Hi, my name is Louise and I am the Education and Community Officer for Edinburgh. I cover all areas in East Lothian, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, Scottish Borders, West Lothian and Edinburgh . I have been a teacher for 30 years.The last 13 years I have been a depute head teacher. I have experience in teaching all levels from early to second level, within the curriculum for excellence. I am now so fortunate to be combining my love of teaching with my love of animals, especially dogs. In my role as an ECO I can offer to run workshops or assemblies to teach children to behave safely around dogs. Please get in touch if you are interested in workshops or assemblies in your school.

Hello! My name is Helen and I’m the new ECO for South West Glasgow, covering Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. I have a selection of humans and animals at home including two hamsters, one dog…a red fox called Bron and one and a half cats - Jeff and Lennox. Jeff decided to ‘move out’ when we got Bron and so he now lives two doors up and pops in every now and again to say ‘hi’. I love stomping about outdoors by the sea on stormy days with doggo, as well as a bit of reading, fishing and then a trip to the pub afterwards! Before joining Dogs Trust I was working as a Primary School teacher across different ages and stages. As a result have lots of experience in different classroom settings as well as lots of bonkers stories that can only come with working with kids! I am really excited to get stuck in and meet the team and contribute to the work of Dogs Trust!

I began working for Dogs Trust in 2008 and have worked in a variety of roles, most recently working with the Home From Home Department finding foster homes for our dogs to give them some respite from the kennel environment while we seek for their forever home. I have recently studied to gain a teaching qualification to allow me the opportunity to work as an Education & Community Officer, covering North Lanarkshire, Glasgow city, Stirling, Clackmannanshire and East/West Dumbartonshire. I aim to share the skills I have learned and teach our future generation all about how to display safe behaviour around dogs. If you’re interested in hearing more, have any questions, or would like to book a workshop, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Hello! My name is Julie, and I am one of the Education and Community Officers for Northern Ireland. I am a qualified primary school teacher and massive dog lover. Imagine my delight when I landed this dream job that allows me to combine both my skills and my passion! I feel very privileged that I get to help keep dogs happy and children safe by delivering very important messaging regarding safe behaviour around dogs. I would be absolutely delighted to come and deliver some workshops in your school, so if you are in one of my council areas, please do get in touch! I cover Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon, Belfast, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Newry, Mourne and Down and North Down and Ards. Don’t panic if you don’t see your council area, you’ll be in the very safe hands of my wonderful colleague Paula Mulgrew, who you will also find on this website.

Hi, my name’s Paula and I’m over the moon to be one of the ECOs in Northern Ireland! I was a primary school teacher for 28 years before I got this job and to be able to combine my teaching skills with my obsession with dogs is a dream come true. I have five rescue dogs – Clyde the collie, Poppy the husky/golden retriever cross and the staffies, Goober, Booboo and Wee Sandra - who are my best pals! Apart from dogs my other interests include art and I have my own little portrait business, where I mostly draw pets and sometimes people. I am also a bit of a fitness fanatic and enjoy lifting weights and functional fitness training. In my role as an Education and Community Officer, I deliver workshops in schools and other community settings in the council areas of Antrim & Newtownabbey, Causeway Coast & Glens, Derry & Strabane, Fermanagh & Omagh, Mid & East Antrim and Mid Ulster.

I began working for Dogs Trust in 2014 and have worked in a variety of roles, most recently spending three years teaching dog training classes to owners. These classes focussed on how to understand our dogs better, thus improving their welfare through the ways in which we interact with them, and behave around them. Alongside my work I studied to gain a teaching qualification, and am now extremely privileged to work as an Education & Community Officer, where I can teach the next generation all about safe behaviour around dogs. If you’re interested in hearing more, have any questions, or would like to book a workshop, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Hi, my name is Rachel and I am one of the Education and Community Officer for the North East. I cover Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland schools. I am a fully qualified teacher and have over 7 years of experience working within Primary Schools across the different Key Stages. I love teaching children and seeing their ‘lightbulb’ moments as they engage in my lessons. Working as an Education and Community Officer means I can combine my love of teaching with my passion for dog welfare! Dogs are so special to many of us and we love spending time with them so I want to teach children how to behave safely around dogs so that both children and dogs are safe, happy and thriving within our community. I can deliver our free, engaging ‘Be Dog Smart’ workshops both in-person and online so please get in touch to find out more.

