CanineLink Alumni Spotlight: Kristin Buller
- Jan 23, 2015
- 4 min read
By Jamie Damato Migdal, CEO and Pet Industry Entrepreneur
I've known Kristin Buller for a couple of years now, and every time I have a conversation with her I find out that she's even more interesting than I already thought she was. She's a great example of how many opportunities there are in the pet industry, and if you don't see the opportunity, you can make your own.
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What is your background? I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I received my MA in Social Work from the University of Chicago and am currently enrolled in a certificate course in Veterinary Social Work (University of Tennessee). As a social worker, my initial work in the field focused on domestic violence and sexual assault services. Then I lived in Cambodia for four years training and supervising Cambodian social workers and doing program evaluation and research. Since moving back to the U.S. four years ago, I have been working as a therapist at a community counseling center with Jewish Child and Family Services where I provide individual, couples, and family counseling. I am also a program leader for one of Canine Therapy Corps' psychosocial animal-assisted therapy programs. Recently I have started a private practice, focusing on supporting owners of pets with behavior problems through providing counseling and support groups as well as conducting research.
How do you pay it forward? I feel that it is important to seek out and share the stories of owners who have a pet with behavior problems so that people can be more understanding and supportive towards these owners, particularly as owners of pets with behavior problems often feel isolated and judged by others. Dr. Kelly Ballantyne, DVM, and I are conducting a research project on the impact on owners of having a pet with behavior problems. Our hope is that our findings will shed light and understanding on a story not often told, especially when owners come to the heartbreaking decision of rehoming or euthanasia. We hope to develop an assessment tool that can be used to better understand how a pet’s behavior problem is impacting the owner’s quality of life. Currently I facilitate a monthly support group for owners of pets with behavior problems, which I hope can give these owners a safe and non-judgmental space to talk with others who understand both the struggles and the successes of having a special needs pet.
What drew you to the CanineLink program? My dog, Buddy. He is a Cambodian dog that we got as a puppy and brought back with us. I got interested in dog training when we got Buddy and had already been thinking about attending CanineLink Academy. Then Buddy bit someone who approached him. We went to the veterinarian behaviorist who helped us understand Buddy’s fear aggression and anxiety and what his treatment plan would be. I decided that I wanted to understand more deeply about what was going on with Buddy and how I could best help him and so that was when I signed up for Academy. I was secretly sure that after the course I would want to give up social work forever and become a dog trainer! I was also longing for a place where I could talk about Buddy’s issues with others who would be understanding and supportive, and I instantly found that, and continue to find that, in my CanineLink community.
How do you incorporate your CanineLink training into your social work? So it turned out that I still really love social work and do not want to be a dog trainer (not just yet, at least). I can pinpoint a conversation with Jamie Migdal that helped me reach that point of clarity. I have found that I am most drawn to providing emotional support to owners as they navigate difficult decisions with their pets, especially around behavior issues, as well as supporting the professionals working with these owners. CanineLink gave me a foundation for understanding dog behavior and dog training that I use every time I listen to an owner talk about their pet. I strive to listen to both the behavior the owner is describing and also to the owner’s own stress and feelings about the situation with their pet. I am then able to provide the owner with the emotional support they need while also being able to refer them to training and behavior supports that can help them and their pet.
Thanks to CanineLink I also “speak the language” of animal training and behavior, and this has been enormously helpful in my collaborations with veterinary behavior and training professionals because they can refer a case to me knowing that I will understand the recommendations that they have for the case. Reciprocally, the same goes for my clients. They can come to me and share their feelings about what they are being recommended to do with their pet without needing to teach me about what a training term or behavior modification plan means.
How to you plan to use your CanineLink training in the future? Personally, I use it every single day with Buddy in how I understand him and work with him and communicate with him. As I move into the field of Veterinary Social Work, my ability to support owners in their relationships and decisions about their pets is made possible largely because of my understanding and knowledge about animal behavior and the human animal bond, and that is rooted in my experience at CanineLink. CanineLink provided me with a foundational knowledge, but also taught me how to critically read new articles and research in the field. It provided me with skills of observation without moving too quickly into interpretation, helped me to develop awareness of when my own bias or feelings were getting in the way of what I was seeing, and encouraged the researcher in me. As I continue to grow as an “animal-informed” social worker and researcher, CanineLink remains the foundation that I build upon.
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Photo of Kristin and Buddy courtesy of Cari Dufel Photography.
Kristin Buller will be holding her next support group, "Finding Peace: Living With and Loving a Pet With Behavior Problems", on Thursday, January 29, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. RSVP to kristinbuller.lcsw@gmail.com.
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