The Animal Emotions 2026 Scholarship Program – ILLIS Animal Behaviour Courses

My name is Pernille, and I live in Copenhagen. I work professionally with dogs, with a particular focus on sensitive dogs, including former street dogs and dogs with complex emotional backgrounds. This is also personal for me, as I share my life with a former street dog who has deeply shaped my understanding of emotional vulnerability, regulation, and trust.

In my work, I place great importance on communicating with dog guardians in a way that is compassionate, respectful, and scientifically grounded. I often see behaviour being addressed without enough attention to the emotional states beneath it. For me, it is essential to shift the focus from what the dog is doing to what the dog is feeling, and how those feelings influence behaviour, wellbeing, and the relationship between human and animal.

Although I work professionally with animals, I also invest all my available time, energy, and resources into continuing my education and developing my skills. Ongoing learning is a core value for me. The Animal Emotions course represents exactly the depth of understanding I am seeking, particularly the insight into core emotional systems and how this knowledge can be applied ethically and in support of animal welfare.

At the heart of my work is a wish to support people in becoming more attuned and compassionate, so the animals in their care can thrive. The knowledge gained from this course would be applied directly in my work and shared with the many people and dogs I support.

At this time, it is not financially possible for me to enrol without assistance, but my motivation and commitment are strong. I would engage actively with both the course and its community and would be very grateful for the opportunity to participate.

Warm regards,
Pernille Rebien

Hi Pernille, I’m sorry but the deadline for the Scholarship application has passed – so sorry.

Hi , I hope I am in the right place for applying for a scholarship! I have been reading this website with great fascination and would love to do the course. I am the founder of a small foster based European dog rescue in busy South East England, Give a Dog a Home UK and its sister neutering fund, Spay It Forward UK . We have websites and Facebook pages and have been going for 13 years, homing 700 deeply disadvantaged dogs of all ages, shapes and sizes , from Greece, Romania, Bosnia, Cyprus, Bulgaria , Macedonia and Serbia, after assessing and carefully homechecking for them in foster. We train and develop the Fosterers via a private Facebook page and meetings.

All my pension goes in helping the dogs in the abject shelters (it’s currently -16 in Romania) . At present I am helping another rescue get a dog ‘out of jail’ and into foster where we hope to rehab her so she can be homed. We come across many of these potentially ‘unhomeable’ dogs who can’t go back to their native country and may languish in kennels or be euthanised. Any of our Fosterers will tell you I long to help them more – this is where your course comes in! I have what I believe is a good understanding of dog behaviour but from your free ‘nuggets’, I know the dogs I rescue could benefit more from conveying your deep knowledge of animal emotions to myself and hopefully the Fosterers.
I would add that when I retired I decided to devote my life to animals, and have volunteered as a wildlife rescue ambulance driver in Kent, a feral cat trapper in London and a swan rescuer in Cornwall!
I hope I have covered the necessary areas to convince you that at Give a Dog a Home we NEED your course so that I can be a conduit for your wisdom!

Hi, I’m Effie, I live in Greece and I work as a dog groomer.
Through my work, I meet many dogs every day, and also the people who care for them. Each month, many animals could benefit directly from the knowledge I would gain from this course, and even more indirectly through the advice and support I offer to pet parents and other professionals.

I am not teaching in a formal way right now, but I often share what I know with dog guardians and colleagues. My main goal is to help people understand their dogs better, not just how to handle them, but how to communicate with them. I want to encourage respectful interactions that take into account the dog’s emotions and mental state, and to help people ask for the dog’s consent whenever possible.

If I had the chance to take this course, it would help me improve the way I work and care for the dogs I see every day. It would allow me to create calmer, safer, and more positive experiences for them, especially in stressful situations. This knowledge would not only help the dogs in my care, but also their people and the wider community.

A scholarship would help me greatly, as it is difficult for me to afford the cost of the course at the moment. Even so, this learning is very important to me and closely connected to my values and the way I want to support animals.

Dear Karolina,

I’ve watched your first three free Animal Emotions webinars, and they deeply moved me. They confirmed something I’ve felt for many years — that emotions are the foundation of animal behavior, welfare, and true connection. I would love nothing more than to gain this knowledge fully and properly through the complete course.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the financial means to enroll. All my sparetime and resources go into voluntary work for dogs and their people in Denmark. But what I do have is a large and active community. Through my non-profit work and national network, I’m connected to more than 10,000 dog owners across Denmark.

If I were granted a scholarship, this knowledge would not stay with me alone. I would actively share and translate your teachings into practical understanding through community walks, guidance for foster and family dogs, and direct support for dog owners — helping them see how emotions shape behavior, relationships, and welfare. I truly believe this perspective can change lives, both human and animal.

I’m deeply committed to improving the lives of dogs through education, compassion, and understanding. Your work resonates profoundly with my values and my mission, and I know this course would allow me to make an even greater impact.

Thank you for creating this work — and for considering my application with an open heart.

Warm regards
Ann

Thank you for this incredible opportunity. This is so generous and deeply appreciated. My name is Stephanie and I live in the U.S in Southern California. I have been slowly building a holistic canine wellness practice for approximately 7 years (planning for about 15) while navigating a climate of extreme financial hardship. My work right now involves offering energy work, massage, nutrition and wellness support to dogs and pet parents. I currently work with about 20 dogs, although that number fluctuates as I collaborate with a trainer who has new clients revolving consistently. My plan is to reach more animals and pet parents by opening a facility offering wellness services such as physical therapy, nutrition guidance, bio-energetics, frequency medicine and other holistic modalities. My hope is to build training with employees and pet parents that educate about the pet’s emotional experiences in order to offer them agency over their body and participation in the wellness process, which in turn, reduces stress and improves well being. I am also developing an e-course for pet parents that I would love to include the emotional education to help guide pet parents to not only care for their pet physically, but emotionally. I think the course can help immensely as the animal’s emotional state is fundamental to wellness and nervous system regulation. Additionally, understanding the animal’s emotions can greatly improve their well being in general which improves health outcomes and longevity. Thank you again for this most generous opportunity.

Hello, I live in Brick, New Jersey, USA
I am the Director of the Pet Ministry at my church, where I interact with many pets and their owners. I founded the Pet Food Pantry, helping families feed their pets, and Chair the Annual Blessing of the Animals, “A community outreach for pets and their owners, bringing them together with resources to enrich their lives together”
I do not do any “formal” training at this time; however, I am frequently asked for my opinion about training and feeding issues as they arise. I am the “go to” person regarding dogs. I have always been gifted with communicating with dogs, however the education I will gain from your course will hone that skill. Dogs “get” me!!
I have enjoyed volunteer Pet Therapy visits in nursing homes, with my dog Beauregard and during Covid, private homes with Breeze. Beauregard participated in Humane Education with the local Shelter, in schools and other organizations. Toby, is in training for his CGC preparing to participate in Reading to Dogs Programs.
My desire is to create a Pet Therapy Team, a “leg” of the Pet Ministry at church. I know the satisfaction of “giving back” with my dogs, I want to help others to achieve this with their “four-legged” partners. I’m overjoyed thinking of the number of people we can “brighten their day” with a cold nose and wagging tail.
It doesn’t get any better!!!!
Thank you for your consideration,
Ivy Kirn

Hej Karolina,

I’m Andrej from Hungary.

I live with a young black cat (my dog passed away at 15.5 yo) and I am also surrounded with 2 cats and a dog at my daughter’s place. I helped the cats’ birth 14 years ago 🙂 These are the animals that could be directly affected by the course.

I’m not currently engaged with teaching, I’m an at-home enthusiast 🙂

Having read some of the applications, it’s unlikely that my participation would make such a great impact on animals as many of the other applicants’, yet as a long time follower and admirer of your content I try anyway. Our dog was directly affected by a firecracker at 9 months age and is fearing loud noises ever since. I’m more and more motivated to try and put an end to it by gradually desensitizing her – I received some helpful tips in last year’s course about conditioning, in one of the free videos.
Although we went through a mainly clicker-based training with my daughter and the dog, I still feel some of the techniques taught there were aversive and would like to recognise them and possibly correct them. After all we still use the training that we were exposed to in our daily lives. As for the cats, they all trained us very well, but I’d like to understand the emotional bond that I have with my youngster as thoroughly as possible.

Hi Karolina,

Thank you for giving us this opportunity, to learn more about the animals we love, so that we can help improve their lives – and, by doing so, the lives of their humans as well. For me, those animals are dogs.

I live in a small village in the eastern part of Groningen (Holland). I am a certified dog trainer and I volunteer at two positive, force-free dog schools: one focused on dogs with high drive and behavioural challenges, and one regular dog school.

I share my life with five dogs. One of them became traumatised after an incident with another dog. I had no idea that a single event could have such a deep impact. Watching my dog struggle broke my heart and sparked my interest in everything related to canine behaviour. My dog is doing much better now, but we are not quite there yet.