Hello, my name's Angela, and I’m one of the Education and Community Officers. I started working for Dogs Trust in 1999. Initially I was a Canine Carer at the Merseyside Rehoming Centre, which gave me valuable first-hand experience of life at a rehoming centre. I'm also a qualified teaching assistant, so working as the Education and Community Officer allows me to combine my passion for animal welfare and teaching. I love visiting schools and groups and talking about the issues surrounding dog welfare, particularly Safe Behaviour Around Dogs. I offer both in person and online workshops across Merseyside. The workshops are fun, free and as interactive as possible.

Hello, my name is Bethan and I am the Education and Community Officer for Cheshire As a qualified teacher I can offer fun, free, interactive workshops, in-person and online, to primary schools in Cheshire. Our workshops are all linked to the curriculum, with the overarching theme of Safe Behaviour Around Dogs; teaching children how to interact safely, responsibly and compassionately with all the different dogs that feature in their lives. Please get in touch to book workshops for your school.

Hello, my name is Rachael and I am the Education and Community Officer for Dogs Trust in North and West Yorkshire. Prior to working with Dogs Trust, I was a Primary School Teacher. I enjoy educating children on how to behave safely, kindly and responsibly with dogs. If you would like to book free fun and interactive workshops for your school, do not hesitate to contact me.

Hi, my name is Amy and I am the Education and Community Officer for South and East Yorkshire. I am a fully qualified primary school teacher and a dog enthusiast! I recently adopted a rescue dog, Dusty, whom I adore. Dusty shows signs of having a difficult life before she came to me and has needed time, patience and positive reinforcement to feel safe and secure in my home. Because of Dusty, I have developed a keen interest in dog welfare. I love working for an organisation whose focus is to educate the future generation on animal welfare and being a responsible dog owner. I aim to use my teaching skills to foster a responsible love of animals in children and educate them on how to ensure all interactions they have with dogs are positive. Please get in touch to book a free workshop for your school.

Hi, my name is Sam and I am the Education and Community Officer for Lancashire. I have two dogs of my own, Spencer and Mila and have had a lifelong love of all things canine! I am lucky enough to live by the sea so we spend a lot of our spare time at the beach. I was a Primary School teacher for twenty years before landing my dream job at Dogs Trust and I cannot wait to teach the next generation about being safe around dogs and the importance of dog welfare. Our workshops are fun and interactive and free of charge. Please get in touch to find out more about the exciting work we do!

I am Education and Community Officer for Greater Manchester. I'm really excited to be working in a role that combines my love of teaching and my passion for dog welfare! I am a qualified secondary teacher of English and I also have an MA in American Literature. I have a Border Collie called Scout and absolutely love to teach her new tricks. Outside of my enthusiasm for all things dog, I also like to write and perform my own poetry at spoken word nights in and around Manchester.

Hello, my name is Alison and I have been the Education and Community Officer for Shropshire and Staffordshire since 2011. Before working for Dogs Trust I worked in the childcare sector for over twenty years. I’m a qualified childcare practitioner and a qualified FE teacher and assessor. Being an Education and Community Officer allows me to combine my passion for teaching with my love of dogs. I look forward to the opportunity of offering our fun, engaging and free workshops to your school.

Hi, I’m Ali and I am the Education and Community Officer for Nottinghamshire. I love having the opportunity to guide children to behave safely, kindly and responsibly towards dogs. Before working for Dogs Trust I was a primary teacher and SENDCo. I specialised in outdoor learning and I am a qualified Bushcraft instructor. I have two cats named Milo and Socks and my darling dachshund Daisy. I love being outside so my husband, Daisy and I spend lots of time caring for woodland, campfire cooking and enjoying the countryside where we live. We also love the seaside and spend a lot of time in Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast.

Hello, my name’s Sarah. I’m a qualified teacher whose two passions are children and dogs, so how lucky am I to be able to combine them both in my job. I truly believe that educating young people about how to stay safe around dogs is crucial to improving the lives of dogs and keeping children safe. I offer free, fun and interactive educational workshops and assemblies, please get in touch to book one!

My name is Claire & I am one of the Education & Community Officers working in and around the West Midlands. Before joining Dogs Trust, I was a primary school teacher for over ten years working mainly with KS2 pupils. They do say never work with children or animals, but for me, nothing could be more perfect! I love working alongside children, supporting them in learning new things and sharing ideas. I have two rescue Staffies, who I absolutely adore. They are called Dizzy & Bullseye! I can combine my teaching skills and passion for animal welfare to deliver FREE interactive workshops helping model and guide children to show safe behaviour around dogs.

