Always an animal kid, Krissi was disappointed thinking working with animals wasn’t in the cards if she didn’t want to be a vet – back then in the Stone Ages, that seemed like the only option. She moved to Jackson in 1994 with the sole intention of skiing as much as possible, but got lured back into the animal world after volunteering with local shelters and meeting Rebecca Tinnes, with whom Krissi helped to found the Animal Adoption Center in Jackson in 2003. While working here, Krissi first recognized the importance of a dog’s behavior as it relates to adoptability, and set out to learn about canine behavior and humane training. Subsequently, she enlisted the help of Jackson Hole Positive Training and founded the Animal Adoption Center’s first Training and Behavior Program in 2006.
Two years later, she came on board as a trainer at JHPT and has helped countless owners better understand and communicate with their dogs in the last 15 or so years. She has penned the Jackson Hole News and Guide Good Dog column since 2013.
Meanwhile, her passion for rescue did not subside. After leaving the Animal Adoption Center, she began volunteering for Western Border Collie Rescue as a foster in 2008, and now helps coordinate operations for this regional all-volunteer foster-based nonprofit. She assumed the role of Behavior and Training Manager at Second Chance Humane Society in Ridgway, Colorado for the winter of 2020-2021 to help develop their Behavior Program. The past few years she has been collaborating with Aska’s Animals and has helped with building the foundations of Aska’s Animals Canine Behavior Program.
Krissi is dedicated to improving the lives of dogs and the people who love them through promoting better understanding and rescue, and strives to continually learn more about how understanding behavioral influences and educating humans can create a better world for dogs. Basically, she is a complete dog dork!
She lives on her small farm in Victor, Idaho, with 4 Border Collies of her own, a rotating cast of foster dogs, and a gaggle of sheep.
