Exciting News! We'll be having an Election!
Annual General Meeting
Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Time: 6 pm PT | 7 pm MT
RSVP for the Zoom link or to send a proxy vote.
We Need Your Vote!
This year we're electing Vice President (3 year term) and three Directors at Large (3 year term).
Meet the candidates below. Interested in running? We will be taking nominations at the meeting ("from the floor"), or contact us if you wish to stand yet aren't able to attend.
Vice President
We currently have one candidates running for this position.
Valerie Barry (incumbent)
Valerie is a multi-certified professional dog trainer, behaviour consultant and owner of Dog Partners dog training in North Vancouver and Fernie, BC. She has been working with people and their dogs for 30 years.
She holds the following professional certifications:
- Karen Pryor Certified Training Partner
- Certified Family Dog Mediator
- Fear Free Certified Trainer, Elite Status
- Predation Substitute Training, Certified Instructor
- BC SPCA AnimalKind Accreditation
Valerie is committed to helping her clients find behaviour solutions that work using current, force-free training methods that are effective and fun. She specializes in puppies and adolescent dogs, as well as all levels of behaviour modification from mild to severe.
Valerie is passionate about learning and finding new opportunities for furthering her education and knowledge. She believes there is always more to learn, and knowledge should be ever evolving.
Valerie writes training articles for the Fernie Fix Magazine and was the Dog Training contributor for Pet Connection Magazine from 2010 to 2022. She is a Professional Member of the Pet Professional Guild, a Professional Member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, a supporting Member of the IAABC and is Vice President (and past Secretary) of PACTA BC (Professional Animal Care and Training Association of BC).
Valerie is regularly consulted and referred to by the media, industry professionals, veterinarians and a broad network of clients.
Directors at Large - three (3) positions available
We currently have four candidates running for three positions.
In alphabetical order by surname:
Robyn Andexser (incumbent)
Robyn has worked with animals since she was fifteen years old, beginning her animal training career with Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins and African Penguins in Edmonton.
After moving to Nanaimo in 2005, Robyn expanded into the dog care and training world and ultimately founded Best Paw Forward Dog Training in Nanaimo in 2006. She and her two dogs taught all levels of classes and one on one lessons for more than 15 years.
Robyn is a graduate from the Animal Care Aide program at Vancouver Island University, she is a CPDT certified dog trainer and is also a Certified Instructor for Dogsafe Canine First Aid.
Robyn joined VIATA when it first began, and has enjoyed watching the progress and the people who have come into the organization along the way.
She currently lives and trains in Powell River BC, where she also proudly works with a small and wonderful team on an organic vegetable farm.
Paul Edry
Paul Edry is a certified professional dog trainer practicing in the Columbia Shuswap region of British Columbia. He is a professional member of PACTA, as well as the Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers, and American Professional Dog Trainers Association.
Paul holds a Master’s degree in health sciences and is a strong advocate for positive reinforcement training techniques. Paul started his personal journey with rescue dogs over 20 years ago managing a large boarding and daycare facility where he managed everything including daily nutrition, medication management, resource guarding, reactive dogs, socialization, and reintegration.
You’ll find his heart-warming social media posts by following Paul’s Dog Training Company.
Here's a little known fact about Paul: he's also a firefighter!
Chris McKay
Chris McKay is the owner/operator of CAM K9 Services where she works one-on-one with clients, both online and in person. She is unable to attend our meeting today because she is on the road moving from Kamloops to the Chilliwack area in the Fraser Valley.
Chris has over 40 years of experience in the canine world.
Chris was a Certified Canine Hydrotherapist through Greyfriars Rehabilitation Centre in the UK. She owned and operated a canine pool on Vancouver Island, rented a pool in Langley and two pools in Kamloops. More recently she worked for the Kamloops SPCA, both as Dog Welfare and Volunteer Coordinator, and a fundraiser.
Chris teaches Agility, Flyball, and previously Herding. She has also worked with her dogs in film and commercials.
She believes in compassion, relationship building and the overall emotional well being of both her canine and human clients. Education is key, and kindness never goes amiss, either.
Chris is happy to put her name forward to become more involved with PACTA.
Caitlin Wall (incumbent)
Cait Wall (she/her/hers) is a nurse, and runner who lives in Vancouver BC.
She has been the proud guardian of dogs including one with severe global anxiety and fear and that she had very limited knowledge in how to help. With the help of amazing trainers, education courses, and a growing +R community, she has become very passionate about consent-based training and helping empower dogs to live their best lives.
She loves to discuss anything behaviour, learning theory, and enrichment, and frequently compares her friends' interpersonal struggles to a dog’s journey to confidence. Outside of dogs, she loves to run, read, sing, hike, and camp.
Cait would love to be involved in spreading the joy and beauty of R + training and help other dog parents navigate the dog training industry.