Hi there, I’m Charlotte and I am the Education and Community Officer for Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. I’m a trained teacher and love the opportunity to share my love of dogs with the young people and families that I work with. I offer fun, free, interactive workshops, either in person or virtually, to primary schools across Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. The theme underpinning all these workshops is Safe Behaviour around Dogs. I want to help the young people and families that I work with to be safe and happy around dogs which, of course, will help to keep our wonderful dogs safe too. Please get in touch to discuss our workshops further.

Hello! My name Is Darcy and I started working at Dog’s Trust in December 2021. I am an experienced and qualified teacher and animal welfare advocate. I come from a background of colleges, zoos, rehabilitation centres, farms, and animal welfare enforcement. My background has allowed me to have a very broad understanding of animal welfare and I believe that the best way to promote positive change is through the education of young students, hopefully creating the next generation of animal welfare advocates.

Hi! I’m Phil - the Education and Community Officer for Kent. For many years I worked as a primary school teacher and school leader in a variety of settings across East Kent. I have also worked for Dogs Trust as a canine carer, helping to look after and rehome the dogs at the Canterbury Rehoming Centre. I am now lucky enough to combine my passions for both teaching and animal welfare through the delivery of the Dogs Trust school workshops. These workshops educate children in safe behaviour around dogs and can be delivered to primary schools throughout Kent. Please get in touch to book a workshop and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Hi! My name is Jo and I offer excellent educational opportunities in the Surrey area through fun, interactive, in-person or online workshops. My first dog (Bessie) initiated a lifelong passion for dogs and their welfare. This passion developed into a career as I studied Animal Science and subsequently qualified as a teacher. Dogs play such a positive and important role in our communities but can be misunderstood for a variety of reasons. It is my aspiration to help share experience and knowledge with others, to promote safety and welfare.

Hi! I'm Karen. I've been a teacher for over 30 years and a dog owner all my life. I have rehomed my last three dogs from various centres. I currently have Libby a real Heinz 57 beauty. Most of my time away from work is spent with her and we love our long walks together. I also enjoy gardening, cooking and being a Lancashire lass watching Blackburn Rovers!

At the beginning of May 2020 I was welcomed onto the team as an Education and Community Officer. I bring to the role a wide and varied experience, I have taught school children of all ages from EYFS classes to Key Stages 1 through to 4, from all cultures, backgrounds and abilities. I qualified as a Secondary Science teacher in 2012. I am very excited to be working alongside the other Education Officers to help achieve Dogs Trust’s mission.

My name is Helen and I work with schools in Bristol, North Somerset, Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire. I’m a qualified teacher, with many years’ experience working in nursery and primary schools, first as a class teacher and then in environmental education. I have a passion for animal welfare, and also love to sing, so my workshops and assembles have been known to end with a rousing song!

Hello! My name is Claire and I am the Education and Community Officer for South Wales. I have worked with children, youths and families and have always had a passion for animal welfare. I am very lucky to have the privilege of combining my experience and qualifications to deliver fun, free interactive Be Dog Smart workshops by visiting your school or delivering online. Please book soon for our essential tips on how to interact safely and compassionately with dogs in our homes and community.

Hello! My name is Steph and I am the Education and Community officer for Sussex. I have worked for Dogs Trust since 2019. I am a fully qualified teacher and before joining Dogs Trust, I was a primary school teacher in Brighton. I love being able to combine my enthusiasm for education and dog safety when I visit schools. Please get in touch if you would like to book some free workshops in Sussex.

Hello, I am Emily and I provide the school and community workshops in Devon. Before starting this role, I was a primary school teacher and leader for almost 20 years, with experience in every year group from Nursery to Year 6. I love to work with young people and to support the development of their social and emotional skills, and to spend time in the beautiful Devon countryside with a dog companion! As an animal lover and a teacher through and through, the role of Education and Community Officer makes me very happy. Please do get in touch if you are interested in a school visit.

Hello! My name is Vicky and I am the Education and Community Officer for Dorset. Before starting this role I was a primary school teacher for many years and I also volunteered at my local Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre. Combining my love for teaching and passion for animal welfare makes this role ideal. Helping children learn safe behaviours around dogs, so both the children and dogs are happy and safe, makes me happy. If you would like to book a free workshop please do get in touch.