Shauna Romero, aka “Dear Tabby,” shows a lifelong committment to animal care
When Shauna Romero, CPDT-KA, community training coordinator at San Diego Humane Society, was a child, she was her family’s very own animal whisperer. “I was the kid who would sit on the porch and try to feed the squirrels,” Romero recalls. “I got my first dog when I was six and I treated her like a sister. I suppose I ended up accidentally training her.”
That’s where it all began. Although she never intended to become a dog trainer, Romero knew that her career would somehow involve animals. When it was time to choose a college, she chose an animal-friendly school that would prepare her to become a veterinarian. Or so she thought.
“I went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and majored in animal science with a minor in equine science and agricultural business,” she says. “I loved horses and even managed a group of Thoroughbreds, and thought that’s where my career path would lead. Then one night I was in the dorms watching TV and a plea came on for volunteers at the Department of Animal Services. I missed my dog, so I started volunteering at the shelter. That’s where everything changed.”
Romero spent seven years in almost every volunteer role possible—from walking dogs to performing behavior assessments to leading kids’ camps and fostering litter upon litter. It was shadowing another trainer and learning the tricks of the trade that led her to shift her focus from horses to dogs. She followed her passion to SPCA LA and committed fully to her innate ability to connect with dogs. Now, 14 years since that fateful commercial plea for volunteers, Romero holds a certificate from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, and has spent the past two years leading the robust training program at San Diego Humane Society, offering a wide variety of fun and educational classes for dogs of all ages, abilities and interests.
—Christina Orlovsky Page
What is Positive Reinforcement?
“An effective and powerful way to shape and change a behavior, the positive reinforcement training method truly helps build a relationship between you and your dog,” Romero says. “The basis of the model is rewarding behaviors you like and ignoring behaviors you don’t—without making your dog fearful or worried about the consequences.”
By the Numbers
Inside the San Diego Humane Society Behavior Center
2013
Year established
1,811
Approximate number of graduates since 2013
1,642
Behavior Helpline calls or emails received and answered in the 2015–16 fiscal year
578
Animals enrolled
in the 2015–16 fiscal year
121
Behavior training classes in the 2015–16 fiscal year
29 days
Average enrollment for cats
26 days
Average enrollment for dogs