Presented by Creekside Critter Care OUR INSTRUCTORS Maryellen Elcock, PhD, MPH Maryellen Elcock Maryellen began training her family dogs as a young girl. She progressed to competing in Junior Showmanship and breed conformation shows until she graduated from high school. Maryellen attended Mount Holyoke College in Western MA where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biology. Subsequently, she studied Animal Behavior at Harvard University before completing a Masters in Public Health from Yale University. She also holds a doctorate in Epidemiology from the University of California, Davis. While at UC Davis, Maryellen studied under Phil Kass, DVM, PhD, a noted companion animal epidemiologist. She also actively trained her mixed breed dogs with the Davis Dog Training Club and was a local representative for NorCal Poodle Rescue. In 2001, Maryellen moved to the Seattle area to accept a position with the Delta Society, a national organization focusing on the human-animal bond (www.deltasociety.org), first as Director of Animal Assisted Therapy, and later as Vice President of Programs. At Delta she served as project leader for the publication "Animals in Residential Facilities Guidelines for Success" (www.amazon.com) and the most recent revision of the Animal Assisted Therapy Course for Healthcare Professionals. Maryellen is now the co-owner/operator of Creekside Critter Care, which represents her commitment to quality of life for all beings and is a natural extension of her professional public health career. After working with groups of dogs for years in the dog daycare setting, Maryellen developed "Dog Breath Yoga" (www.dogbreathyoga.com) a method of communicating with dogs using posture, breathing and intention. Ann Ota - Skidmore College 1986, BA psychology As an adolescent, Ann was one of the top dog handlers in her age group, participating as a Junior Showmanship finalist at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Ann has always had an affinity for larger animals and spent many hours in the riding ring when not showing her dogs. The Ota family has lived in Renton, Washington since 1990, where Ann and her husband Barry are raising three boys and tending to the various animals on their small farm including horses, goats and dogs. Ann was employed by the Kent and Tahoma School Districts for three years working with preschoolers and special education students. In 2004, Ann became co-owner and operator of Creekside Critter Care where she currently focuses on pet sitting and farm care as well as a growing dog walking program. Ann can also be spotted in her truck driving dogs to and from the daycare facility in Auburn.