Staff

Rose Wesselmann , Apprentice Trainer
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,…

Bryan Pieschel , Director of Veteran Services
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…

April Haskins , Executive Director
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…

Carrie Johnson , Trainer
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…

Kathy Hodgson , Canine Companion
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…

Becky Boucher , Trainer
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…

Audrey Gauen , Trainer
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…

Shannon Durington , Associate Director of Training
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…

Bridgette McAuley , Director of Training
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…

Bradley Loyd , Trainer
Bradley is a certified CGC evaluator, and has been teaching training classes for over 8 years. He celebrated 1 year with Dogs for Our Brave the first week of April 2020! He tells us, “It really is one of the most challenging and rewarding places I have ever worked.” Always an animal lover, Bradley was…