While Alyssa’s love for animals originated from a young age, she truly embraced it after she graduated college when she began working at Pet Supplies Plus in 2015.  Despite graduating with an Associate’s Degree in Economic Crime Investigation, she knew quickly it wasn’t the field for her and dove deeper into the world of animals.  In 2017, thanks to her neighbor’s beloved Great Danes, she discovered her love for caring for animals and inspiration struck in the form of a business she called Jurassic Bark Buffalo NY.  Jurassic Bark provided exceptional pet care and built a significant client base over the next few years, but it wasn’t enough!  While she was offering drop in visits and staying overnight at homes with dogs while owners were on vacation, she realized that she wanted something more and became more involved in training through shadowing.  Additionally, she embarked on the exciting journey to learn more about pet photography.

In late 2019, she joined SUPERNOVA DOGS as a Training Assistant for puppy, basic manners, and agility classes and discovered the joy of positive communication and engagement between dog and human.  Not long after, she linked up with The Pet Professor as a Training Assistant (more affectionately known as Dr. Nettle’s “Canine Security”) in behavior classes for reactive dogs.  Both instructors quickly became mentors to her in her training career, and excellent guides in raising her quick, smart, zesty American Pit Bull Terrier/Husky mix puppy, Sophia. In 2022, she added an American Pit Bull Terrier puppy to her home—a little spitfire named Vandal.

Alyssa believes in the importance of clear communication and building a strong connection between dogs and their humans.  While one-on-one training with a professional benefits the dog, nothing compares to the relationship that is built when working with their own human. Speaking from her own experience working in team sports with her own reactive dog, she has seen great strides in improvement in her dog’s behavior and wants to help create that experience for others. While her goal overall is to provide students the skills they need to have a healthy, successful relationship with their dog, she strives to help others with difficult dogs see the world of possibilities that are still available to them.  One of her favorite things to do is befriend the dogs who struggle to trust humans—through the power of patience and chicken nuggets.

Sophia has given Alyssa a new appreciation for the phrase “train the dog in front of you.”  While their original goal was to trial in agility one day, Sophia’s true calling in dog sports turned out to be scent work.  Despite her reactive nature, Sophia is able to participate and excel in nosework classes—and everyday life—because of her serious sniffer.  With a lot of practice and hard work, Sophia finally earned her Odor Recognition Test (ORT) in 2023!

Alyssa recently received her Associate’s degree in Graphic Design and added design services to her pet photography business, Unleashed in the Studio. As the official photographer of SUPERNOVA DOGS, she continues to photograph her favorite subject: dogs in sports. She is currently pursuing her certificate in Kim Brophy’s LEGS Ethology course to receive the title of Family Dog Mediator. She works full time at a grooming salon and encourages clients to learn about training in cooperative care. In her free time, she likes training her own dogs, photographing dog sport trials and competitions (agility is her favorite!), hiking, creative writing, and binge-watching Netflix.