Heidi was born in Ohio, where she raised a variety of farm animals and was involved in 4-H for 10 years. There, she worked at a vet hospital as a kennel technician and vet assistant for 6 years. In 2015, she completed a grooming apprenticeship and worked as a dog and cat groomer for 8 years. Always having a strong interest in animal behavior, she decided in 2022 to move to Alabama and get certifications in behavior modification and scent detection at Highland Canine Academy. She then moved to North Carolina to pursue a degree in Wildlife Management Technology at Haywood Community College. She hopes to use her degree to pursue conservation scent detection to help monitor threatened or invasive species, giving shelter dogs rewarding jobs helping wildlife.

 

In Haywood county, she has worked with both dogs and farm animals at places like Behavior Tails and K9 Curriculum. At Sarges, she hopes to help the dogs build confidence with scent games and assist with their training and enrichment, supporting them emotionally until their forever homes are found. At home, she enjoys spending time with her dog Rory and cat Fiddlesworth.