I want to support the dogs at both dog schools, as well as my own dog. More than that, I want to help dogs and their humans build the best possible relationship by giving dogs a voice and teaching people to truly see and understand their dog. To really listen to what the dog is communicating. Loving, respectful communication is my goal.

I am especially passionate about helping puppies and their new families, so puppies can grow up to be happy, resilient dogs who feel safe with their people and confident in the world around them. That is my passion.

Knight is our 3 year old rescue German Shepherd. This is our 3rd rescue. Gary and I live in Fountain Hills, Arizona. We are 72 years old. After two years of grieving our previous german shepherd we decided to rescue Knight 3 months ago.

We need a better understanding of the behavior with Knight especially when people visit our home and when we take our dog outside our house.

Knight is very strong and becomes very excited when seeing other people and animals. He is a people and dog friendly animal but his excitement of pulling to greet them will eventually pull us down. We are trying to calm him down; your course would give us the wisdom to have Knight better respond to us.

At home Knight is a delight and listens to sit, down, stay, and come. This is a safe place for him and has no distractions. When visitors come over Knight wants all the attention by barking and not leaving our visitors alone so we can socialize as adults.

Being retired and on social security we would benefit from your course by learning the behavior of Knight to become a well mannered dog. We have the time and energy to work with Knight but our knowledge is limited.

We listened to the free videos and are confident your classes will help us have a better relationship with our family member inside and outside the house. Thank You.

I like in UK, and have a registered rescue and rehoming charity. We currently have ten dogs living at home, a mixture of our own ex rescue dogs, and fosters that we are rehabilitating for the charity. I have a deep interest in animal communication and behaviour, and holistic therapies to help them.

All of the dogs (some that came in with emotional problems) plus many dogs that come in to us for help would benefit enormously from me taking the course.

When time permits we like to teach our volunteers and encourage them to study animal welfare subjects.

If admitted to the Animal Emotions course if would help the animals in our care enormously, and help us to understand more about the emotions they are feeling, and how to help them to deal with them. Hopefully it would help the people connected to these animals to understand too.

Im a dogtrainer located in Bergen (Norway), and I work both in a petstore and as a dogtrainer. I meet many clients everyday who struggles to understand their pets feelings.

Directly animals that would benefit from me taking this course is my students in my weekly dogtraining classes, this is usually between 4 and 20 student a week, depends on the week and type of classes. I also indirectly meet between 30 and 150 petowners in the store daily, where some bring their pets and some does not.

Im passionate about animal behavior and is studying to become an behavioural consultant, but I do feel there is a lack of deepdive into the emotions of the animals, since its usually more focus on behaviour.

This course would give me as a instructor and storeemployer a better understanding for the animals emotions so I can easier help owners with their animals. My wish is to help owners understand their animals as best as possible and their needs so they can give them the best life possible.

Hello! I live in the south of Norway. I’m a nurse and a breeder of flatcoated retriever.
I’m familiar with behavior training in humans and I see its mutch the same with animals.You have a wonderful, easy way in explaining the most difficult things! And I have been following you for years know!
For the time beeing i have three grown up flatcoated retriever at my home and I follow up dogs from my own breeding. Quite a pack.
I’m also active in the retriever community here in the south! I try to help others with their dogs . We see dogs we dont understand and I’m quite sure we can benefit from your lectures!
I’m retiring as a nurse and can use more times with my fantastic hobby- dogs . With your course I’m sure that I’m more capable to help other dogs- dogsowners!
Yours sincerely !
Gunbjørg Bjørneboe

1. Where do you live?
I live in Portugal, where traditional, compliance-based animal training—especially in equestrian settings—is still the norm, and emotional welfare is rarely prioritized. Access to science-based, compassionate education on animal emotions remains limited, making this course especially important in my context.
2. How many animals would directly or indirectly benefit from your taking the course?
Hundreds of animals each year would benefit directly and indirectly. I work daily with horses, many of them rescued or with trauma histories, and I also teach guardians of horses, dogs and cats. What they learn with me is applied across multiple animals, homes and environments, multiplying the impact throughout Portugal.
3. Do you do any animal-related teaching?
Yes. I teach every day in an equestrian center, training horses and educating owners and students. I am actively working to move away from traditional, often coercive methods and to build a welfare-centered, ethical school in Portugal, grounded in choice, positive reinforcement and respectful communication. I already use positive reinforcement, but I see daily that without understanding emotions, animals continue to struggle.
4. If admission to the Animal Emotions course landed in your lap, how would it help you, the animals in your care or your community?
My daily work depends on the ability to read, interpret and respond to emotions in real time. Emotional experiences shape learning, motivation, trauma and resilience. This course would allow me to support horses more effectively—helping them recover from fear, feel safe, and truly thrive with humans. Guardians would gain empathy and clarity, reducing frustration and harmful practices. Financially, this course would not be possible for me without a scholarship, but its impact would ripple outward—improving animal welfare, education and ethical practice across my community and country.

I hope you win. You are brave.

I am of Danish origin but currently live in Switzerland.

I work with the Guide Dog Association, fostering puppies and also a coach dog parents.I am committed to transforming people’s lives with animals. ‘Make it PAWsible’

Currently finishing my diploma as a dog coach here in Switzerland.

There is a big need to better understand the emotions of animals as this is really the heart of understanding behaviours further but also creating a great relationship with your animal and having a high welfare for the animal.

Being accepted into the masterclass would be a great opportunity to deepen my knowledge further and help animals thrive in our complex human world. We have taken animals out of their natural habitat and taken them into our human world, we need to support them to navigate in our world.

I would look forward to the opportunity to join this masterclass as I currently have no financial means of starting this course.

Ditte

Hi Karolina!

I live in Lafayette, CO – USA

Our family dog Ginger would love to benefit from what I would learn in this course! I also work with hundreds of people/dogs (along with some cats, horses, and goats) a year and being able to clearly explain and show how emotion drives behavior would be invaluable!

I volunteered at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley for 6 years in the training & behavior center. I am a dog trainer, behavior consultant, and animal communicator (working on energy healing as well). Since 2017, I have worked with clients privately using a holistic approach – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational well-being (moving away from the “traditional” training approach). I also host a podcast “The Dogs of Our Lives” and am working on creating group classes in my area.

All animals that I work with, human and non-human, would benefit because not only will it continue to help me grow and become a better teacher/guide/person but I will better be able to support the emotional aspect of the people and dogs that I work with. This guidance and support will have a ripple effect on everyone else they interact with. One aspect of my approach is the emotional aspect – this course would make a profound difference in helping people understand themselves and their animal companions!

1) I live in the south of Denmark in a town called Haderslev
2-3-4) I am a behaviorist, dogtrainer and I am a volunteer in the Danish emergency management agency with search and rescue dogs. I have a large contact surface with both families and professionals within the dog world. So I would reach a lot of people. And in Denmark we need to draw attention to the positive methods both for family dogs and the professionals/working dogs

Hi, I’m Kasia and I live in Poland.

For the past 20+ years I have been working as behaviourist and dog trainer with approximately 300 clients a year (excluding academic field). My work also includes providing dogotherapy for kids in schools and preschools, as well as teaching future behaviourists. I have 6 dogs (three of which are very sensitive and emotional Border Collies) and 2 cats.

During my professional experience, I often come across working with dogs that are traumatized, usually the one’s that’ve been adopted from shelters. As I try to expand and update my knowledge as much as I can, I’ve been looking for someone who could help me change people’s attitude towards animals in Poland. I was intrigued by your approach and the way you share your knowledge, and I think, I have many opportunities to spread it professionally. Paying close attention to body language is highly important to me and I also conduct research on this topic. Working with children through dogotherapy allows me to implement some groundbreaking changes in the attitude towards animals in the new generation.

I am passionate about learning, especially when it comes to my biggest love, which is my work. Unfortunately, as we all know, passion and knowledge doesn’t always come with money, that’s why I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to receive a scholarship. I think this could help me make a difference in the approach for the younger generation and future behaviourists.

I live near Wakefield Village, a small rural village in Quebec, located about 40 minutes from the capital city of Canada. I run a modest business, Ahimsa Dog Training, and work with approximately 50 clients per year. Our area has a small population, and I also receive a very small pension, so my overall income is limited.

I offer Basic Skills group classes using games and positive reinforcement techniques to teach foundational skills. I also work one on one with people whose dogs have behavioural issues. My approach focuses on teaching people to respect and work with their dogs, recognizing that behaviour is an expression of a dog’s emotions.

Educating dog guardians about working and playing with their dogs without suppressing their emotions, and providing opportunities for dogs to practice natural behaviours in a safe way, is extremely important for overall welfare. This course would greatly support my work in the community, and my dog Sedric and I would also benefit significantly from the learning.

