Kristen graduated from Macomb Community College with an associate’s degree in veterinary technology in 2006. After graduation while working at a small animal practice she adopted a Jack Russell Terrier named Daphne who suffered from anxiety, sparking her passion for behavioral medicine. Kristen completed the Karen Pryor Academy Professional Dog Training program in April 2015 and joined the behavior team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services in November 2015 where she furthered her knowledge of animal behavior and achieved her Veterinary Technician Specialty in Behavior in 2020. Kristen recently made the switch back to general practice where she is looking forward to spreading more behavior knowledge by educating pet parents on proper puppy/kitten socialization and development, improving low stress handling techniques for veterinary staff and teaching cooperative care techniques for veterinary procedures. Kristen is Fear Free Elite Certified, Low Stress Handling Sliver Certified and Human Animal Bond Certified. In her free time Kristen enjoys spending time with her Corgi, Mac and cat, Sawyer.