April joined the Dogs for our Brave team as the Executive Director, in early 2022. While this had not been on her radar, she believes, the most rewarding challenges are presented to remind you that you’re not done learning or serving. She diligently seeks out ways to grow as an individual which has presented her…

Carol joined the Dogs for Our Brave (DFOB) team as the first Director of Communications on March 1, 2024. Carol is a seasoned public relations and marketing professional with a proven track record of leading marketing and branding initiatives with companies in a variety of industries including banking, commercial and residential construction, education, food &…

In 2019, Bridgette began her career with Dogs for our Brave as a volunteer. After a few short months, Director of Training, Paul, decided to take her under his wing as an apprentice trainer. From there, she was promoted to a Full-Time trainer. Her background includes a B.S. in Animal Science with a Minor in…

We are excited to announce that we have a new member of the DFOB Team! Please join us in welcoming SGT Bryan W. Pieschel, USA, Retired. Bryan has joined the DFOB Team as the first Director of Veteran Services. Bryan served as an active-duty US Army medic from 2004-2009. During his time in service, Bryan…

Shannon is a St. Louis native who graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a degree in English and a minor in Sociology. While working at a nonprofit after college, she had the opportunity to work closely with veterans and see how much of a difference service dogs made in their lives. This led Shannon…

Audrey is a St. Louis native who graduated in 2012 from Lindenwood University with her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. In her 10 years working in the education field there was a therapy dog that assisted students with emotional regulation. Once she saw the positive impact the relationship between the dog and…

Becky started her career with animals at a local animal shelter in her hometown of Farmington, New Mexico. After moving to the St Louis area in 2018, she continued her work with rescues at St Charles County Pet Adoption Center. After seeing so many dogs get surrendered to the shelter due to behavior problems, Becky…

As the newest addition to the team, Carrie started at Dogs for our Brave in August of 2022. Not only was Carrie already acquiring her credentials for dog training though the Animal Behavior College, she had also been working with local veterans at the American Legion for over two years. Dogs for our Brave is…

I was born in St Louis and began my nursing career in Colorado at Denver Children’s Hospital. I like to tease that I “invented” Pet Therapy because I saw right away how much the children and families and even the staff benefited when I brought my dog, Sunny, in to visit. The nursing supervisors would…

Back in 2020, Rose had to say goodbye to her pup Tank due to behavioral issues. Frustrated with herself for not knowing how to help him understand this world, she deep dived into the online community of dog training. Two years later, she walked out of Humane Society of Missouri with 8 month old Ryder,…

Coming from a family of veterans, Nicole felt the call to serve in the Army Reserves as a CBRN Specialist from 2014-2022. While deployed in 2019-2020, she decided to take the opportunity to pursue her passion for dog training. When she came home in 2020, she moved to St. Louis and completed the Specialized Dog…

My journey as both an animal lover and ethical treatment advocate has been one of lifelong passion, commitment, & growth. Even as a child I can remember cultivating my strong connection to animals by gravitating towards household pets & providing aid to stray dogs in my neighborhood. Additionally, my mother as well as many of…