1. I live in Denmark, in the outer parts of Copenhagen.
2. I have on dog in my house. But I teach in a dog club, where everyone can join, and it is fairly cheap to join, so it’s for everyone. Also, those who can’t afford “real” counseling if there is at challenge or problem with the dog.
3. I have an educated trainer, I teach puppies, ordinary dog training and a bit of dog fitness or body awareness for the dogs. It’s very fun and educational both for the owner and me when teaching.
4. If I get the course, it would give me new knowledge, boost me as a trainer and in my everyday training I could guide the owners and help them understand their dog better, give them a better dog training and in the end a more enjoy full time together. I would be able to help the owner with small challenges, and hopefully change the course of the dog or the challenges to a better living.

Hi Karolina, thx for being You!
I live in Squamish, British Columbia Canada.
A town with more dogs than people.
I have been studying positive reward training and canine behaviour for the last five years.
It has been a way to help me grieve the loss of my very best friend and start to help others With their fur babies.
I already recommend you and many of your thoughts to others.
I already have a positive effect on hundreds of animals and of course the growth of people helping people with good information becomes exponential.
I first thought I would offer Some canine enrichment support, walking et cetera and soon found the moment you interact with someone’s dog you are indeed a part of their training.
Yes, I teach and the scholarship would be a great way to continue my own understanding and to better assist those in my neighbourhood And community. Personally I will continue to assist those who cannot afford trainers and I soon hope to be able to afford another canine companion for myself.
Although I hesitated to apply for a scholarship, I do believe I can be another branch of your teaching to others on the West Coast of Canada.
Thank you for being a positive influence on the lives of so many animals around the world.
Rich
❣️

Hi Karolina, my name is Deborah, I live in Ireland. I’m a dog trainer and behaviour support guide and about to open my own pet care centre also(indoor space for dog behaviour, compassionate grooming, a library for pet owners to borrow books about animals and their psychology or care, and a small section for pet products)
I continuously educate myself and do at least one course a year. I’ve studied with providers in various countries, and my approach would be best described as heavily inspired by the workings of people like Turid Rugaas with a big focus on body language and emotions. In Ireland, an approach like this is rare, and even many animal professionals don’t understand the very basics of these topics, which makes it difficult to improve the struggling animal welfare situation here. However, I have found that these methods are very interesting to my clients who then educate their families! It warms my heart. So, the animals that would benefit from this course would be my clients’ pets(directly), and others through the spread knowledge(indirectly). Being able to do my part for animal welfare would be influenced by your course; I find the module topics to be so intriguing and have had an interest in this specific course for a very long time. You are a wealth of knowledge! However, at this time I cannot afford it due to the costs of setting up shop and rising bill prices. Thank you!

We are Aga and Bigi, from Szczecin, Poland, and we finished a professional course together, as a Dog Training Instructor, last year.

I have been helping in a local rescue house for over two years now, and it is the same scenario with each animal person – what is their story and why are they there?

If only there was a way to better understand them, and get to know what they have been through, because then, we would be in a position of positively helping, by developing tools that could prevent this happening to them, while at the same time provide the tools of support for the humans that have failed them.

If only they could tell their story!

I guess that what I am looking to learning and experiencing might best be described as finding a common method of communication, something like the ‘Esperanto’ of the animal world…..

Just to have a few key pointers to some hints on how to communicate at a higher level with animals, beyond training with commands and treats as rewards….

And to then be able to build on that…. from that point on… myself….

Oh! what it would mean to me to have a small vocabulary in ‘animal speak’ where I could convey exactly what my thoughts are to Bigi, and then to understand, from his response, and find out what his thoughts are.

That would be truly amazing!

So, would you be able to help me with that?

Hello, I live in New Zealand and run a dog walking business, I currently have 27 little darlings that I take on adventure walks on my beautiful property every week. I love what I do and want to do it better; for all of the wonderful dogs in my care.

Hello Katarina
I live in the Hampshire, UK.
I am an Applied Canine Behaviourist, I have 5 dogs, a 14 year old Collie, 2 11 year old, a 9 year old and a 6 year old, all Tibetan Terriers. My youngest Talya developed Encephalitis, was given 48 hours to live, she survived, but a different girl. Understanding emotions would help me and her enormously.

My 14 year old was a very misunderstood dog who came to me at 6 mths having bitten numerous people in her short life. She took a lot of time to rehabilitate, but she has never bitten since being with me.

This last year has been difficult for multiple health reasons which has left both myself and my husband without work. Embarrassingly I need to apply for your scholarship scheme, if I am to stand a chance in doing this course.

I feel this course would help in my progression with the wonderful animals I live and work with enormously.

I run two Facebook groups that both have thousands of followers one group is Training and Behaviour, the other is Grooming and Health, both offers free help to anyone who needs it.

I am applying to my local council for permission to offer free dog training in a park for my community as I feel there is a real need here. Your course would help me offer more to the animals and people I work with.

Thank you for this opportunity to apply.

I hope you get it Julie

Thank you.

I live in Lithuania. At this time of the year I am based in Vilnius, but I also teach online and travel around the country, as I am preparing my own dog for search and rescue operations.

Directly, around 5–10 animals would benefit from my work every week. Indirectly, the number is difficult to estimate. I actively participate in dog training discussions, Facebook groups, provide free consultations, and answer questions online. These answers remain freely accessible. I offer free training course for new puppy owners also.

I own a dog training school where I educate and prepare future dog trainers. Two of my students are also applying for this scholarship, proud of them!

In recent years in Lithuania (and abroad), I’ve noticed a growing divide between trainers who are seen as “working from the heart” and those who “work with a diploma.” I work from the heart and with a diploma, but it is challenging to connect these two aspects.

This course would help me bridge this gap by strengthening the scientific foundation behind my work. This would improve my own practice and help promote emotionally informed, science-based training within dog trainer community. Most importantly, it would help the animals involved, as I believe there are skills and knowledge I am missing out. Thank you for this opportunity!

Hi Karolina
I live in the UK and have 3 dogs and our son lives with us and has a dog which we look after when he’s at work or goes away, three are female, 2 get on with each other and our youngest gets on with neither, they all used to get on but all that changed about 9 months ago while the youngest was in her heat cycle, all 3 get on with our male and he’s fine with them but because the girls don’t get on we live in a constant crate and rotate system, our youngest is around 30 months old this can’t be her life, this course would make a difference to all 4 dogs and the 3 humans in this household, the stress and anxiety is definitely having an effect on all of us human and K9.
Thanks for the opportunity to apply for this scholarship it means so much

Hi, I’m from the UK. I’m an animal lover and advocate, rescuing dogs, not just in the UK, but in other countries in the EU. I not only adopt the very special breed called rescue, but foster for several rescues too. At present we are fostering a Spanish mastin who has several behavioural problems, which is very common in the rescue world, sadly. Plus we have our Romanian and Greek rescue dogs, who I love dearly. When i go to Spain, I volunteer at an amazing dog rescue. The situation is that they are so busy with the daily chores of the rescue with such a huge amount of homeless dogs, that they don’t always get the time to spend helping the dogs with issues. I love spending time with the overlooked dogs that have trauma anxiety, or just petrified of humans because of the abuse they have suffered. I’d really love to do this course so I’m able to help even more of the dogs that don’t know that all humans aren’t bad. I will not be earning any money from doing this course as everything I do is as a volunteer, whereas if I did this as a job i would expect to have to pay. All my spare money goes to help charities in need of funds for food, heating or vet bills, or travelling to Spain to volunteer at the rescue.

Hello, i would love to attend this course. I am currently responsible for assisting clients and their furry kids with behavioral issues as one of the veterinary hospitals for which I work. I also work at a rescue, where I am the animal health and wellness technician. I am consistently attempting to offer behavior help at no (or very low cost at hospital). Any and all information that I could supply would be amazingly helpful! -Alicyn Lambert, CVT, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, FFEC

I live in the smallest state in the US, Rhode Island, and have worked in animal sheltering since 2007. For the past 2.5 years, I’ve focused exclusively on cats with behavior challenges—often the ones most at risk of being overlooked or returned. I’m a Certified Feline Training and Behavior Specialist, Fear Free Certified Professional, and a member of IAABC and PPG.

In 2025, our shelter adopted out nearly 600 cats, and many more were supported through behavior plans, enrichment, and adopter guidance. With new leadership at our shelter, I’ve recently moved into a full-time role dedicated to feline behavior and enrichment, and I’m building a pet retention program to help keep cats in their homes while supporting adopters during those first critical weeks.

Education is a big part of my work. I mentor staff and volunteers, guide adopters, and am developing programs like kitten kindergarten and shy cat classes to help caregivers better understand their cats.

