Melissa Taylor, CBCC-KA, CSB-C, is the Behavior and Training Manager at Friends For Life Animal Shelter, a progressive animal welfare organization in Houston, Texas. At FFL, Melissa heads a comprehensive, animal-centered behavior program that includes in-house animal care, community outreach, and inter-shelter consultation. With over 20 years of experience in shelter animal behavior, her journey began with an internship at the ASPCA’s Animal Behavior Center in New York City. Her passion for cooperative care grew from training livestock and wildlife as the coordinator of the Behavior and Training Department at the Houston SPCA, and she now applies the same principles to the dogs, cats, exotics, and humans she works with now at Friends For Life.
Melissa thrives on using data to create innovative projects that improve the lives of shelter animals and the people who care for them. For example, she started the Fraidy Cat Program to reliably shape and generalize prosocial behaviors in undersocialized cats. Her non-compulsive, choice-based training and behavior modification program is associated with a 67% reduction in the number of long-stay dogs at Friends For Life.
Throughout her career, Melissa has focused on the development of shelter programs related to animal behavior. She has partnered with other shelters locally and globally to start behavior volunteer, fearful cat socialization, enrichment, and animal-centered staff training initiatives.
In recognition of her contributions, Melissa was awarded the 2022 Member of the Year Award by the Association For Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) for her work as co-chair of the APDT Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, examining the experiences of BIPOC members of the professional dog training community. She is passionate about the role of social justice in the advancement of animal welfare.
Learn more about Melissa on her website.
First time speaking at ClickerExpo
