Meet the Trainers

Abby, CPDT-KA, has experience training dogs, both for clients as well as in shelters. She has worked in day cares and boarding facilities before coming to OHS.

 She is a native Oregonian and shares her home with a poodle mix dog and a calico cat. She loves to garden and do various crafts.

Jennifer Shirley, CPDT-KA, joined the Oregon Humane Society’s Training and Behavior Department in 2007. Prior to that, she was a volunteer and joined OHSTAR (Oregon Humane Society Technical Animal Rescue) after her life-altering experience in New Orleans post hurricane Katrina (and during hurricane Rita).

She usually has a newly-arrived, terrified Chihuahua or Terrier with her at her desk and does her best to help Behavior Helpline callers resolve their animals’ issues.

She shares her home with her husband, Bruce, and their Shiba Inu/Husky mix Emi, an alumna from OHS.

Jenn Fiendish, CVT, VTS (Behavior), CPDT-KA, CTDI, FFCP-E, FFCT has been in the animal care profession for 30 years, with the past 12 focusing on animal behavior and training.  She is the owner of Happy Power Behavior and Training in Portland, OR. In addition to her work here at OHS, she also helps with patient care and management at Synergy Veterinary Behavior.

In her free time, Jenn enjoys equestrian sports, reading, and is an avid crocheter. She shares her home with hairless dogs, geese, a snake, and one very patient husband.

Kei Haan, CPDT-KA, started working professionally as a dog trainer in 2016, though his passion for dog training began years prior to that. He began training with personal dogs as a hobby and knew from a young age that he wanted to become a dog trainer. Alongside his dog training experience, he built up experience working in pet retail and dog daycare settings, as well as mentoring new dog trainers. He’s currently a professional member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and a supporting member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.

Though Kei enjoys working with dogs of all kinds, he especially enjoys working with anxious or reactive dogs, as his own dog — a poodle mix named Lukas — is one of them. He also has a personal interest in service dog training, so he has a lot of fun helping dogs refine their training so that they can utilize their skills in all kinds of settings.

In addition to his dog, Kei enjoys the company of his two pet birds — one cockatiel and one green cheek conure — at home, who he also has fun teaching. In his free time, his hobbies include drawing, creative writing, and video games.

Krista, CPDT-KA, worked at several animal rescues and shelters in the Los Angeles area before coming to OHS. Striking out on her own and founding her own business— which provided contact training services to pet stores, doggy daycares, and shelters—she honed her expertise in various aspects of dog training including agility. Krista’s instructional repertoire includes both cats and dogs, with a particular affinity for shy, reactive, and dogs with breed specific needs.

Krista’s passion for training extends beyond the basics, emphasizing the well-being and confidence of every student and helping build a long-lasting pet and owner relationship.

In her free time, Krista enjoys hiking with her dogs, reading, crafting, photography, and exploring the Portland area.

Lea-Ann Yakabe, CPDT-KA, came to dog training relatively late in life. Her life changed after adopting her very first dog from OHS in 2003. She was taken completely by surprise by the depth of her love for this dog and her fascination with learning how to better communicate with her. This started her on the path of dog training.

The part of dog training that Lea-Ann enjoys most is working with the dog-human team and helping them discover how fun and rewarding training together can be. She finds it so fulfilling to see how it enhances and strengthens their bond with each other.

Lea-Ann firmly believes that having dogs in her life makes her a much better human being than she would be without them.

Marissa, CCDT,  has been in the animal care profession for over 15 years with the previous 7 years focused on Dog Training. Marissa’s training journey started after her own experience with her rescued pit bull, Zeus. Marissa has worked in multiple daycare boarding facilities, vet clinics, and Petco as well as volunteered for the local Humane Society since she was 13 years old. When not training dogs or furthering her education, Marissa enjoys Mexican food, watching a movie, or gaming. She shares her home with 2 rescue pit bulls, Zeus & Athena, a cat, and a rescued horse. 

Nick Tahran teaches classes with his wife, Paulina. They’ve been involved with OHS for several years as dog walkers, foster parents, Dog Trainer Prep students, and now instructors themselves! They enjoy sharing what they’ve learned with their enthusiastic students. Nick believes dog training is largely physical, like learning to play a sport or musical instrument, so they teach dynamic classes with plenty of time for students to practice and learn by doing.

Paulina Tahran, CPDT-KA, started as a volunteer at the Oregon Humane Society. After a few years of volunteering at the shelter, fostering dogs with special behavioral needs, working at daycares and as an on-call trainer, she became a staff trainer working with staff, volunteers and members of the public through group classes and private consultations.

Right now, Paulina and her husband, Nick, share their house with two rescue Akitas: klutzy Ronin and his best friend, even klutzier, Billy.

As a dog trainer, she views every dog as an opportunity to broaden her dog training skills and she particularly likes working with adolescent and overstimulated dogs.

Paulina is inspired by those trainers and scientists who approach dog behavior and training with insight, patience and also humor, such as Jean Donaldson, Chiraq Patel, Sindhoor Pangal and Simone Mueller . She is a force free trainer who follows LIMA (Least Intrusive Minimally Aversive) methodology.