services

Dr. Terri Bright earned her Master’s of Science and Doctoral degrees at Simmons College in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with an animal specialty, and she is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D). She teaches Behavior Analysis at Northeastern University, and lectures nationally on the subject of Applied Animal Behavior Analysis. She is the past President of the Applied Animal Behavior Special Interest Group in the Association of Applied Behavior Analysis International (ABAI).

Dr. Bright has been training dogs as a hobby and professionally for over 20 years and previously had a private dog-training, then behavior, practice. Historically, she competed with her former Bull Terriers in Obedience, Agility and/or conformation, with great results. Her dog Fanny was the top Agility Bull Terrier in the U.S. in 2006 and 2007. Bull Terrier Radio was a breed champion and the subject of Dr. Bright’s research on stimulus equivalence (matching-to-sample training) that garnered her a Marian Breland Bailey (MBB) Award from the Association of Applied Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). Dr. Bright won another MBB Award from ABAI for her research on the use of errorless teaching to train a Shelter dog to sit at the sound of a bell (“Pavlov’s Shelter”) when she was not in the dog’s sight. Her bully mix, Ribbon (shown), is a frequent performer in teaching videos Dr. Bright creates for her clients.

Dr. Bright launched the Training (now Behavior) Department at the MSPCA-Boston location in 2007 and, with a phalanx of crackerjack training instructors, has expanded the program to include a new location in Waltham at Angell West, and by bringing the Nevins Farm location under the MSPCA-Angell Behavior umbrella. She helped to evaluate homeless dogs surrendered at the MSPCA for proper placement for more than thirteen years, and designed training and enrichment programs for dogs at the MSPCA. She formerly helped to evaluate homeless dogs surrendered at the MSPCA for proper placement for more than 13 years, and designed training and enrichment programs for dogs at the MSPCA. Dr. Bright also designed and implemented curriculum and teaching for staff and volunteers in the Safewalk™ program, which she created in 2009. Safewalk™ is currently being successfully implemented in other sheltering facilities with Dr. Bright’s consultative assistance.

Dr. Bright is also the founding editor of a new open-source animal behavior publication, called the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis in Animal Training (www.jabaat.org).

 Susan Conway, CPDT-KA, Behavior Operations Manager

Susan joined the Behavior team at MSPCA-Angell in 2013 and has since earned the Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) certification as well as completed a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis. Susan assists Dr. Bright in her behavior consults, coordinates training classes, and helps to keep the office running smoothly. She earned her Bachelors of Science from Boston University in 1993, where she studied mass communication and psychology. She spent almost a decade working in marketing at Dunkin’ Brands, and received a Masters degree from Emerson College in Integrated Marketing Communication. After switching gears and earning a certificate in Professional Photography at CDIA/BU in 2006, Susan spent several years working as a wedding and portrait photographer, and also began to volunteer at her local shelter photographing the dogs there who were awaiting new homes. This experience led Susan to further explore animal behavior, and she earned a certificate in Canine Behavior and Training from Mount Ida College in 2013. Susan and her husband currently share their home with a Boston Terrier and a Chihuahua mix.

 Aidan Wilkie, CPDT-KA, Training Coordinator

Aidan has been training dogs since 2016, and received her CPDT-KA in 2017. Before working with dogs and their humans, she had a career in Special Education and specialized in working with physically and cognitively disabled children and young adults with severe behavior issues. As a result, the principles of behavior were always of interest to her, and when she adopted her own anxious four-legged side-kick Zoe in 2012, she found herself applying many of the same behavior modification techniques she had used for years in education. Despite her best efforts, however, Aidan quickly realized that in order to truly help Zoe, she would need to learn more. Since that time, she has dedicated her life to learning about dog behavior and helping people better understand their pups. It was a long-term goal of hers to work in the Behavior Department at the MSPCA, where she continues to learn about how we can help our canine companions live fuller, happier and more enriching lives.

Instructors:

 Rebecca Cosloy, KPA-CTP, Instructor

Rebecca has been training and caring for dogs since 2002. Rebecca’s background and special interest lies in reactivity, fear and fear-based aggression in pet dogs. This perspective informs her approach to teaching all dogs and their humans with sensitivity and compassion. A proud Graduate with Distinction from the Dog Training Professional Program in January of 2015, she was awarded the coveted KPA CTP designation (Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner.) Rebecca is Fear Free certified, an approved AKC CGC Evaluator, and an Official Mentor Trainer for CATCH Canine Trainers Academy. She shares her home with an 8 year old rescue Papillon, Jacx, and 3 year old Icelandic Sheepdog, Tindra. Rebecca enjoys training and competing with her dogs in her free time. Jacx is her K9 Nosework competitor. Tindra is showing in conformation and is in training for competition obedience. 

 Liz Fay, CPDT-KA, Instructor

Liz’s interest in dog behavior began in 2006. Having grown up without much knowledge of the species, she decided to volunteer at a local animal shelter. Liz’s desire to understand how dogs think and how to effectively communicate with them quickly turned into a passion for sharing this information with others. In 2008 Liz began her career with dogs as the Dog Adoption Coordinator for the same shelter she had volunteered with. Liz has since earned her Certified Professional Dog Training certificate (CPDT-KA) and joined MSPCA as a Dog Training Instructor in 2020. Her passion for helping people communicate and bond with dogs continues to fuel her interest in canine behavior. As well as teaching Puppy Play & Learn, Obedience classes and private lessons for MSPCA, she is also currently the Dog Program Manager at an animal shelter in central MA.

 Lisa McEvoy, KPA-CTP, Instructor

What started a simple decision to enroll in a basic manners class with a newly adopted dog in 2007, quickly led to an interest in dog behavior for Lisa and a desire to learn more. She graduated from Karen Pryor Academy for Dog Training and Behavior in 2012, and has served as a trainer for a service dog organization, taught classes and offered in-home training/behavior sessions. She began teaching agility in Waltham in 2021 and competes in the sport with her dogs, Blue and Demitasse. She is a supporting member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and has a BA in Psychology from the University of Vermont.

Elizabeth Park, CPDT-KA, Instructor

Elizabeth (Liz) Park currently teaches Puppy Play n’ Learn and Obedience classes while also assisting with behavior consultations. Liz earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology from Wellesley College and her master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Boston College. Liz spent several years working with children with social and behavioral challenges, during which she began exploring options for pet therapy while working with children. She gradually switched gears into the dog training world and is a certified graduate of the Victoria Stilwell Academy. Liz is also a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) and a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers.

 Janice Ritter, Instructor

Jan co-founded German Shepherd Rescue of New England (GSRNE), and directed the GSRNE Foster Family program for over a decade. She enjoys working with rescue dogs and their new owners, as well as with dogs purchased from breeders or from other sources; in other words, she enjoys working with dogs of any breed/mix, shape, and size, from large to small. Janice has titled her own dogs in competition obedience, Rally obedience, K9 Nosework (scent detection), AKC Trick Dog and in the sport of IPG (Schutzhund). She has dabbled in French Ring sports as well. She and her German Shepherd Dogs earned top honors at every titling level of every sport they worked in, and reached national levels of competition in AKC Obedience, Rally and Schutzhund. She and her Belgian Malinois are cleaning up in Competition Obedience, Rally, and Nosework! Janice’s Nosework students are trialing in NACSW, PSD, AKC and USCSS venues around New England and in Florida. These students have learned the art of training and reading a detection dog in Janice’s classes.