If I were granted access to the Animal Emotions course, it would directly impact the cats I work with every day. It would deepen my understanding of emotional states, strengthen my behavior assessments, and help me better support families so fewer cats are returned to the shelter. For me personally, it would be an opportunity to grow professionally while continuing to advocate for cats through compassionate, science-based care.

I truly love this work, but I cannot afford this course without a scholarship. I found the mini masterclass incredibly helpful and would be deeply grateful for the chance to take the full course.

Hello, I am from Cornwall in the UK.
Due to mental health problems I dont work, so we have limited money
coming in. My fur family have helped me over come the “not wanting to
be here” situation I found myself in when I was bullied out of my job
of over 12 working for elderly and term animals because I spoke up
about a couple of bad incidents. I would love to give back to them and
understand them better so I can do better for them. They are all
rescue, elderly/term ill/disabled hard to rehome animals that I have
taken on my self, 13 cats and 1 dog at the moment. I don’t know
anything else but to care for animals, its my life, what I know.
I am qualified in animal crystal healing and Reiki thru the Let the
animals lead method. I am also trying to learn animal kinesiology
which deals with trapped emotions so this course would be an amazing
accompaniment to that course. I love learning how to be better for
animals and not just the ones in my care.
I would love to pass on what i learn to those that have nothing to
give but deserve to learn more and help the animals in their lives,
who most of the time have only their animals that keep them going and
to help independent rescues with animals that have been severely let
down.
I use what I know to give back to all animals and the people who care
for them and a cat rescue I help out at.
Im used to not having much in life as I give everything to animals,
its all about giving back and how I can help serve and understand them
better, whether they are domestic, captive, farm or wild.

Hello!
My name is Yvonni and I’m from Greece.
I’m an animal trainer and I’m currently working with many different animals in shelters such as cats, dogs, horses, donkeys, pigs and a few different birds. I also work with clients and their beloved pets plus I train therapy animals so many different animals would directly benefit from this course.
I teach animals ways to feel good, help them gain confidence, give them the tools to handle stressful environments such as shelters and also teach caregivers how to properly communicate with their animals and how to read body language correctly.
Since I was little I had a dream of becoming a veterinarian to help and heal animals but as I got older I realised my true calling was healing them from the inside out. Emotions are so important for their wellbeing and just by focussing on what their emotional state is and what they need to thrive has already made a big difference in the animals I train ( and also in myself if I’m being completely honest haha). If I had the opportunity to take this course I would make the best of it and use this precious knowledge to help animals even more.
Thank you for your consideration.

I live in Lithuania, where I share my life with four Catahoula Leopard dogs. Animals are not just part of my home, they are at the heart of my daily work and long-term goals. Living with my own dogs has taught me that behavior is always communication, and behind every action there is an emotional need. I currently assist at a dog training school and am actively working toward becoming a professional dog trainer. Through my work, I support many dogs and their people. I teach both group and individual training sessions, and regularly consult owners who struggle to communicate with, or understand their animals. My aim is to keep learning and growing so I can help as many animals as possible live calmer, safer and more emotionally balanced lives with their families. Understanding animal emotions is essential to reducing stress for both, animals and humans. When people learn to truly read and respond to their animals, fewer dogs are misunderstood, abandoned, repeatedly rehomed or end up in shelters. I believe animals deserve to feel safe, heard and respected, not controlled or corrected out of misunderstanding. This is not just career path for me, it is a responsibility I feel toward the animals, who depend on us, to understand them. If I were granted access to this course, it would deepen my ability to teach with compassion and clarity. The knowledge gained would ripple outward, improving the lives of my own dogs, the animals I work with, and the people I educate. Even small shifts in understanding can change the entire life of an animal, and the human beside them.

Dear Karolina,
I attended the masterclass Animal emotions and especially one of the comments did catch my heart “Come to me for help”. If I as a parent for several dogs and especially a dam with reactivity issues could implement that, her life, my life but also the life of the dogs I meet as a trainer for “patrullhund” – courses in Sweden would be life changing. These dogs are usually high drive but not always harmonic. What if I could learn to perceive and interpret their underlying emotions and mediate it to their owners/handlers instead of just working with their behavior and skills needed for the service. How wouldn’t that change our training protocols! Our understanding and problem solving! Thus affecting both human and dog welfare. A possibility to apply for a scholarship comes in handy as my workplace announced layoffs and I am on that list so no room for any courses at all for now and who knows how long.
Best regards, Monics

Hi, Karolina
I am a veterinary behaviourist from Kyiv, Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war, a significant part of my caseload has involved trauma‑related and PTSD‑like presentations in dogs and cats — animals living in unstable environments, shelters, foster systems, or families under chronic stress. Their caregivers and the professionals supporting them often have limited access to modern behavioural education, yet they face some of the most complex cases.

Every year, hundreds of animals benefit directly from my consultations, and many more indirectly through the educational work I do. I teach caregivers, veterinary students, veterinarians, shelter teams, and behaviour professionals. My focus is trauma‑informed care, emotional regulation, fear‑based behaviour, and practical decision‑making in difficult conditions. Education has become one of the most effective tools we have in a country living through war.

The Animal Emotions course would give me deeper, science‑based knowledge that I can immediately apply to the animals and people I support. Understanding emotional processes at a more advanced level would strengthen the behavioural protocols I design for trauma‑affected animals and improve the training materials I create for professionals who are working with high caseloads and limited resources.

This course would not only expand my own expertise — it would directly improve welfare outcomes for animals across Ukraine and give their caregivers clearer, safer, more effective tools to help them.

Thank you for considering my application and for supporting initiatives that advance evidence‑based behavioural care for animals and the people responsible for them.

1. Where do you live?
– A town close to Montreal Canada.
2. How many animals would directly or indirectly benefit from your taking the course?
I have 2 siberian huskies one of whom is deaf from birth.
3. Do you do any animal-related teaching?
Only my 2 huskies.
4. If admission to the Animal Emotions course landed in your lap, how would it help you, the animals in your care, or your community?I am very open to learning new ways to connect with my dogs especially Amani who is deaf.

What difference would it make to you and the animals and people around you? Having additional ways to connect with my girls would be fantastic.

Hi Karolina,
I live in the Netherlands. By taking this course, I hope to benefit many people and their dogs. I am at the beginning of my own company, where I work as a behaviour consultant, support owners who work with psychiatric assistance dogs, and guide new puppy owners at a dog school.
At this stage, it is unfortunately difficult to earn enough to fully support myself. Courses like these are incredibly important for my professional growth, but they are a significant financial investment for me at the moment. At the same time, I strongly believe that spreading knowledge about animal emotions can make a real difference and deserves to reach a much wider audience.
I am very passionate about sharing knowledge with all of my clients and helping them become more aware of how important it is to understand their dog’s emotions. I also actively discuss these topics with my colleagues, so they become more aware that there is more beneath the surface. I hope, in this way, to gently lift the curtain and broaden their perspective as well.

I am already very enthusiastic about the masterclass (actually, all of them), and participating in the full course would truly be an honour for me.

Dear Karolina
My name is Isabelle, and I live in France, in the Paris region.
Maybe this is not luck, maybe this is synchronicity. I have always loved animals, since I was a very young girl. I would see a dog on the street, no matter how big, I would go pet it. I have had cats and dogs and been heart-broken when they left. As a child, I kept saying I wanted to become a veterinarian but my results in Mathematics were not good enough to pursue that path.
So I turned to people, caring in my own way: I have been a professional coach for 8 years now, after doing many other things, among which communication and languages. However, something is missing. I can see I have developed a very special relationship with my neighbor’s cat and the dogs I meet always greet me as if they knew me. My apartment is too small to actually own a pet but I crave their contact. I talk to them, even insects, saving bees or caterpillars on the street, not to mention snails, from being crushed… And I realized that it is my next calling. Animals are truly the love of my life. I want to spend my winter years with them, caring for them, maybe opening a shelter or going to work for one. This training would bring the missing piece in my already very intuitive and loving relationship with animals. Thank you for considering my application!

Hello Dr. Karolina, I live in Brazil, I have two small dogs and I also am a dog trainer, therefore, a bunch of dogs would benefit from me understanding them a little bit better. Due to money related issues, I am unable to purchase any course that is not brazilian, the courses we have here are not very diverse in content and I am always seeking knowledge in material abroad, I always end up getting whatever is free for all (and I am very thankfull for that), but I can’t help but feel like I am missing on something. I deal with a lot of fearfull dogs and frustrated owners, the goal I seek with my job is to help families have better relationships, I want them to be able to enjoy life with their dogs. I couldn’t afford your course, it is pretty much my rent, but I would make great use of it and would be very grateful if given the oportunity.

I live in Toronto, Canada, and work primarily with dogs and the people who care for them in busy urban environments.

