Education

Carissa Bradley, CCDT, graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in 2018 with a BS majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry. I also went to school at CATCH Canine Trainers Academy for 16 months to become a certified dog trainer (CCDT). Constantly furthering education, I will eventually be taking the IAABC exams for dogs, cats and horses and will then apply to be an animal behavior consultant. Getting credentials from IAABC recommends 500hrs experience working with each species in order to take each of the exams to become certified. The IAABC is a professional, internationally recognized organization with very high standards of who can become credentialed. 

I have loved and owned animals my entire life, throughout it owning 21 chickens, 10 dogs, 5 cats, 5 horses, 2 hamsters and 1 rabbit. I currently own 4 dogs, 2 cats and 2 horses. I also owned my own non profit dog/puppy rescue with my mother for four years, adopting out 42 dogs/puppies, working with an array of mixed breeds. I aim to own my own rescue again in a few years, for not only dogs but for cats and horses too. 

I worked for Vetco, the vaccine clinic for cats and dogs, as a veterinary assistant for 6 years. I also worked overnights as an overnight ER veterinary assistant at Pieper Memorial for 4 years. On many occasions people have told me that their animals don’t like people and will either try to bite or avoid all contact but their animals would end up asking for my attention instead. 

I’m a breed fanatic with dogs, horses, cats, and even chickens, you name it and I’ll know of the breed and probably have done research on it. I specialize in uncommon and rare breeds, especially if they are medium to extra large. Some of my hobbies are: jumping, reading, being an avid concert goer, going to amusement parks/fairs, and taking Taekwondo. I’m a Second Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo and am still continuing practice to further my ranking/education.