Kelly French-Mitrevski - Owner/ Behaviourist
Kelly French-Mitrevski, BSc, MSc, received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Guelph and her Master's in Companion Animal Behaviour Counselling from the American College of Applied Science; the first Canadian to graduate from their college. Kelly is one of the only animal behaviourists with this level of education in the Windsor-Essex County area. She is also a supporting member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), and has attended their annual conference in 2011 and 2012, and their virtual conference in May of 2020. She also attended the Pet Professional Guild's annual conference in 2017 and Victoria Stilwell’s Virtual International Dog Behaviour Conference in May of 2020. Kelly is always looking for more educational opportunities to help her provide the support you and your pets need.
Animals have been an influence on Kelly her whole life and she has experience with a variety of companion animals from dogs, to cats to horses. Currently she lives with Mira, a hound mix from an Ohio shelter who had 5 puppies in December 2012 including Bootso, Kelly's second dog and cat Zoey. Kelly and her husband, Kris welcomed two baby girls into the world in November 2019 and May 2021. Prior to opening Animal Antics, Kelly worked as an Animal Behaviour Counsellor at the local Humane Society; assessing and working with dogs and cats to help increase adoptability and smooth the transition into their forever home. She has often volunteered her time to a variety of community pet rescues as well.
Kelly follows scientifically-proven positive reinforcement, non-aversive animal training techniques. She has experience working with dysfunctional behaviours in dogs, cats, horses, birds, and small animals as well as training obedience cues. Dysfunctional behaviours include aggression, fears, separation anxiety, litterbox issues, excessive vocalizations, and compulsions. She currently provides behavioural consultations and in-home training for dogs and cats.
Jayden Lucier- General Manager and Canine Behaviour Consultant
Jayden, DipCBST, CBCC-KA is our current trainer for most of our reactivity, obedience, puppy and minor aggression concerns. She always knew she loved animals even though her life experiences lead to learning more about current issues, training and careers within the companion animal industry. That experience helped develop Jayden's interest for Canine Behaviour, Positive Reinforcement and Animal Antics.
Jayden started volunteering in the daycare and officially joined the Animal Antics team in 2016. She currently works full-time as a canine behaviour consultant and sometimes group class trainer. In her spare time she continues to work with her dogs, educate herself and gardening.
To learn more about her Education/ Credentials, click here
In the future, she will pursue a Master's in Forensic Veterinary sciences, and hopes to work with working dogs (eg. scent detection, therapy and search and rescue) as well as help dogs that may be considered reactive or aggressive.
Jessica MacFarlane- Assistant Manager & Puppy Trainer
Jessica has a passion for working with animals, which we saw and admired about her during her co-op period with us. We couldn’t wait to have her on our team and hired her in June 2019. She is now one of our daycare attendants; helping with care and supervision of our groups, and is our Staff Manager. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her own dog, family and friends. She is also involved in several sports from soccer to hockey that keep her very busy. Nova, Jessica’s St Bernard has kept her on her toes- she has gained hands-on experience by working with her reactivity on walks, attending several group classes and continues to work on her manners in daycare. This summer she will be apprenticing in some of our group classes and begin to pursue her education in dog training, with an interest in Agility.
Samantha Magri- Groomer & Puppy Trainer
Sam has always had a love for animals, but her animal care career truly started after a job fair at Pet Smart in April 2016. From there she became a dog bather and Pet Smart sent her away for Grooming school. She quickly became a sought out groomer for her patient handling and technique. After a while she decided she wanted to expand her dog knowledge and began her education with Animal Behaviour College (ABC) in November 2017 (graduated in 2018). With ABC, Sam apprenticed with another local positive reinforcement trainer- Classpup Animal Training. Along the way she also worked with neighbours’ and friends’ dogs- gaining knowledge about walking, obedience cues, training tools and hands-on experience. Max, a 5 year old Lab mix was a big contributor to this being a great pal to help Sam understand dogs and training a bit more. In April 2021, Sam joined our team with a “Jack of All Trades” approach helping in the daycare with ensuring appropriate play, apprenticing in puppy classes and grooming clients she has retained over the years and daycare clientele.
Sam is currently one of our group classes trainers and as she gains experience may look into a specialty. She is very interested in helping local veterans as well as others in need to acquire and train service dogs. We look forward to all Sam will achieve here.
Mackenzie Porter- Office Manager & Puppy Training Apprentice
Mackenzie joined our team in April 2022. Mackenzie is extremely passionate about working with animals and highly values their care. She has volunteered her time with local rescues such as Second Chance and Charlotte’s Freedom Farm. She has also spoke as a delegate and organized efforts for Better Laws for Paws. Mackenzie has previous dog daycare experience from a local in-home daycare where she would mediate play, walk dogs and provide general care. Previously, Mackenzie received her Bachelor in Environment Studies and is currently furthering her education by attending CASI for her diploma Canine Behaviour Science and Technology. In the future, Mackenzie looks forward to further education and experience in the animal field and hopes to one day work alongside a rescue to provide enrichment, playtime and training to dogs.