Directly, hundreds of dogs and guardians I work with each year would benefit from this course through my private training practice, group classes, and behaviour consultations. Indirectly, the reach is much wider. A large part of my work is with rescues and foster-based organizations through my company, City Dogs Training & Behaviour. I also created The Rescue Plan, an educational program that has now been taken by over 1,400 fosters and adopters and continues to grow. Through my teaching, conferences, and professional programs, the knowledge I gain often reaches thousands of dogs beyond the ones I meet in person.

Yes, teaching is at the heart of what I do. I teach dog guardians, mentor new trainers, develop professional curricula, run the annual Dogs and the City Conference, and founded ParCORE Dogs, a program focused on building confidence, resilience, and emotional regulation.

If admission to the Animal Emotions course landed in my lap, it would deepen work I am already deeply committed to. I spend most of my time helping anxious, fearful, and reactive dogs, where emotions—not obedience—are the true starting point. I already centre emotional welfare in my training, but a deeper scientific understanding, and learning alongside a community that shares this focus, would allow me to create more thoughtful, humane, and lasting change.

Most importantly, this course would help me better explain what is happening inside a dog to the many humans I teach—and help shift traditional training rhetoric that can be so detrimental to animals—so more dogs are met with clarity, compassion, and understanding.

Hi Karolina.

I’m Ebere Nwankwor (29y) and live in the Netherlands with my partner and our two Greyhounds.

I always had a special interest for ethology, which developed into a nerdy fascination for canine behavior & ethical dog training, and in particular: Sighthounds.

Sadly, due to my ASD diagnosis (among others) and the lack of accommodations in my country: I’ve been unable to pursue this passion academically and, after a BA in Creative Media & Game Techologies and working as a UX designer, I entered long-term sick leave and am left unable to work 8n the future due to medical incapacity.

However, my passion for animals remained and I yearn to for meaningfull voluntary work or a future career if compatible with my health. I’ve been taking courses, helping local Sighthound rescues and teaching SH guardians.

My aim is to provide education in the ethical guardianship & training of Sighthounds and to help rehabilitate & transition adopted/fostered SH rescues/retirees into pet-life.

I was asked by a local SH rescue to help them put the Irish dogs (Greyhound & Lurcher rescues from IE) ‘on the map’ in our country, because there’s little adoltion interest in them. They desperately need homes (euthanasia cases,1y+ stays,…), but are overlooked as dutch SH rescues are unfamilliar with them and occupied with rescueing Spanish SH’s. The irish shelters rely on international adoption because within the country is scarce.

I hope to help dozens, maybe hundreds of Sighthound dogs in my country using my expertise without Ai.

Hello Karolina!

I live in the Fraser Valley, BC, Canada.

How many animals will benefit directly/indirectly from me taking this course? I have 5 unique adopted animals with their own needs. I walk dogs for seniors in poor health on limited income, and often care for a dog whose owner struggles with addictions and poverty. I’m a student and hope to volunteer/ become employed at the SPCA or other rescue centre when studies finish. I also become involved in various ways when I meet animals in need.

I don’t do any animal-related teaching.

I hope this course will teach me to better understand and support the unique emotional needs of the animals in my home, those I support, and those I will encounter in the future. By understanding their emotions I hope to create better environments within my control.

What difference will this course make to me and the animals and people around me? I can become better in-tuned as a caregiver in understanding my companions’ experiences. I would have valuable insights to share as a resource for my community in every day settings and situations. Each day can bring opportunities for listening, learning, and sharing with other animal lovers. It would improve quality of life for both animals and their people. I feel many misunderstandings and negative consequences could be avoided if we as people truly understood the individual inner emotions of animals.

Thank you, I hope each applicant can take this course.

Hi Dr. Karolina, I live in Baltimore, MD-USA. I presently work with private clients, rescue intakes, and shelter animals (plus my crew!) on a regular basis. I strongly believe that we must meet the needs of an animal to best of our ability before real learning and lasting change can take place, including and especially understanding their complex emotional lives. Agency, choice, and the ability to communicate consent can be absolutely life changing. We have so much to learn from and about the animals in our care and from people whose work is centered on understanding their beautiful minds. In addition to my personal work and rescue support, I serve as the Working Dog and Education Chair of my regional breed club., organizing workshops that promote force free, reward based training methods. I’m driven by the desire to improve how we assess and provide for the emotional and behavioral needs of dogs in the shelter/rescue environment and work alongside our working dogs with mutual trust, enjoyment, and compassion. Scholarship opportunities help to offset the cost of continued education, maintain my credentials , and afford the volunteer work in the communities I serve. I’d greatly appreciate the opportunity to complete this course. Thank you for your consideration!

1. Vilnius, Lithuania.

2. Each week, I work with about 25-35 dogs. I also run my social media, where each post is seen by at least 2,000 dog lovers.

3. Yes, I’m a professional, certified dog trainer.

4. I’ve taken your course, Resolving Challenging Behavior, and without hesitation, it was the best animal behavior course I’ve taken. I can say that confidently because I’ve also studied widely in other ways – through reading, listening, and participating in seminars and conferences.
That course inspired, motivated, and challenged me and my perspective both as a pet guardian and as a professional, and it shaped my understanding tremendously-especially the importance of emotions. That’s why I want to dig even deeper.
Working as a trainer is my full-time job. Every day I meet dog guardians and their dogs, trying to solve challenges so I can help them live in harmony and enjoy each other’s companionship as much as possible.
I’m very active on social media and run an account where I share tips, training advice, new studies, and answer followers’ questions for free. I’ve also shared your blog posts and courses, and I would do the same if I participated in this course.
I do that because I find so much value in sharing my knowledge and helping dogs, especially those whose guardians are willing to learn more but lack the finances. I’m opening my own dog training school this year, which is why the scholarship would help me a lot.

Hi Karolina,

I live in the Midlands, UK, and I’m currently studying animal behaviour. I’m applying for this scholarship because I believe that understanding animals’ emotional lives is essential for doing behaviour work ethically and responsibly. With the cost of study and living expenses, I don’t have the financial means to enrol in this course without support.

I’ve taken several of your free courses previously and found them genuinely enlightening and extremely useful. They provided depth and insight that I haven’t encountered in my studies so far, and they really highlighted how much more there is to learn about emotions and welfare. This course would offer a level of understanding that I know I won’t get in my current studies.

At the moment, dozens of animals would benefit directly or indirectly from what I learn. Alongside my studies, I have just started running positive-reinforcement dog and puppy classes, so the knowledge I gain would immediately benefit my teaching and practical work. I also hope to work with horses in the future, and I feel strongly that this should only be done with a solid understanding of emotional wellbeing.

If I were able to take the Animal Emotions course, it would make a huge difference to my confidence and competence as a behaviour practitioner. It would allow me to support animals and the people around them more thoughtfully and compassionately. I’ve had a difficult background, and animals have always been part of my family and a source of comfort, so being able to give back to them through better work would mean a great deal to me.

Thank you for considering my application.

I live in Safety Bay, Western Australia and volunteer as head instructor at Rockingham Dog Club. Every year, the club has over 90 new pet dogs join and currently has over 300 members.
I developed designed our club’s fear free curriculum, which covers all six class levels with games, rewards, and trust building.
Mentoring the instructors is a major part of my role. Through regular workshops and coaching, I support instructors in applying positive reinforcement and understanding canine body language.
My vision is to make fear free dog training enjoyable and accessible for every member. My goal is to ensure every dog and their handler has a positive experience.
Thank you so much for offering scholarships.

Good Morning!

Q1: I live in Gloucestershire, UK but my study/work has global applications.

Q2 & 3: It is hard to put a figure on this, but the general answer is many. I would embed the learning from this course into my current PhD research on the psychological and behavioural impact of domestic abuse related trauma in dogs, as well as include the learning within my teaching from CPD to University level. I currently deliver training to professionals across the human and animal welfare sectors on how to recognise and respond to human and animal survivors of domestic abuse related trauma.

Q4: If I was successfully awarded the scholarship, it would really help with my foundational knowledge of animal behaviour. This is especially useful for my PhD which is centred around the emotional life of dogs. However, the learning would have applications beyond that as I would embed it into every part of my work, from research to training, to model development for cultural paradigm shifts. I am not a canine behaviourist, I am simply someone with a deep passion for understanding the inner workings of animals minds and a want to use the knowledge to help people and animal victims of harm recover and change systems so society sees animals as victims in their own right, able to be traumatised and thus also deserving of protection.

