Meet Our Expert Collective

Nicole Ellis, CPDT-KA

Celebrity Dog Trainer & Author

Certified professional dog trainer. Horse mom. World traveler. Nicole Ellis can teach an old dog — or bear, or tiger, or leopard — new tricks. She has crossed the globe to train exotic animals. Nicole also works as a celebrity dog trainer on The Pack (Amazon Prime) and travels to hospitals and nonprofit orgs with her rescue dog, Maggie, to perform and educate. 

Robert Haussmann, CPDT-KA

Certified Dog Trainer & Founder of Dogboy NYC

Certified dog trainer and behavior consultant. Co-founder of Dogboy NYC. Possible secret Dr. Dolittle? (Our words, not his.) Robert helps pets and their parents navigate city life with creative, practical, and humane training methods. He’s especially good at helping pups feel safe and overcome their fears, anxieties, and subway-grate phobias.

Dr. Lindsey Wendt, DVM, CVA, CVFT, CCRT

Licensed Veterinarian and Founder of Crystal Lotus Veterinary Care

Lifelong animal lover. SoCal native. Certified in acupuncture, physical rehabilitation, and Chinese food therapy. When it comes to healing animals, Dr. Wendt is thinking beyond convention. Her journey with her dog Nala’s health inspired her to open Crystal Lotus Veterinary Care, where she provides well-rounded, customized care that gets creative and goes outside the mainstream.

Hannah Shaw

Activist & Author

Educator. ASPCA Cat Advocate of the Year. New York Times bestselling author. Hannah Shaw, a.k.a. @kittenxlady, has amassed her 1.2 million Instagram follows from providing her expert kitten-rescue tips. She travels the country teaching kitten-care classes and runs the nonprofit Orphan Kitten Club, which takes on challenging cases of kittens who would otherwise be euthanized.

Dave Coast

Registered Holistic Nutritionist. Creative. Eco-conscious dog dad. Dave Coast is helping humans and pets alike to be as healthy, happy, and sustainable as possible. His work has been featured in GQ, Out, Mother Jones, VeryWell, Apartment Therapy, The Manual, Outside magazine and more. You can keep up with his new IGTV series, Climate Chats, on Instagram.

Lauren Singer

Entrepreneur & Environmental Activist

Blogger. Lifelong New Yorker. Founder of two companies designed to promote sustainable home living. Lauren Singer rose to fame for fitting all the waste she collected throughout a year into one 16 ounce mason jar. Ever since, she has dedicated herself to giving everyone else the tools to do the same. Her company The Simply Co. sells sustainable laundry products, and her later venture, Package Free sells zero-waste kits that make eco-friendly living easier.

Henry Friedman

Nomad, rescue advocate, and #Vanlife aficionado Henry Friedman was living in a converted cargo van when he and his brother set off to bring Finn, an adopted stray, from New York to California. By the time Finn’s adoptive family changed their minds, Friedman had already fallen in love with him. Now, Friedman and Finn travel everywhere together and document their adventures on @KeepingFinn to raise awareness and funds for dog rescue.

Jess Rona

Celebrity Groomer & Owner of Jess Rona Grooming

Katy Perry’s dog groomer. Dog mom to Chupie and Meemu. Director of notable canine actors in Tegan and Sara music videos. Jess Rona does it all. She’s an author, actress, Haute Dog judge, and (of course) groomer to the stars with a cult following in LA. Want to know more? Get a glimpse into her life with her new book, Groomed.

Sophie Gamand

Photographer & Animal Advocate

Dog photographer. Empathetic storyteller. Tireless advocate. Sophie Gamand is changing the world one camera click at a time. She travels around the world to shine a light on dogs in need. Through her social media following and photo exhibitions, she has helped find homes for hundreds of her canine muses and raises funds for rescue organizations. 

Cristin Tamburo, CFTBS, CAFTP

Certified Feline Behavior Consultant & Founder of The Cat Counselor

Known as “The Cat Counselor.” Certified Feline Behavior Consultant. LA cat rescuer. Cristin is on a mission to reduce the number of cats sent to shelters for behavior issues. And she’s got plenty of expertise to help make a difference. Plus she’s the fearless leader of a seven-cat brood. So, yeah, we trust her feline judgment. 

Dr. Tierra Price, DVM

Licensed Veterinarian & Founder of the BlackDVM Network

Shelter medicine vet. Childhood fish mom. Founder of the Black DVM Network, a community to help vet professionals learn and grow. Dr. Price may be a recent graduate, but she’s already proving to be a leader in her field by connecting and inspiring Black vets, technicians, students, and clients alike.

Dr. Hunter Finn

Integrative Veterinary Expert

Veterinary expert. Lifelong dog fanatic. TikTok icon. Dr. Hunter Finn is bringing his stellar professional animal knowledge to everyday social media scrollers through his engaging TikTok account, @dr.hunterfinn. Offline, he’s the owner of Pet Method, a fear-free pet clinic in McKinney, Texas, and dog dad to three rescues.

Dr. John Iovino, DVM

Licensed Veterinarian and Digital Health Associate Veterinarian at Kinship

Brooklyn born and raised. Botany enthusiast. Six-year vet pro, with six pets to match: a bearded dragon, a ball python, two tortoises, a turtle, and a 10-year-old terrier. When he’s not hanging, Dr. Iovino is focusing on his many areas of interest, including education, preventative care, and sharing his expertise on our Ask a Vet tool.

Dr. Zay Satchu, DVM

Chief Veterinary Officer + Co-Founder of Bond Vet

Founder of Bond Vet. Big animal kid. Former Dubai-based falcon specialist. Yes, we have some questions about that last one, too. And with nearly two decades in the animal health world, Dr. Zay has pretty much all the answers. Today, she’s focusing on making the vet field a more sustainable and positive place. 

Brian Taylor

Owner of Harlem Doggie Day Spa & Creator of The Pup Relief Tour

Banker-turned-pet groomer. Former child Pit Bull rescuer. The Dogfather of Harlem, and the founder of Harlem Doggie Day Spa. Brian is all about providing cage-free boarding, daycare, and grooming. And during the pandemic, he took his skills on the road with the Pup Relief Tour to offer free services to pet parents in need.