A native of Long Island, New York, Emily Weiss, Ph.D., Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, has dedicated her life to developing positive, humane animal behavior programs in order to make life better for all creatures. "I believe that no animal is beyond help," says Dr. Weiss. "Rather, each is a work in progress. Through humane behavior modification, we can help animals adjust, teaching them new skills for life." From training orangutans to present their shoulders for injections to creating programs that increase the adoption of adult dogs at animal shelters, Dr. Weiss is a skilled and compassionate trainer, behaviorist and lecturer, offering humorous dynamic presentations with real-life examples to groups and at one-on-one consultations tailored specifically to a guardian's needs.

As the former Curator of Behavior and Research at the Sedgwick County Zoo, one of the nation's largest, she worked with a variety of species such as Komodo dragons, Mexican wolves, lions, orangutans and others. She then took those techniques and programs she developed and working with Zoos and sanctuaries across the country to improve the welfare of the individual animals held in those facilities.

Working with companion animals throughout her professional career, Dr. Weiss has assisted guardians with dealing with severe behavior issues with their pets. She has developed behavior modification programs focusing on aggression. Dr. Weiss has developed the SAFER™ test, an aggression test now used by shelters across the United States. She also developed the Meet Your Match™ program, owned by the ASPCA, an adoption program designed to match dog to guardian based on behavior, distributed nationwide by the ASPCA in 2003.

Dr. Weiss was recently hired as the Senior Director of Shelter Behavior Programs for the ASPCA.

When not working, Emily spends time on the ranch with her husband, four dogs, seven horses, two llamas and two exotic pet cattle.