To create safe, fun and dog-centered activities Camp Unleashed features the best of Berkshire’s Dog Professionals. Each of them is devoted to dogs in extraordinary ways.
Annie Brody, Founder (Camp Unleashed, www.campunleashed.com)
Annie is a native Manhattanite with over twenty years experience as a sales & marketing executive in book publishing, holistic pet products and as a professional environmentalist. Her mission is to help dogs and people create a balanced, more equal, relationship that nurtures and sustains both beings. She moved to northeast Columbia County in 1999 after adopting her first dog, Hero, so that her “soul dog” could run free in nature. Annie founded Camp Unleashed in 2004 so that people and their dogs could come to the country and enjoy the experience of freedom from the leash.
Shannon Fitzgerald
(Camp Unleashed Director of Training Programs,
www.leadingthewaydogtraining.com)
Shannon loves to share her passion for dogs by helping guide dogs and their companions to have a relationship filled with love, respect, and safety and of course fun that lasts a lifetime. She has over 20 years of professional animal behavior and dog training experience and has worked with both the Dumb Friends League and Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Shannon is a Delta Society trained Pet Partner Evaluator and Instructor and an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator She has taught and instructed at all levels of obedience, conformation, clicker classes, agility, and trick training and specializes in aggression and separation anxiety. She teaches classes at Dakin Animal Shelter and volunteers her time with Border Collie Rescues. She has been a 4-H Youth Leader, Dog Care Program since 1988.
Ray Wheeler and Nancy Obara (Agility)
Ray Wheeler and Nancy Obara have been involved in the agility scene on many levels since being introduced to agility in 1992. Ray is a competitor, as well as an instructor, mentor, organizer, and agility judge. With a homebase in Springfield, MA and a “day job” with Mass. Mutual Life Insurance Co., Ray is also President of ACE Agility Club in central MA, and an agility instructor for ACE in Palmer, MA and for Paws’n’Effect training center in Hamden, CT. Nancy is also an instructor for the ACE club. Ray and Nancy currently have three dogs: two Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, Majel (ADCH, NATCH, MACH, CATCH ), and Imzadi (CATCH) and a young border collie, Natira (NA, OAJ, CL2). Ray is recognized as a fun and fair Judge for three venues: NADAC, CPE, and TDAA. He is well known for his generosity in sharing his considerable experience in course design, course analysis, and course handling with competitors and numerous clubs he’s already presented training workshops with. Ray and Nancy believe in positive training methods and making agility fun for all dogs.
Nadja Palenzuela
(Dock Diving, Disc Throwing, www.hookedondogs.com)
Nadja is a member of the Purina Incredible Dog Team with 5 of the 9 energetic mutts that share her home. She has traveled the country and the world, most recently in Argentina, Chile and Colombia performing with her canine Frisbee™ experts for curious spectators and advocating for dog rescue wherever she goes. Nadja's dogs, most of whom are some kind of cattle dog mixes compete in agility, Frisbee™ and dock diving where they have been participants in national and world championships in each of these arenas. Recently her passion for dogs led her and her partner to open Hooked On Dogs in Red Hook, NY. The store is geared towards providing for and being a premier resource for the canine athlete.
Lois Platt, CPDT (Agility)
Lois is a Nationally Certified Pet Dog Trainer using positive reinforcement, a Licensed and Certified Veterinary Technician at All Caring Animal Center. She has been training dogs with behavior modification for over 20 years and has studied with Ian Dunbar, PhD,BVetMed, MRCVS, CPDT; Professor Nicholas H. Dodman, Program Director of Animal Behavior at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Amy Marder, Vice President of Behavioral Medicine at the ASPCA, and Karen L. Overall, MA, VMD, PhD, DACVB, ABS Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. Lois trained for agility with AKC Agility Judge Pamela O’Day and has been offering classes and private instruction in agility at all levels since 1994. In addition, Lois has competed with her own dogs (all Doberman Pinschers) in the conformation ring, at obedience trails and in tracking.