Dear Karolina
After completing my DogWise COAPE International training certificate, your Master Class on Emotions and almost completed the RCB course, I am more than ever interested in digging deeper in to pet emotions / core emotions. This resonates strongly with me, especially as I have a BC cross (7 Years) who can be rather pessimistic at times.
Already I have incorporated more play and more seeking, big difference.
My colleagues and I own a Dog School and believe we can add even more value and quality to our training, teaching owners how valuable training is, and how they can learn to “listen to whispers.” Kindly consider me for the Scholarship.

thanks

Greetings from Queensland Australia. My house is full of 5 poodles 6 rescue cats and 5 rescue parrots. I’m retired because of a disability. 25 years nursing and 5 years vet nursing. I have volunteered as an instructor at local obedience clubs for many years and have bred and shown dogs. Last year I studied dog psychology and behaviour which was interesting but I still feel I have so much to learn about communicating from all types of animals. My life now mostly deals with rescue animals who need all the help they can get

I live and work in rural Styria, Austria. My work with dogs didn’t start because I wanted to train behavior but because I couldn’t look away from how many animals were misunderstoodand asked to function in a world that rarely considers how they actually feel.
I support dogs who are labelled “difficult”: reactive or fearful dogs, overwhelmed rescue dogs, adolescents in emotional chaos. And I support their humans, who often arrive exhausted, ashamed, or scared of doing something wrong. I also support a local shelter and I am a foster for dogs who struggle living with humans due to traumatic experiences in their past.
Teaching is how I try to change things. I don’t teach commands. I teach people to slow down, to observe, to understand behavior as an expression of emotional state and nervous system capacity. In my consultations, I help humans rebuild trust in their dogs, and often in themselves. I support them in finding mechanisms to help their dogs cope with stressful situations. Over and over, I see how knowledge about emotions softens relationships and reduces pressure on animals who were never “bad”.
The Animal Emotions course feels deeply aligned with why I do this work. I want to ground my experience even more firmly in science, so I can advocate for animals with more clarity. This scholarship wouldn’t just support my education but strengthen my voice for the animals I work with, and help me create safer, more compassionate worlds for them to live in.

Hi Karolina,

I live in Amsterdam. My dog and the dogs I walk would directly benefit from your course! I am also a member of dog search and would love to know more how to read lost dogs’ their emotions. I am a member of the Grisha Stewart Academy. When I can follow your course, my dog can change more lives by being exemplary in social behavior. She already touches people’s hearts, but she has an anxious attachment style. I am an eager student and I reply many times in blogs or Facebook posts when people are in doubt what to do. I am an active member of Labradoodles Group in Facebook. I wish I had the means to follow your program, but I don’t. I would mean the world to me to be able to follow your interesting lessons.

Hello my name is Electra, I live in Ireland.
I mind doggies for people in my home.
I love animals of all kinds, and woukd like to learn how to interact with them in ways that are beneficial to them instead of imposing my idea of what they need.
I absolutely love my work I have never met any dog I didn’t like they have all been unique and loving characters.
I have learnt so much through these interactions but would like a better understanding of animal drives so that I can work more harmoniously with them
I also volunteer with an animal shelter in my locality and would love to bring such skills to that environment. And truth be known my own dog who is 2 years old is a little bit reactive I really need to learn new techniques to help him feel more confident and relaxed when out on our walks
This course woukd mean the world to me I love learning I watched uour video and it really resonated.
Kindest regards
Electra

I live in the countryside in the south of Poland, where I train two Golden Retrievers: one show dog and one working dog who competes in mantrailing, dummy, and obedience sports. I am currently changing my career path to become a professional dog trainer who uses only positive, science-based methods. Unfortunately, many trainers in Poland still rely on aversive techniques, especially in dummy and obedience training, and I want to help change that culture.

I am also an apprentice judge in mantrailing and a trainer in the Krakow Mantrailing Group, where I teach handlers and dogs who assist in police search and rescue operations. Through this work, I directly influence the welfare and performance of many dogs, as well as the understanding and skills of their humans. The dogs I train play vital roles in locating missing people, so improving their emotional well-being has real-life consequences for both animals and humans.

Being admitted to the Animal Emotions course would profoundly enhance my ability to read, interpret, and respond to dogs’ emotional states. It would help me teach others the importance of empathy and positive reinforcement in dog training. The knowledge gained would benefit my own dogs, the working dogs I train, and the wider local community by promoting methods that nurture confidence, trust, and cooperation instead of fear and stress.

Hi, I’m a recent graduate of the APDT foundation course in the UK, heading into a career change into working with dogs as I have increasing health related problems which make it impossible for me to wrk full time in my present profession. I also want to do something that matters and makes a positive difference in the world, which my current job doesn’t. I have two working cocker spaniels who between them have global anxiety, noise related phobia, separation anxiety, and some pain related issues, but I want to make an impact on all the dogs and people I teach and interact within my community. I am on the point of moving into a campervan permanantly (due in part to financial constraints) and I intend to orient my training / teaching towards dogs / people in the vanlife / boater and general traveller communities, who are often unable to access positive reinforcement training due to both practical issues and a fear of being stigmatised and can be stuck in a very old fashioned mindset towards animal welfare and cognition. My older WCS grew up on a gypsy site and some of his behavioural issues stem from his (well meaning) breeder’s lack of knowledge. He also experienced a serious culture shock on moving into a house when he was 5 months old, though he has now largely got over this. I hope that educating people and helping these frequently unreached animals will prevent issues developing around animal abuse and neglect and help keep dogs and horses in particular from being surrendered, sold on, or siezed from families who cannot cope with them. Following this course would allow me to deepen my own knowledge base and increase my confidence in communicating this to people I am working with. I need a scholarship to do this as right now I do not have the money to be able to afford a paid place.

Hi Dr. Karolina, I am Leah Rola from the Philippines. I have five dogs, four beagles and one Labrador, under my care. I do not have any animal related teaching experience except from the Puppy Class I enrolled my first beagle in with Dog Coach Francis.
If I have the necessary skills to understand my animals, then my dogs would have a much better life. There will be so much more peace in our home. They will simply be happier.
What makes my situation unique is that I have Bipolar and I rage in front of my dogs. I do not hurt them but they get frightened of all the loud noises I make. I am afraid that it has negatively affected them. I have a deep need to understand how this dynamic (raging in front of my dogs) has affected them. Not a lot of trainers know what to say about my situation. Any knowledge I get from the course I will freely share with my friends. There are not too many courses like these in the Philippines.

hello Dr Karolina i would like to share a little of myself i am a pensioner i have three rescue cats 2 are one year oldest one 11years 1 rescue 10year old dog who needs to break some old habits . i also foster cats/kittens for a rescue centre here in Wexford Ireland i watched your free course found great information from it would love to learn a lot more around helping my own pets plus fosters getting them ready for homing just could not afford full payment to join course

Hi
I’m Jayne I live in london uk unfortunately I’m not working at the moment due too health issues I have 2 cats 2 dogs 2 are rescues from Bulgaria need a lot off help my personal goal is too help them reach there full potential an give them them the best enrichment life as possible I’m training too be a dog trainer and have done many other courses on enrichment ext my big dream is too have my own homebassed animal sanctuary we’re abused animals from all over the world can be reabilatated through concept training and enrichment I would also have a victim adoption program meaning matching abused animals with people that have had similar experiences

Hi, I’m Moina Wye, I live in South Australia. I’m a retired business owner and spend time teaching “Good Manners” volunteering at our local community based dog club. I hope to use the course knowledge at the grass roots level of dog training.
The club was set up by the local council to help people get started on partnership and connection, impulse control, loose leash walking, sit, down and stay using a long line.
The course is low cost as there are many in the area with little income.
If I can get more understanding of emotions and how they work with training and connection, it would benefit many dog owners in our community. I strive for harmony and joy in our animal companions.
I thank you for the opportunity to apply for the scholarship

I live in Stockholm, Sweden, where I work as a dog trainer and am soon to be certified as a dog behavior analyst. Through my professional work, teaching, and everyday interactions, I directly and indirectly support a large and growing number of dogs and their caretakers. Every dog I meet as a trainer, analyst, or educator benefits from my commitment to evidence-based, positive reinforcement approaches that prioritize animal welfare, clarity in communication, and long-term relationship quality.

I teach animal behavior, emotional regulation, and relationship-building methods to clients, helping them better interpret their dogs’ communication and needs. This work has a multiplier effect: each informed caretaker becomes more skilled at reducing stress, preventing conflict, and supporting their dog’s emotional wellbeing. My broader aim is to contribute to a shift in how humans relate to domesticated animals—moving away from coercive or confusing practices and toward methods that increase agency, predictability, and trust.

Participation in the Animal Emotions course would significantly strengthen this work. A deeper, science-based understanding of animal emotions would enhance my ability to accurately interpret behavior, support dogs experiencing stress or insecurity, and communicate these insights clearly to humans. This would directly improve dogs’ quality of life by increasing safety, reducing chronic stress, and enabling more choice, play, and enrichment. Indirectly, it would benefit the wider community by fostering more resilient human–animal relationships grounded in understanding rather than control.

