The People Behind the Scenes!

Hi there, I’m Jess!

An old photo of Jess with her flock of chickens.

I’ve been in the business of pets for nearly 20 years! My journey started out volunteering as a dog walker for the local animal shelter in my teen years. From there, I started working at PetSmart — first for the store, and then as one of the youngest dog trainers to join the training team. After a few years of working at PetSmart as lead trainer, I moved onto veterinary medicine, working as a tech for a 24/7 emergency clinic that saw everything from dogs and cats to horses and goats!

I also attended Oregon State University, graduating with a degree in Animal Sciences with a focus on small animal behavior, veterinary medicine, and horse and sheep husbandry. Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time volunteering as a behavior consultant for local animal shelters, and using my skills and background in my writing career.

Currently, I work as both a consultant and blogger in the pet sphere. I’ve spent over a decade writing, researching, and creating a variety of pet content, from product descriptions and reviews to in-depth articles, training and behavior e-books, veterinary care, and more. I’m also the owner and lead trainer for Tippy Taps ABC – a site focused on behavior and training for dogs and cats.

I love turning my passion for pets and veterinary medicine into something that can help other pet parents — and I hope you enjoy reading along with me!

Libby

Libby is a nearly 14-year-old Golden Retriever, Labrador, and Dachshund mix that has been with Jess since she was 6 months old! When she’s not on doggy adventurers with her people, Libby enjoys snoozes in front of the fireplace, chewing on her favorite Nylabone, and looking adorable for extra pets.

Chell

Chell is an 11-year-old orange shorthair cat that LOVES getting into mischief! She’s named after a famous video game character (can you guess which?) that shares a similar personality to her. Chell enjoys stalking squirrels from the windows, snoozing on her cat tree, and chasing after a feathery toy. She also loves pestering her older doggie sister any chance she can get!