889
Westney Road
Ajax
Gillian Ridgeway
Gillian Ridgeway, the founder of Who’s Walking Who, began her canine training career in 1972 as a dog training apprentice in Orangeville. After graduating as an Animal Health Technician in 1985, her love of dog training continued, and she founded Who’s Walking Who in 1989 in the Beach neighborhood. Who’s Walking Who then opened a second location in Ajax in 1999 and a third location at Park9 Urban Dog Playcare & Resorts in the Distillery District of downtown Toronto in 2004.
A founding member of both the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers and International Positive Dog Trainers Association, Gillian believed that education combined with experience was the key to helping clients teach, and manage, their dogs. This involvement ensured that she remained up to date on all current training issues and she has been the key speaker for The Veterinarian Association, The Veterinary Techicians Association and the CAPPDT. She has a tell-it-like-it-is style and is the go to trainer for media and celebrities alike. Her media savvy is evident and she has been featured on most TV networks and has frequently been a national spokesperson for well-known canine products. As a writer, she had a monthly column in Dogs In Canada for over 9 years, and penned the much loved "Citizen Canine" book (now out of print). Her experience in the canine world is second to non.
She currently lives with her 3 dogs - Yardley, Noah and London in Ajax, Ontario. And in her spare time? She hosts the SupeDogs shows across Ontario!
Kristi Magi
Kristi came to classes at Who’s Walking Who in 1995. She started training her beloved Shetland Sheepdog, Misty, and enjoyed herself so much that she never left. In September of 1996, Kristi came on board as an assistant and very quickly moved up the ranks to instructor. The sport of Competitive Obedience caught her fancy and Kristi could often be seen at trials. Kristi’s favorite activity is getting the dogs out for a game of frisbee and you can often see her setting up agility equipment in her backyard for some practice time.
Kristi shares a full household with her beloved companions, Ripley, her Sheltie, and Penny, a very active Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Her hobbies include camping, canoeing and kayaking, working in the garden and photography. If you are up early enough, you will catch her on the way to the gym for her daily workout.
Kristi is one of the instructors in Ajax and her easygoing style is a delight to students. You will often see Kristi surrounded by a group of puppies. She spends her days part time as a Vet Assistant at an animal hospital.
Kristi shares her life with Carey and Erin, her two teenage daughters. You will often find them doling out the treats for tricks. Her experience with juggling family life, work, two cats, a couple of fish, a gecko and one very patient husband, helps her to understand the challenges faced by her students.
Hilda Kelly
Hilda's shared ownership of an automotive service and repair facility with spouse Liam certainly keeps her on her toes! Keltech Performance, located in the heart of Markham Village, is dedicated to comprehensive Porsche service but also proudly extends its expertise to Mercedes Benz and BMW, along with several British marques including Jaguar. The rest of Hilda's life revolves around dogs, a love affair that began at the age of six when a German Shepherd puppy joined her family. Hilda became more involved in formal dog training when a zany Boxer named Oscar came into her life. Hilda and Oscar shared a unique bond and they learned very much from each other over the years. Hilda's current canine pack consists of a handsome Boston Terrier named Beckham and a boisterous Boxer named Keegan.
Hilda is an advocate of adoption and is active in the dog rescue community. She is a founding member of the K9-Rescue Me organization, a past director of Boxer Rescue Ontario, a former member of the St. John's Ambulance Dog Therapy Program and a proud supporter of the Dog Legislation Council of Canada. Hilda dabbles in a variety of dog sports and activities such as Agility and holds titles in Rally-Obedience. She has also made appearances on dog performance teams SuperDogs and Woofjocks. Hilda enthusiastically contributes to a children's camp, wherein she teaches kids aged 10 to 14 years old the key fundamentals of dog training through a hands-on Junior Dog Handler Camp program at Pawsitively Pets Summer Camp. In addition to attending several diverse training workshops and conferences, Hilda holds a certificate in Pet First Aid. Hilda conducts private lessons and is a trainer at our Ajax location.
Julie Smith
After graduating college as an Animal Health Technician, Julie found herself working as an Animal Care Officer. In 1995, she found her joy of dog training by taking classes at a local dog training school. She soon discovered that it was her passion to help people learn how to teach their dogs a few skills for preventable problems, in order to ensure they stayed in their homes. Julie quickly added Demi, a rescue mixed breed, who became her demo dog for classes and the mascot for the shelter.
It was Fanny, her spaniel, that brought Julie to a class at Who's Walking Who in 2002.
Julie changed careers and took a hiatus from teaching classes in 2011. In 2015, she added another English Cocker, Wynne, to her family, and there was never any doubt that Wynne and Julie would be attending classes at WWW. And the rest is easy to understand. Julie is now part of the WWW training team! Julie currently lives with Wynne and the newest addition, a Golden Retriever rescue named Sandy.
