About Me

Cooper D. (Owner, Animal Behaviorist) 

I have never known a life without animals. I grew up on a ranch with horses, goats, dogs, cats, and a variety of small animals. I attended the Santa Fe College Zoo Animal Technology Program in Gainesville, Florida. This is a very unique program with an entire zoo on campus, where the students receive hands-on experience as zookeepers. In the final semester, only a select few are given the opportunity to be on training teams. I was fortunate enough to be selected for the Asian small-clawed otters. This is where my foundation of positive reinforcement training was built.

Upon graduating from the program, I was hired as a contractor for Sea World, performing in the Pets Ahoy show in San Antonio, Texas. The show consisted primarily of rescued dogs and cats, but also had pigs, skunks, rats, and a variety of birds. Interacting with the audience members after the show became my favorite part of the job, and made me realize how much I enjoy educating the public about animals. 

I took on my next job at the Jacksonville Zoo in Florida, working in the education department. I held a summer position teaching children about the animals in the zoo. As soon as the summer was over, I took a position as the lead dog trainer for the north Florida district at Petco. I learned so much in the five and a half years I worked for Petco, but my main takeaway was that I have a rigorous passion for helping people build a better relationship between them and their pets. 

Since starting Animals Adapt, I have seen such a benefit in training dogs in their own home. My experience with building trusting relationships with a variety of animals also gives me the ability to assist clients with any type of pet they may own! I couldn’t be more excited about growing this business in Bend and helping more people learn about what their pets are trying to say!