Education Center Instructors

Lisa Holt

Executive Director Member Research Team
Happy Sniffing Research

Lisa has extensive experience in the fields of canine sports and behavior training, professional canine detection and canine sport detection. In 1998, Lisa changed from a career in advertising agency creative work to dog training. For the following 17 years, she competed and coached in a variety of canine sports to include elite and national level agility trials, national ATA Treibball and K9 Nose Work®. Lisa served on the national board of directors for the American Treibball Association, was a member of the trial rules committee, a Treibball judge and instructor training coach. In 2016, Lisa became the lead professional medical detection trainer and program director for PADs for Parkinson’s, the first program to train dogs for the detection of Parkinson’s Disease. Lisa directed and developed the training and research protocol, provided detection training for 34 dogs and managed the collection of more than 300 data points per day while leading a team of more than 20 volunteers at PADs for nearly eight years. This work was later published in Springer: Animal Cognition with Lisa as co-author along with Sam Johnston. The work of PADs has been featured on CBS, FOX and ABC affiliated Seattle news stations. Lisa owned and operated her own canine training business for nearly 20 years and during that time, provided volunteer training assistance for the area animal shelter. Lisa has successfully trained dogs in diabetes alert service for in-school youth, diabetes type 1 and therapy work. She led the 4-H canine group for four years and currently serves as vice president of the board for the SJI K9 Detection Club, a nonprofit sport detection organization. Lisa helped to develop the K9 Nose Work program for the Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor, teaches K9 Nose Work at all levels and provides training classes for the shelter with proceeds going to further develop the shelter’s K9 Nose Work Program. Lisa is a certified K9 Nose Work Instructor and Animal Behavior College Mentor Trainer. 

Certifications

  • Animal Behavior College Certified Dog Trainer and Mentor Trainer
  • Certified Nose Work Instructor by National Association of Canine Scent Work, NW3 Title
  • American Treibball Association Certified Trainer, Judge and Training Coach, 2nd and 3rd place at ATA nationals in Denver
  • Therapy Dog Evaluator
  • Canine Good Citizen Evaluator
  • PetTech PetSaver

Professional Experience 

  • Medical Detection Trainer and Program Director, PADs for Parkinson’s, the first program anywhere to train dogs for the detection of Parkinson’s Disease 2016-2023
  • Diabetes Alert Training Instructor, 2014-2016
  • Owner and Trainer, San Juan Island Dog Training (force-free training only), 2009-2017 
  • Agility Coach and Instructor, Derrett Handling System, 2008-2022, NADAC Elite
  • Treibball Coach and Training Instructor, ATA, 2012—2015
  • Creative Director, The Cobalt Group, 2000-2009 
  • Creative Director and Partner, Creative Works, 1988-2000
  • Copywriter, Creative Works, 1985-1988

Nonprofit Volunteer Experience

  • 4 years 4-H Leader for Canine Division
  • APS-FH Shelter Volunteer Certified Nose Work Instructor
  • SJI K9 Detection Club, Primary and Odor Search Nose Work Instructor
  • Seattle Advertising Federation
  • American Marketing Association

Nonprofit Board of Directors Experience

  • Vice President of Board, SJI K9 Detection Club
  • Board Member and Rules Committee, American Treibball Association
  • Vice President of Board, American Marketing Association, Seattle

Research Experience


Canine behavior research: Holt L, Johnston SV. From small to tall: breed-varied household pet dogs can be trained to detect Parkinson’s Disease. Anim Cogn. 2024 Oct 1;27(1):62. doi: 10.1007/s10071-024-01902-5. PMID: 39352420; PMCID: PMC11445332.

Education

  • Animal Behavior College, Honor Graduate
  • School of Visual Concepts, Seattle, Copywriting and Advertising Program (renamed New School)

Brittney Ducote 

Behavior & Training / Adoptions / Foster / Animal Care Team

Born in Alameda, California and having lived up and down the west coast her whole life, Brittney considers herself a true west coaster and an islander at heart.  No matter where life has taken her, something has always drawn her back to the beautiful San Juan Islands, where she has lived for many years with her beloved animals and now a proud parent of a university student.

Whether they were p in her path or she in theirs, Brittney has been rescuing wounded or wayward animals for as long as she can remember. Her experience spans from a broad history of various animal care and rehabilitation work from domestic, to wildlife, to rescue, she has led a life dedicated to the welfare of animals. However, in years, she has found her true calling in helping rescue dogs. 

Brittney has been working at the Animal Protection Society – Friday Harbor (APS-FH) for over 5 years. While she excels in all aspects of animal care, her primary focus has become dog behavior, enrichment, and training. She is particularly interested in specializing in fear, aggression, and separation anxiety, and is deeply committed to enriching the lives and mental well-being of those who find the shelter to be their temporary home. 

As a member of the adoption team, she prides herself in providing support to adopters and their companion animals both before and after adoption—through consultations, training and behavior guidance, or lending items that set families up for success. She also strives to provide support to the community in an effort to keep animals in homes or be there for resources,  recommendations and counseling during difficult times. 

Through her dedicated work and support from the shelter, Brittney was accepted into the prestigious Jean Donaldson’s Academy for Dog Trainers, where she is earning her Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC). This rigorous, world-renowned two-year program emphasizes science-based, reward-focused training methods to produce elite, successful dog trainers. Her tuition was fully funded through a combination of a 50% Rescue and Shelter Scholarship from the Academy and a 50% grant from the Bradley Family Foundation.

Brittney is also working towards receiving her Canine Nose Work Instructor (CNWI) certification from the NACSW (National Association of Canine Scent Work) through sponsorship through the SJI K9 Detection Club, led by certified dog trainer, Lisa Holt.  Under Lisa’s mentorship, Brittney assists with classes and currently instructs nose work courses for the APS-FH Education Center and the SJI Canine Detection Club. She also teaches Puppy Einstein, Puppy Nose Work, and Island Sheep Ball classes through the APS-FH Education Center.

Anyone who has had the opportunity to see Brittney work with dogs, knows that she is naturally gifted.  With her growing expertise and continued education, the shelter is proud to have her on their team and looks forward to her continued development as a trainer, as well as continuing to educate and support the APS-FH animal care team in providing the best possible care for shelter dogs. Her passions and desire to help shelter and rescue dogs is contagious and her empathy towards people and their love for their pets is unwavering. Brittney is deeply grateful for all the support she has received and feels honored to be part of this community—a place where she truly feels she belongs.