Hi! I’m Sarah.
I’m a scholar-practitioner-advocate in the field of human-animal interaction. Specifically, my career has focused on service dogs (also called assistance dogs) trained to help people with disabilities. I have been involved with service dog partnerships since 2010 in many different capacities, including service dog training, client services, program development and administration, and research.
Currently, I’m completing doctoral work in psychology with the Organization for Human-Animal Interaction Research and Education (OHAIRE) at the University of Arizona (PhD expected May 2025). Recently, I was honored to receive the American Psychological Association (APA/APAGS) 2024 Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology.
I am an Assistance Dogs International-certified service dog instructor, volunteer trainer, and co-founder for the Canine Companions service dog raising programs at the University of Arizona and the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona (FCI Tucson).
Please consider supporting the FCI Tucson prison dog handling program through our Amazon wishlist!
WORK EXPERIENCE
Doctoral Research Associate → OHAIRE Lab | 2021-Current
National Director, Training & Client Services → Canine Companions | 2016–2021
Service Dog Instructor → Canine Companions | 2010-2016
Research Assistant → Cornell University | 2006-2012