I am an animal trainer working based in Finland, my work focuses on helping cats by transforming challenging emotional states into more comfortable and adaptive ones. In addition to working directly with cats and their caregivers, I regularly give lectures on feline behaviour, welfare, and emotion‑based handling methods at vocational schools. I also write extensively about feline wellbeing for various cat‑focused publications. I truly believe that many cats—and their humans—could benefit from the knowledge this course provides.

I am particularly interested in deepening my understanding of the role emotions play in behaviour, especially how emotional states can be changed in a nice and sustainable way. The physiology of emotions is another area I am eager to learn more about, as well as the effects of negative emotional states. These are issues I encounter daily in my work, and gaining additional tools and scientific insight would be incredibly valuable.

Within the feline behaviour field, the importance of emotions is finally receiving more attention, and I would love to contribute to this development by sharing accurate, up‑to‑date knowledge. My goal is to help create a world with more emotionally understood, respected, and genuinely happier cats.

Greetings from Queensland Australia. My house is full of 5 poodles 6 rescue cats and 5 rescue parrots. I’m retired because of a disability. 25 years nursing and 5 years vet nursing. I have volunteered as an instructor at local obedience clubs for many years and have bred and shown dogs. Last year I studied dog psychology and behaviour which was interesting but I still feel I have so much to learn about communicating from all types of animals. My life now mostly deals with rescue animals who need all the help they can get

Dear Karolina
I’m Malene, and I live in Denmark.
This course will benefit both my own dogs and all the dogs I am lucky to be around during classes directly. I would guess it could possibly affect hundreds through the years, both directly and indirectly, because I use a lot of my sparetime to help others with their dogs.
I am a trick dog instructor. I work on a voluntare basis. I teach tricks, motivation, handling and a lot of other different kind of classes with main focus on the connection between human and dog.
Most of all I seek this sponsorship because we just bought a dog for our daughther, and I am going to train her as a mental support dog/therapy dog. Our daughter has autism and she is really fond of the company of a dog, but our other dogs are too big for her to walk on her own. It is a huge task I stand in front of, and I think Animal Emotions will be of great help for me.

I live in Phoenix, AZ.
I work in behavior and training at a humane society and work directly with dozens of animals every day. They would be impacted by what I learn in this course.
I teach low stress animal handling to my peers.
It would be so helpful to have more knowledge to demystify animal behavior that’s motivated by emotions and also improve the animals’ emotional states.

Hi,
I am Carmen Grellmann, 48 years old and I live on a cattle farm in Namibia. We have 18 hand reared ostriches, chicken, 4 horses, 3 dogs of which one is 13 year old rescue and 2 sibling Ridgeback/Boerbul mix, 7 years old as well as 4 cats.
I am a qualified SPCA inspector, currently on an emotional break.

I have been involved in rescue work since I was 12, spending school holidays and weekends at our local SPCA.
As a grown up, I did animal welfare work and fostered severe abuse victims.
When my now 13 year old rescue came as a foster I met my match. He came from a feral pack as a puppy, was badly mutilated by kids. He is my foster fail and has been with us ever since.
He is different, still somewhat feral, his response to a perceived threat is offense. We have come to a mutual understanding, he is my security/shadow and I keep him safe and as stable as I can.

I have also done many horsemanship courses and was able to help a few horses move on to living better lives with their owners.

I hope to improve my skills to be able to better understand and assist animals in the future. The exchange Rate is not in our favor, therefore I am hoping to qualify for your scholarship.

My name is Vaila, I’m Scottish but I live in Himachal Pradesh in Northern India with my husband and my dog Charlie (an ex streetie). Ever since I set foot in India in 2012, I’ve been in love with the dogs here – what an education it is to observe dogs interact in a free setting. However, there has never been a more poignant moment for India’s community dogs with The Supreme Court’s recent ruling on streeties and the dilemma of how to solve the human-dog conflict.

I’ve just qualified with a diploma in Canine Behaviour and am currently starting my dog behaviour business. I want to work here within the community – there is a lot of fear and misunderstanding of dogs amongst people locally. The more I can learn about animal emotions, the wider I can spread the knowledge about their inner world, which encourages empathy.

I would absolutely love to offer free workshops for children and teens (and adults) in the area about dog communication and animal emotions and support local dog rescue in their education programmes. This could help to build empathy for hundred of street animals and change the younger generation’s mindset and behaviour towards dogs (and all animals). The other dream I have is to commission a local artist to create a graphic novel about dogs’ emotional worlds and to get it published here in India which could potentially have an impact on millions. I would be so delighted to get access to this course!

Wow what you’re doing sounds amazing. I’ve been following the Supreme Court ruling. I’m trying to educate people too in Bulgaria about our streeties. It would be great to connect with you to follow your work

My name is Minna Vaani, and I am from Finland. I work as a cat breeder and specialize in the therapy cat perspective. Although my activities are hobby-based, this is a growing trend and has a strong societal impact, particularly for clients on the neuropsychiatric spectrum.

1. Where do you live?
– In Finland.

2. How many animals would directly or indirectly benefit from your taking the course?
– My clan of my breeding totals 37 cats, and I cooperate with breed cat societies.

3. Do you do any animal-related teaching?
– Yes, I am an educated animal-assisted coach and experienced cat breeder.

4. If admission to the Animal Emotions course landed in your lap, how would it help you, the animals in your care, or your community?
– Sharing knowledge and hopefully helping me in the future as I am dreaming about this kind of career. (Might you be interested in spreading this in Nordic countries?)

What difference would it make to you and the animals and people around you?
– A huge difference—spreading this ideology and knowledge as a “trained expert” after this course.

live between the UK and a rural village in Bulgaria, where I run a grassroots animal welfare initiative called Kathleen’s Paws – Together for Animals & Communities.

Through my work, hundreds of animals would benefit directly and indirectly each year. This includes community dogs and cats involved in neutering programs, animals supported through education-led welfare improvements, and those impacted by better-informed care from local residents, volunteers, and future partners.

Yes, I already do animal-related teaching. I create educational materials and guides for villagers, volunteers, and animal caregivers, and I am developing kindness and welfare resources for children and communities focused on prevention, humane population control, and emotional understanding of animals.

If admission to this course landed in my lap, it would be transformative. It would deepen my scientific and compassionate understanding of animal emotions and allow me to design education, TNVR projects, and welfare programs that are grounded in both empathy and evidence. This knowledge would immediately shape how I teach, how I advocate with municipalities, and how I help communities build healthier relationships with their animals.

I work almost entirely voluntarily and cannot currently afford paid training. A scholarship would allow me to access knowledge that would otherwise remain out of reach and turn it into meaningful, real-world change. This course would not sit on a shelf; it would be used daily in the lives of animals and the people who care for them.

Thank you for this opportunity

That’s really amazing work you’re doing Liz. I hope to work with individual guardians and in education, but the work you and others are doing, at that grassroots community level, is truly awe inspiring with the commitment and effort it requires.

Writing on behalf of my 8yo daughter Maria. We live in Sydney, Australia. She has been following you, Karolina, for two years taking the free master classes.

Dogs are her main interest and together we’ve been reading books by Karen Prior, Patricia McConnell, Susanne Clothier, Leslie McDevitt, Grisha Stewart, A Horowitz, Linda Tellington, Türid Rugaas, Jean Donaldson, Kathy Sdao to name a few. She also has read with me books on human emotions and attachment by Gordon Neufeld & Gabor Mate and Deborah Macnamara and found a lot of that applies to dogs. We have also read about primitive reflexes and brain development, and we use TTouch on the dogs we meet.

We still do not have a dog but we borrow one who stays with us overnight. We go to dog parks a lot and Maria can see things that most dog owners miss. She uses her knowledge of dog body language to communicate with them and even a fearful rescue who only lets one of his owners touch him became her friend. She also tried to talk to owners who miss the signs their dogs give but most adults are not ready to listen.

While she is young she is still making a difference by helping dogs see that at least one human understands them and listens to their signs. If she takes the course she hopes to understand all mammals better and communicate with them clearly.

My name is Julia – I’m a cat behavior consultant, and I live in New York City. I work with both paid clients and with rescues across the city. I’d estimate I work with between 3-8 new cats every week. (So I guess that would be 250+ cats per year? And I started my business last year, so I’m growing!) My work is, at its core, owner education – I always say it’s 15% cats, 85% helping people understand their cats. I’m also working on more formal educational offerings – for example, one of my passions is feline socialization, and I’m putting materials together for rescues to help them socialize cats in a science-based, compassionate, consent-based way. I’m also putting together programming to help expecting parents prepare their cats for kids, and bringing it to the parents directly, to reduce the stress that so many families deal with in the first few months with a new baby. I do this work because I love animals, but also because I love people, and helping them understand each other is so meaningful. This course, and the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of animal emotions, would give me a whole new toolkit to bridge that gap. Emotions are something we all share, and they provide a window for people who may be completely baffled and frustrated by their animals’ behavior. I feel that I could use this knowledge and insight to help both pet owners and rescuers better understand the cats who depend on them, and ultimately prevent a lot of frustration and despair. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be considered!

