Katherine Ferguson, Head Coach

Katherine has worked as a teacher and headteacher for children with special needs for over 20 years and is a firm believer in the power of education and training to change lives.

Since rescuing her first border collie from Dogs Trust (then NCDL) over 17 years ago, her passion for dog training and behaviour has grown. She undertook a Dog Training Instructor course with the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) 6 years ago and made the decision to make a career change. Since then she has volunteered with Dogs Trust in kennels and worked as a dog trainer for a reward-based training company in Birmingham. She is currently studying for an Advanced Diploma in Canine Behaviour Management.

Katherine loves all animals, having rabbits and guinea pigs at home as well as her new puppy that she adopted from Dogs Trust. She looks forward to the day where she has enough land to expand her menagerie!

Sian Sanderson, Coach

Sian has joined us from a career in customer service but felt that she needed to pursue her passion for animals. This led her to begin her journey in Animal Behaviour and Welfare and she completed an undergraduate degree in 2017 at Anglia Ruskin University. During this time, she completed a four-week volunteering placement at an animal Sanctuary in Tangier, Morocco which was home to over 58 dogs, 30 cats and range of other animals in need. Alongside this, with the help of family and friends, she set up a pet service business which helped fulfil the pet needs of the local community.

The values and mission statement of Dogs Trust have always aligned with Sian’s values and her passion to provide dogs with the quality of life they deserve. She feels that being a part of Dog School Worcestershire will enable her to continue her journey and she is extremely excited to be a part of the team.

Rachelle Smith, Senior Coach

Rachelle has had a passion for animals from a young age and her favourite animal has always been dogs! She volunteered in Namibia with big cats as well as obtaining a first class degree in her BSc in Animal Behaviour and Welfare through Oxford Brookes University in May 2017. Before joining Dogs Trust as Canine Carer 3 years ago, Rachelle worked and trained a range of animals at West Midlands Safari Park. She has also been assisting at a variety of dog training classes with an accredited APDT trainer for a number of years.

Rachelle is excited to be pursuing her passion for dog training with Dog School Worcestershire, and is looking forward to helping people enjoy training their dogs.