Leea Foran, CPDT, CTTP (www.trainingforanimals.com)
Leea is a long-standing member of the premier professional training organization—the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and has earned the title of Certified Pet Dog Trainer. She is also a Certified Tellington TTouch Practitioner, Level II, a Reiki II practitioner, a trained veterinary technician and holds a degree in Animal Behavior. Leea is the owner of Foranimals, a pet training business in Lenox, MA. She offers puppy socializing through advanced obedience classes using clicker training; private behavior consultations and problem solving; “difficult dog” classes, and Tellington TTouch workshops. Leea's guiding principle is to deepen the understanding and bond between people and animals through positive, respectful treatment and training. She and her therapy dog, Harmony, are Pet Partners™. She leads workshops in Tellington TTouch, Rally-O, Canine Good Citizenship and “Pet Peeves” — Positive Behavior Solutions Q & A.
Trix Rosen (Dog Photography, www.trixrosen.com)
Trix is a photojournalist from New York City who has traveled throughout the United States and Asia on assignment creating photo-essays about civil wars, refugees and indigenous cultures that have appeared in national and international magazines. Fortunately for us, she also loves dogs with a passion and Trix has captured their exuberant personalities and relationships with their people at all of our Camp sessions, only a small portion of which you see here on our website. Trix will be photographing canine campers in action throughout the weekend and also available for private portrait sittings.
Donna M. Raditic, DVM, CVA
(Veterinary Advisor, www.allcaringanimalcenter.com)
Dr. Donna heads All Caring Animal Center, Great Barrington, MA, a leading edge veterinary center offering both traditional veterinary medicine and alternative treatments such as chiropractic therapy, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, herbs for companion animals. Her specialty and passion is the healing power of nutrition. She has a Bachelor of Science degree with honors and distinction with a specialty in animal nutrition from Cornell University. Her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine is also from Cornell University. Additionally, she has Post Graduate Education and Certification from Tuft’s University Veterinary College in Chinese and Western Herbology. Dr. Donna is certified in veterinary acupuncture and is a member of the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, the American Holistic Veterinary Medicine Association, and the American Association of Veterinary Acupuncturists.
Dr. Donna leads a discussion and answers questions on “Natural Health & Nutrition for Dogs.”
Gianni Ortiz
(Natural Foods Approach, email: gianni@gianniortiz.com)
Gianni is a realtor in upstate New York where she shares her home with Soscha and Bunny, two charming, handsome, brilliant guys. Her childhood was filled with many wonderful dogs. Some of her earliest memories are of sitting on fur covered floors in a sea of dog legs and burying her face in the chest of one of the family pack members. She was in part, nannied by a big German Shepard, named Chocolate Chip who accompanied her and her siblings through the woods, duck farms and beaches on the east end of Long Island. She has been passionately involved with food quality and integrity issues for 30 years in many professional capacities – teaching, cooking, writing, nutritional coaching, natural product formulation for people and companion animals, and advocating for local farming.
Jody Chiquoine
(Fitter Critters and Aqua Paws™, www.fittercritters.org)
Jody is a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist who brings her caring and love for dogs to the new field of canine physical rehabilitation and canine sports performance using hydrotherapy and massage. Jody has completed courses for animal physical therapists sponsored by the American Physical Therapy Association. Additionally, she has a certificate in canine massage and has studied canine rehabilitation, hydrotherapy, canine sports medicine and canine hospice. Jody has been a registered nurse for 30 years, holds a Master’s Degree in nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner and is trained in acupressure. She is also a Certified Red Cross Pet First Aid Instructor. Jody teaches the workshop on canine massage and people interested in a private hydrotherapy session for their dog can make arrangements before or after camp at Jody’s center in nearby Lee.
Linda Jackson, Lic.Ac., MAcOM
(Canine Massage, www.centreforacupuncture.com)
Linda is a Licensed Acupuncturist who has over 20 years experience in the healing arts and has lived with cats and dogs for as many years. She holds a Master’s Degree in both Oriental Medicine and Education and treats animals and people with acupuncture, herbs nutrition and massage. She co-leads the workshop with Jody on canine massage.
Dawn Allen
(Dawn's Animal Connection, www.dawnallen.org)
Dawn works as an Animal Communicator in Florence, MA, specializing in helping humans understand their animals' behaviors and health since 1997. She also teaches workshops, assisting others in accessing their innate ability to communicate telepathically. She received her Individualized BA from Goddard College on the subject of Holistic Methods of Training and Healing Animals.
Dog photography © 2006-2008 Trix Rosen Photography.
Cannot be reproduced without written permission.