Meet Our Team

Matt came to See Spot Run first as a client, working on resolving a serious behavioral issue at home with his own dog. After consulting with Ruth and being impressed with her level of knowledge and insight, he became interested in learning more about the psychology of dogs. Matt made the decision in 2020 to leave the finance industry in order to follow his newfound passion, dog training. Matt enjoys learning about the intersection of behavioral science and training technique, and he uses that knowledge to create a stronger bond between his clients and their dogs.

Matt’s Mini American Shepherd Hera is his first agility prospect, and he enjoys taking agility lessons with her and his two sons. When he’s not training dogs, you can find Matt coaching his kids’ football team or playing guitar.

Sydney has been around dogs her entire life. They were an integral part of her childhood, she was literally raised with her Akita puppy Kiko, and her family always had at least two in the house.

When Sydney went to college, her mom promised her a puppy when she graduated, but surprised her with Oso, her mastiff mix, a year early. Riis, a rottie mix, joined the family a year later. Both dogs had some behavioral issues, which started Sydney’s journey into the training world. The newfound freedom and life she was able to enjoy with her dogs because of their training was something she wanted to share with others.

She currently dabbles in agility and GRC with Riis, and recently added a new sport prospect, Kyrie, to her crew. When she’s not off doing dog things, Sydney can be found curled up on the sofa with a dog and a book.

With a background in language education and a life long passion for dogs, Ripley first worked with dogs as a child, volunteering with her mother at a shelter in Brazil. Later, she joined the behavior assessment and adoption counseling team, honing her husbandry skills while learning more about training and behavior. 

She moved to the US in 2018, and worked at the SPCA in California, where she became an AKC Certified Test Evaluator. During the pandemic, Ripley and her Brazilian Mutt Haroldo achieved 10 different trick certifications, and she became a Certified Trick Dog Instructor.

Ripley believes animal training is a lot like learning a second language, and is a big fan of teaching tricks as a way of bringing fun and skill practice into training. With unique experiences from her home country Brazil, she is now pursuing the CPDT-KA certification as she continues to further her education. When she’s not studying or training dogs, you can find her drawing, reading or roller skating!

Jocey was obsessed with dogs from a young age. As a child, she would catch stray dogs and attempt to hide them from her parents, keeping them in the garage and sneaking away to feed and care for them. She would inevitably get caught, but the moment she turned eighteen, she began volunteering at the Paws Chicago animal shelter, and has remained in the pet care and training industry ever since.

Over her decade-long career, she has worked as a groomer, veterinary technician, day school manager, and trainer. She started working for See Spot Run in 2017, and recently returned after spending 8 months developing her training skills.

Jocey currently works with our Puppy Campers and Board & Train clients, as well as assisting with private instruction and group lessons. She is also studying for the CPDT-KA certification exam, which she plans to take in the fall.