Meet the Puppy Development Team
Our puppy development team brings years of knowledge and skills to the vital process of raising and training our Future Leader Dogs and supporting the hundreds of dedicated puppy raisers and on-campus volunteers who help to make our mission possible. Each member of the team has a wealth of experience in dog training
Laura has been with Leader Dog since 2013. Her position includes a lot of contact with puppy raisers, including matching puppies with appropriate raisers, teaching training classes and supporting Prison Puppies. Laura has a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Michigan State University and over nine years of dog training experience. Her first contact with Leader Dog was in 2008 when she donated a dog that successfully completed guide dog training. The experience was highly memorable and eventually lead her to seek a full-time career at Leader Dog. She loves coming to work every day and enjoys the wide spectrum of experiences available from witnessing a C-section to meeting the clients. Laura’s family has raised seven puppies for Leader Dog. In her free time, she likes baking cakes, watching her kids sporting events and playing with her poodles, Mike and Jasper.
Bri has been with Leader Dogs for the Blind since 2016 but made the transition to breeding and puppy development in 2024. In her role, she supports our Leader Dog mom and dad host homes to provide the best beginnings for our neonatal Future Leader Dogs. She works closely to monitor and support the early development and socialization of our puppies. Additionally, she supports first-time whelping moms and host families, to ensure a smooth delivery process. She also conducts Behavioral Checklist (BCL) assessments on our puppies to help place them and set them up for success!
Bri studied dog body language in Animal Assisted Interventions at Oakland University and is a Certified Assessor of the Behavioral Checklist. She is also slated to attain certification as a KPA-CTP (Karen Pryor Academy – Certified Training Partner) in 2025.
At home, Bri and her husband stay busy with their many children and animals (including dogs, chinchillas, rats, a cat and a snake.) Her three dogs are a Doberman/Lab cross named Kiki, a Golden Retriever named Maggie and a lovely yellow German Shepherd Dog named Mooka.
Allison graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in biology. While in Athens she volunteered with the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind as a puppy raiser and leadership team member. She raised 3 puppies with GDF. Venus was career changed, Bill is a working guide dog in New York, and Shannon is now a working guide! After graduation Allison worked as the foster-volunteer coordinator for an animal shelter in Georgia. She loved working with so many dedicated volunteers and so many different animals at the shelter. She also fostered a few animals while working at the shelter and adopted one kitten after bottle feeding him for the summer. Allison is excited to be working with volunteer puppy raisers as a puppy development coordinator and supporting them while they raise future Leader Dogs!
Before volunteering at Leader Dog, Vijay worked as a labor and delivery nurse. In 2014, she joined Leader Dog as a volunteer puppy raiser and is currently raising her fifth puppy. She has been a volunteer puppy counselor for Leader Dog in a correctional facility in MI, translated for Spanish-speaking clients and assisted with Leader Dog training weekends. Leader Dog is an organization with values and a mission that pulled at Vijay's heart. She believes that the volunteers have heart and compassion that this organization nurtures and appreciates. Her position as coordinator of Prison Puppies and Campus Puppies allows for her creativity, joy and passion to be a part of an organization that she deeply respects. She has a bachelor's degree in biology and an associate degree in nursing. She is also a Certified Training Partner with Karen Pryor Academy and TAGTeach Level 1 certified. Vijay enjoys working with Leader Dog's puppy raisers whether they are raising in a correctional facility, on a college campus or in an outside family environment. Helping them and sharing their experiences is both rewarding and humbling. Outside of work, she loves to travel, zipline, garden, roller coaster and hike.
Ashley has been with Leader Dogs for the Blind since 2021. She initially served as the Canine Development Center Administrator and has recently transitioned into her role as a Puppy Development Coordinator, specializing in puppy placement and Behavior Checklist (BCL) evaluation.
Ashley graduated from Oakland University with a degree in Environmental Sciences, but her true passion has always been working with dogs. Growing up, Ashley’s father worked in the Rochester area, so she knew about Leader Dog from a young age, sparking her interest, leading her where she is today.
Currently, Ashley is working towards her Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP) certification and her BCL certification.
In her free time, she enjoys drawing, painting and caring for her dog Mavis and her cat Binx.
Barrie Lynn’s years of experience in dog training has taught her that trust and confidence are the building blocks of a great dog and its people relationship. She has had great success and fun through trick training. She always says, “Everything we ask a dog to do is basically a trick.” Barrie Lynn earned her Bachelor of Applied Science degree with a minor in field biology from the University of Michigan. She also has an associate degree in science and applied science. Barrie Lynn loves spending time gardening, birding, tending to her horses and of course everything with her dogs, Moose and Bam Bam, 5 and 50 pounds respectively. Other interests are camping, hiking and skiing.
She is certified in the following areas:
AKC: CGC, TD, and ATT Evaluator, FIT Instructor, FDC Judge
DMWYD: CTD Instructor, CCF Coach, SD Judge
UKC: SPOT Evaluator
Lauren graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in zoology and has worked with Leader Dogs since 2021, starting as a puppy care attendant. She then worked in the veterinary clinic here at Leader Dogs, where she helped in an administrative and technical aspect. Lauren has over 10 years of animal handling experience and is a certified Fear Free advocate. Lauren is excited to help and connect with our puppy raiser volunteers and watch the puppies as they go through Leader Dog training from start to finish. Lauren's hobbies include spending time with her husband and new baby, as well as her two puppies Knox (a CC'd LD) and Duke (a rescue). She enjoys gardening, knitting, crocheting, and being around (and in!) water in her free time.
