Daniella Gouveia, Head Coach
Daniella grew up in South Africa on a farm, in the sunshine, surrounded by dogs and had no idea that her dream would one day be to work with dogs and their humans somewhere halfway around the world.
Daniella started her journey with Dogs Trust in 2014, as part of the team who opened the Rehoming Centre in Basildon. Daniella spent three wonderful years looking after the amazing residents of the Basildon Centre, who were her furry friends and constant teachers. She could fill an Oscars speech with a long list of dog names and tears of thanks!
Daniella joined Dog School with the Essex team in early 2017 and has worked with and supported hundreds of dogs and their families throughout the county. Most recently, she has moved to the other side of the bridge to continue her Dog School journey on the Kent team. She looks forward to supporting the lovely dogs and dog families in Kent with fair, kind and effective training!
Samantha Heffernan , Senior Coach
Sam graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2017 with a degree in Bio-Veterinary Science. Animals are her passion and she loves helping others better understand their pets and establish a strong bond with their new best friend.
Sam adopted a gorgeous black Labrador, Coco, from Dogs Trust Canterbury and says Coco is her pride and joy. Coco fitted into the family straight away and, if not a bit cheeky at times, she is the best companion, especially if you have some love and a treat to hand!
Joey Wheeler, Coach
Joey began volunteering in 2018 at a London based dog rehoming charity and quickly fell in love with the prospect of a future helping dogs and their owners. Not long after that Joey joined the London and Kent Dogs Trust, Dog School teams as a volunteer. He later joined Kent Dog School as a full-time team member, leaving his career as a venue manager in the hospitality industry behind.
Joey is also studying Applied Canine Behaviour and Training at Bishop Burton College and hoping to further learn how he can improve the lives of dogs and their owners.