The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Spring 2022 | Page 15

Curtis Kelley Appointed to APDT Board of Directors

Curtis Kelley , CPDT-KA , was appointed to the APDT Board of Directors to fill a vacancy on the board . He joins the 2022 APDT Board : Fanna Easter , chair ; Benjamin Bennink , vice-chair , Heidi Meinzer , secretary-treasurer , Mark Forrest Patrick , immediate past chair , and directors Sandy Modell , Inga From and Heather Mishefske . Fanna voiced her delight on Curtis ’ appointment : “ We would like to welcome Curtis Kelley to board of directors . He has been appointed a 2-year term and already doing amazing things .”
Curtis explained he decided to join the board because of the lack of diversity in the dog training industry and he would like to see that change . “ It was disheartening to attend APDT conferences in Richmond and Nashville and find no other person who looked like me there ,” Curtis wrote following his appointment . “ I believe the industry would benefit immensely from having some more diverse voices contributing to improving dog training and pet care as a profession . I would like to see the growth of Black , Indigenous and People of Color members to the APDT and see an increase in BIPOC attendance at conferences .”
CURTIS KELLEY , CPDT-KA So just who is Curtis Kelley ? Like most trainers , his fascination with animals and how they think and respond to the world around them began when he was just a child . His awe of animals grew tremendously after his family adopted his first dog , Amber , when he was 13 . “ We got her at a local adoption event . I walked through the event , and there were plenty of dogs barking , spinning , jumping from within their crates . Amber , a Beagle / Foxhound mix , lay patiently and quietly , which immediately drew me to her . We took her for a test walk and wanted her right then . As I grew up with Amber in the house , I would often look at her actions and think she was the most intelligent PERSON in the household . She had such elaborate procedures for getting what she wanted from my parents . Remembering her intelligence brought me back to explore training as a career after college .”
After graduating with a degree in graphic design and illustration , Curtis started training at Petco in 2013 . He freelanced in design illustration and trained for a while , but soon found his passion was for dog training and made the switch to concentrate his efforts on increasing his skills as a trainer . “ I bounced between Petcos on the East Coast for a few years and finally landed at a small business training center called Zoom Room . Throughout that time , I also worked as a veterinary technician and worked and various shelters in Baltimore and Philadelphia . Zoom Room closed at the beginning of 2018 , and I launched Pet Parent Allies in Philadelphia a few months later .”
Before the pandemic , Curtis offered group classes for obedience and agility but stopped after the lockdown . He now offers private training sessions in and around Philadelphia , focusing on reactive , aggressive dogs in tight urban quarters .
Curtis said there is a secondary and more extensive outlook to his goal of increasing diversity in the dog training business . “ Creating a space where BIPOC feel more welcome to attend conferences and gain the latest research and methodology to training means that underserved black communities can now have access to that training information in a way they didn ’ t before . Creating access to positive reinforcement information for more trainers helps create a better experience of living with a dog for everyone .

REGISTRATION OPENs March 28 ! http :// apdt . com / apdt-conference-2022

The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Spring 2022 13