I live and work in Australia, where I teach high school–aged students within the university system who are enrolled in pathway programs. My role focuses on delivering the foundations of animal science, supporting students who are transitioning into tertiary study while still developing their academic and professional identities.

Through my teaching, hundreds of animals would benefit indirectly each year from my participation in the Animal Emotions course. I work with multiple cohorts annually, and the knowledge gained would influence how students understand, handle, and advocate for animals across future careers in animal care, veterinary support, agriculture, and conservation.

I am actively involved in animal-related teaching. I deliver core concepts in animal biology, behaviour, welfare, and husbandry, laying the groundwork for ethical and evidence-based animal care practices.

If admission to the course is possible, it would significantly enhance my teaching practice. I have observed that while younger generations are highly attuned to their own emotions, they often struggle to translate emotional awareness to animals. This course would provide me with deeper scientific and ethical frameworks to bridge that gap. By integrating animal emotions into my curriculum, I could help students move beyond anthropomorphism toward genuine empathy grounded in understanding. The result would be more compassionate future industry employees, improved animal welfare outcomes, and a stronger culture of respect for animals.
(Ps Name is redacted as I am a foster parent and need a reduced digital footprint)

Karolina, this is an INCREDIBLE & generous scholarship opportunity!
My name is Michelle Nadon; located in Aurora, ON, Canada –Greater Toronto Area. I have rescued animals ALL my life: domestics, wildlife, farm animals. I have been running SPECIAL NEEDS PET BOARDING service for 15 yrs now, hosting approx. 30 dogs per year: seniors, geriatrics, palliatives and special needs. I specialize in “broken animals”, including PTSD/C-PTSD/behavioural/emotional issues.
Prior to: 15 yrs’ forever-fostering 20+ palliative dogs w/every medical condition imaginable. I worked 10 yrs on Canadian (federal) legislation; attended Hurricane Katrina, bringing 60 dogs to Canada over 3 runs. I interned a month at Farm Sanctuary, CA. I lead a project in 2016, successfully rehoming 125 farm animals (with a lot of help!) I produced/ hosted YouTube’s “RescueDiaries” 55 x 5 min. segments on animal rescue. I have Vet Assisting credentials, and have educated PLENTY: Special Needs Caregiving courses, published an advocacy newsletter for 12 years, and provided pan-Canadian newsrooms with best practices for on-air representation of animals. Basically, there’s nothing I haven’t done for animals!
Next, “Hospice Training” with the IAAHPC/US; further, I want to franchise “special needs caregiving” to more city centers in Ontario. I’ve studied Psych (30 yrs) & immunology (20 yrs) — both of which I incorporate into my caregiving practice. I am increasingly called on to consult QOL/EOL with clients, and community in general – every issue imaginable. Your investment in me would prove life-changing for my animals, my human clients and broader community. Thank you SO much!

Hospice care for any species is a special calling. Thank you for the work you are doing.

Hi, I’m Arleen from the San Francisco Bay Area in California. I’d love to study animal emotions. There’s something about pay back that feels so right to me. In 2018 I had an accident and bumped my head. It turned out I had a concussion and wasn’t able to function. I couldn’t walk or think or read or cook or even clean myself. Life was pretty stressful and I haven’t been able to work since. My thinking was pretty challenging. It has taken all these years to finally come back to being the person I am today. On the up side What happened during that time was amazing. My little dog was with me every moment. She was the one who sat with me when I couldn’t think. She was the one who laid by my side when I couldn’t walk. She was the one who ran around and made me laugh when I struggled to function. She’s the one who encouraged me to heal. It would be an absolute honor to understand and help her in as deep and meaningful way as she understood and helped me.
Thank you for considering my application.
Much love
Arleen

My name is Ron Starcher. I reside in Hinckley, Ohio, USA which is a small community between the Cleveland/ Akron, Ohio area.
I have 3 dogs that would directly benefit from the knowledge gained from this course. Additionally, I spend my available free time volunteering at a local county shelter. Here I have direct contact with many dogs, most of which have severe behavioral issues, resulting from all kinds of terrible situations such as abuse, neglect, and abandonment. We take dogs other shelters refuse. Over time the number of dogs benefiting is immense. I do not teach as an instructor but try to impact others with my knowledge. This indirectly increases the number of dogs benefitting. I started training my own dogs, dogs of family members and friends 30 years ago when clicker training started to increase in popularity and have always used positive reinforcement. It was actually my adoption last year of a 1 1/2 yr old reactive German Shepherd that I realized my passion for dog training. As I near retirement, it has sent me on a journey studying theory and obtaining documented practical experience needed to become certified as a professional dog trainer and hopefully something I truly love to do in retirement.
I am about to complete the Resolving Challenging Behavior course. The knowledge acquired has given me new insights, perspectives into the behavior I see with my German Shepherd and at the shelter thus allowing me to adjust my approach in helping these dogs with their behavior making them more adoptable. It has become clear just how much emotional and mood states affect their behavior. I find this very intriguing and want to dive deeper into this realm, but do not think it will be financially possible at this time. This past summer a medical condition that required major surgery and a long recovery left me and my family without an income for over 3 1/2 months. The unexpected loss drained savings. My physical recovery is complete. The financial recovery is still ongoing. The scholarship award would allow me to continue on my journey. Otherwise, it will have to be postponed until this course opens up again next year.

Sounds like you’re not far from me Ronald! I’m glad to hear you’ve recovered physically and found a calling like my
own to help animals.

Fingers are crossed for you for the scholarship opportunity . Thanks for all you’re doing for the dogs in the Cleveland/Ohio area . Not to say they aren’t in need everywhere , but I know from personal experience how rough it is around here right now . Keep up the good work.

I am a student with COAPE currently living in Cleveland, Ohio in the USA. If you’ll permit, I’m going to go a bit in reverse here. Should I be chosen for a Scholarship, there is of course the most obvious benefit of knowledge, especially at a time when I am knee-deep studying animal emotions. Learning from you concurrently would be a gift: to me, to my dogs, especially Bailey, the dogs at the shelter I volunteer at, to my partner who is also studying Animal Behaviour, to future clients, and – if I’m very lucky and work very hard – to anyone who might learn from me one day.

Which I suppose answers the prior questions, to a degree. Do I do any teaching? Bits here and there at the shelter. They are a largely curmudgeonly group, but sometimes I see bits of change from my efforts. I am a firm believer that when we seek change we do so in slices, gradual increments, regardless of whether the learner is canine, feline, or human. This often means meeting the learner where they are at and then gradually “walking” with them towards the behavioural destination. More insight to help them walk that path would be invaluable, especially combined with my other studies and my own history of trauma.

That really only leaves “How many…?” – hopefully more than we can count, if the occasionally inspired take bits and pieces I’m fortunate enough to pass on, and pass them on themselves when given opportunity.

I’m Heather Steiner, KPA-CTP from Philadelphia. I became disabled from a near-fatal stroke, spending many months in an in-patient rehab facility to learn to walk, talk and swallow food again. Eight months later my beloved husband died suddenly. I work with many dogs who find big city life confusing. I’d love a scholarship to this course so that I may help these dogs. Finances are a barrier to entry to the course; if awarded a scholarship, I will apply the knowledge to help city dogs thrive and decrease the likelihood of them ending up in the shelter system or PTS because they didn’t know how to handle a world that doesn’t make sense to them.

I love this Heather! The focus I mean, of course, not the struggles and griefs life has dealt you.

Working with dogs to navigate the challenges of city life sounds like pretty amazing work. I’m really hoping to dive deep into the relationship between a dogs emotional environment and their behaviour , the challenges of a guardian with severe stress such as mental illness and poverty and how we see that affect the dogs behaviour and how to ameliorate those challenges . A very different focus , but in some ways related given the prevalence of poverty, mental illness , and stress in city life maybe ?

I have my fingers crossed for you regarding the scholarship !

Hi , I’m trainer (KPA CTP) Familly dog family mediator, member PPG, IAABC, CAPDT , RQIEC and behavior consultant for dogs and cats. I work at the shelter of my community SPCA de l’Outaouais (Gatineau, Qc Canada) for more then 15yrs. I believe in continuing education, and I love learning and keep my knowledge up to date the most I can. Your Advanced Training course was a life changer for me, help me become a better trainer and teacher for the shelter staff.
Fingers crossed I can be granted with a scholarship….and good luck to all

This Scholarship Program is based on the honor system.

The Animal Emotions 2026 Scholarship Program.

Everything You Need to Know

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