Lynda Kitson
During the day, Lynda works in the corporate world. But in the evenings and weekends, she loves spending time in the canine world. Lynda has 3 Golden Retrievers, Emma, Molly and a rescue named Augie. Lynda came on board with us in 2009. Aside from working in our regular obedience classes, Lynda teaches Tricks and Musical Freestyle. You’ve heard of Dancing with the Stars? Well this is Dancing with the Dogs.
Lynda is also our Walks ‘N’ Wags Pet First Aid Instructor. This is something she is very passionate about and believes it is an integral part of being a responsible pet owner. Emma loves being the demo dog for this class and is quite the ham when it comes to being bandaged. She was featured in Toronto's Grid magazine as one of GTA's Hardest Working Dogs. Lynda and her dogs are also part of the Woofjocks Canine All-Stars team. When Lynda’s not teaching, you may see them performing at one of their shows. In addition, Lynda and her husband are active volunteers with Golden Rescue.
Jason Rennick
Jason joined the staff of Who’s Walking Who in January 2003. He and his Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Kelsey, made quite an impression. Jason got Kelsey as an adult in July 2002. His training ability and enthusiasm, along with his willingness to learn stood out with the staff and soon he was on board. In the spring of 2013 Kelsey passed away and now Jason is waiting for that right dog to rescue to bring into his household to continue his love of training. Jason works for the Town of Ajax in the Operations and Environmental Services Department looking after grounds maintenance and sports fields. He spends his off-hours enjoying Hockey, Lacrosse and Golf. He also volunteers with the Ontario Volunteer Emergency Response Team a search and rescue team based in Durham Region. He shares his life with his wife Karen, their son Jakson and their newest editions, the foster cats Remmy and Tucker.
Amanda Milner
Amanda rescued Jake, a terrier mix, from a shelter in 2000 and enrolled him into training classes. Very quickly her love and passion for dog training grew. Once she completed her classes, she started to assist and hasn't looked back. Amanda joined the WWW team in 2008 as an assistant trainer, and can now be found teaching and assisting in classes.
Amanda has a natural affinity for dogs, and can often bring them out of their shell. After losing her beloved Jake, she once again took in shelter pup, Pip, a husky cross. His puppy antics brought a new light to her life, as well as giving her a more personal understanding of the issues that come along with a puppy.
Amanda is also part of our office staff, and can be often found sitting on the computer, with her much loved Pip at her feet.
Pip is a truly versatile dog and is a keen student. Along with an advanced level of obedience, he has taken Tricks, Musical Freestyle, Scent Discrimination, Flyball, Agility and Disc. He is often seen in local Christmas parades, pulling a cart along with his Bernese Mountain Dog friends, but his favourite game is still to chase and retrieve a ball. Amanda is active in our community, as a volunteer with the Town of Ajax. She enjoys travel, gardening, yoga and outdoor activities, no matter the weather. She is enthusiastic and loves to see the bond that builds between dogs and their people throughout their training journey.
Jennifer Cresswell
Jen joined Who's Walking Who in 2010 when she was looking for new things to try with her first dog, Missy. Together they found agility, and have never looked back! Missy, the Havanese, joined Jen's family in 2007, followed by Holly in 2010, Master Chief in 2014, and for a complete change of pace, her newest addition, River, an Australian Shepherd joined her Havanese siblings in 2017. All of her dogs play agility, and Missy and Chief have competed at the Agility Association of Canada's Regional/Provincial competitions, and expect to compete at the Nationals in 2018. Missy has earned her agility Gold Standard Title and Gold Award of Merit, as well as her Silver Versatility Award, and placed 7th at the 2016 AAC Nationals. Master Chief is just getting started on his agility career, but is already at the Masters level, and also earned his Excellent title in Rally-O.
In real life, Jen is a high school Music Teacher, and when she isn't performing with her bands, she can be found performing with the "Woofjocks Canine All Stars" at various events, attending dog competitions, seminars, or dog training sessions almost every weekend.
Lisa Ann Meawasige-Kertesz
Lisa joined the WWW team in October 2011. She was introduced to WWW in 2001 when her and husband Mark got their first dog Kelso, a forever young Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Kelso's WWW education started at the tender age of 10 weeks. His parents attended the Puppy Points Seminar prior to getting Kelso. They feel strongly that this one seminar started them in the right direction towards a strong and trusting relationship with Kelso. He is often the subject of budding photographer Mark's photos.
As her second career, Lisa is pursuing her passion for the culinary arts and hopes to realize her dream of owning a restaurant. In addition to cooking and entertaining, Lisa's passions include music, traveling, astronomy, interior design and poker. Maybe one day she will have homemade doggie treats available!
Teri Byrne
Teri has been with Who's Walking Who since day one. Working in the office in the early years and now helping remotely from Ireland! The power of the internet means that Teri is able to continue with her administrative duties from over seas.
Teri shares her home with her 2 cats...Gabby and Amber. They are the apple of her eye and are loving the Irish life.
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