Meet Katie

A woman wearing a face mask and casual clothing kneels in front of a chain-link animal enclosure, holding a frisbee and looking at a bear inside.
A woman taking a selfie with a Rottweiler dog against a blue wall. The woman is smiling and wears a gray jacket with a Veterinary Behavior of Indiana logo. The dog has a black and brown coat, a red collar with a bone-shaped tag, and is looking at the camera.
A woman with blonde, curly hair smiling and taking a selfie with a black dog with brown markings and floppy ears. The dog has a pink tongue sticking out slightly and wears a collar with a bone-shaped tag.

My name is Katie Mayer and I am an Indiana-based Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology and minor in Biological Sciences.

My passion for working and training animals started at a young age, volunteering in wildlife rehabilitation during high school and college. From there I jumped into the zoological field with the much larger cousins of your average cats, tigers, at Carolina Tiger Rescue. Over the course of nearly a decade I worked as a zookeeper caring for and training species ranging from small and big cats, domestic hoof stock, bears, reptiles, birds, red wolves, small primates, and great apes.

Around 2022 I transitioned into working with dogs and cats as a Behavior Therapy Trainer at Veterinary Behavior of Indiana.

My husband, Cody, and I share our home with our one year old daughter, our Labrador Retriever (Raven), Rottweiler (Wally), cat (Damian) and bearded dragon (Smaug). In my spare time, I’m an avid reader, love to garden, and play video games.

More About BrightPaws Pathways’ Training

Person in black coat and pants holding a squirrel leash, feeding an orange and white fluffy cat wearing a red harness on a gravel path with green foliage in the background.

BrightPaws Pathways only uses force-free, positive reinforcement based training methods that are backed by science. Our goal is to help your pet by using what motivates and rewards them to change behavior.

BrightPaws Pathways does not promote the use of methods that use “aversive” stimuli or that inflict pain and fear on animals. Examples include causing physical harm to an animal; training equipment such as spray bottles, prong collars, e-collars, choke chains. These methods have fallout and can cause the behavior issues to worsen overtime, in addition to being outdated, and not backed by science.

BrightPaws Pathways strives to educate and empower owners, so if you have used these methods, I am here to help you put your best “paw” forward in a judgement-free way.

FAQs

  • First, fill out the contact form and let me know a little more information about you, your pet, and why you’d like to schedule. I’ll be in touch within 48 hours and we’ll discuss booking your first session!

    After you schedule your appointment, you will receive a Behavior History Form to fill out on your pet and as well as the Client Services Agreement Document to fill out. These forms are required to complete prior to your appointment.

    We’ll sit down during your initial consultation (75-90 minutes) and discuss your pet and the concerns you have. Then we’ll come up with a plan tailored to you and your pet, which will be sent to you by email with the topics discussed, the recommended plan, and additional resources.

    From there we’ll discuss next steps for future sessions to help keep you and your pet moving towards your goals.

  • How many sessions is entirely up to you to help achieve your goals.

    My goal is to empower you with the knowledge and tools to help you and your pet live the best life possible while changing behavior, whether it is through a few sessions or continuous sessions.

    Depending on factors such as the behavior concern, your pet’s history, and the time you are able to put into the recommended plan will play into how much support you will need.

  • While my primary focus through BrightPaws Pathways is cat clients, I can also help clients with dogs that need training help as well on a case-by-case basis.

    If you have a dog and would like help from me, please reach out and we can discuss!

  • Any cancellation made with less than 48-hours notice will be subject to charged for the full session fee.

    If you need to reschedule an appointment, please do so within the 48-hour notice.

Black silhouette of a paw print.

Contact

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Interested in working together? Fill out some info and Katie will be in touch shortly!