Summary
Overview
Work history
Education
Skills
References
Affiliations
Certification
References
Timeline
Generic

Emma Smith

Manchester

Summary

Dedicated animal behaviour specialist with extensive expertise in monitoring animal behaviour and handling exotic species. Proficient in coding systems such as RStudio, SPSS, and Raven for behavioural analysis. Skilled in canine first aid, medication administration, and emergency response, with a strong focus on canine physical fitness and nutrition awareness. Demonstrates exceptional patience with difficult dogs and experience managing leash aggression. Committed to enhancing canine welfare through effective behaviour management and team support.

Overview

8
8
years of professional experience
2022
2022
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification

Work history

Dog walker and Daycare worker

Rachel's dog club
Manchester
03.2024 - Current
  • Utilised understanding of different breeds' behaviour in handling large groups of dogs, enhancing safety and enjoyment on walks.
  • Ensured proper hydration and weather safety of dogs during long walks, improving overall health.
  • Enhanced customer loyalty through reliable and professional dog walking services.
  • Respected community rules regarding leash laws and pet waste disposal showing civic responsibility.
  • Canine first aid and CPR trained
  • Provided comfort and reassurance to distressed or anxious animals demonstrating empathy.
  • Work with severe cases of reactivity and used training methods to improve quality of life
  • Kept detailed records of each walk to provide feedback to owners.
  • Followed specific instructions from dog owners, ensuring personalised care.
  • Managed emergencies effectively with calm demeanour, reducing potential harm to pets.
  • Administered medication as required by dog owner instructions, maintaining animal's health.
  • Encouraged good canine behaviour using positive reinforcement techniques, promoting well-behaved pets.
  • Carried out basic grooming tasks after walks, ensuring clean return of pets to homes.
  • Built rapport with clients by meeting their individual pet care needs.

Assistant Café Manager

Unit one Café & The Union Café
07.2022 - 03.2024
  • Carried out day-to-day duties accurately and efficiently.
  • Quickly learned and applied new skills to daily tasks, improving efficiency and productivity.
  • Successfully delivered on tasks within tight deadlines.
  • Supported team by demonstrating respect and willingness to help.
  • Worked flexible hours, covering nights, weekends and bank holidays.
  • Consistently arrived at work on time and ready to start immediately.
  • Cleaned work areas and equipment to maintain faultless hygiene standards.

Master’s research

MMU
06.2021 - 09.2022
  • I completed my thesis on female preferences for multimodal sexual signals in Golden Mantella frogs. This research spread across 8 months, where I created my methods, objectives, and data collection regime to examine the use of bimodal signals (acoustic + visual (colour and body size)) and whether these factors alter communication forms in sexual signaling. This project was demanding work, as I worked full time at MMU students’ union alongside my year of study. However, I had determination and passion for the work, resulting in a first-class project and overall grade. My paper is currently in the process of publishing, this is a huge achievement for me.

Animal Behaviour research

MMU
09.2017 - 06.2020
  • I completed a thesis on Human mental health and the effect of companion animals. Primary focus was on cats and dogs to reduce levels of depression and anxiety; other focuses on disability awareness, and impact companion animals may have on physical wellbeing. Having suffered mental health issues myself, this was something I was passionate about, and completed to a first-class level.

Education

MSc - Animal Behaviour

BSc - Animal Behaviour

Herpetology diploma course - undefined

Skills

  • Monitoring of animal behaviour
  • Handling of exotic species
  • Knowledge of coding systems for animal behaviour: RStudio, SPSS, Raven
  • Canine first aid
  • Behaviour management
  • Medication administration
  • Record keeping
  • Emergency response
  • Time management
  • Team support
  • Canine physical fitness awareness
  • Experience with leash aggression
  • Multiple pet handling
  • Canine behaviour understanding
  • Petsitting experience
  • First aid for dogs
  • Canine nutrition awareness
  • CPR for dogs certification
  • Familiarity with canine allergies
  • Dog breed familiarity
  • Patience with difficult dogs

References

Available upon request.

Affiliations

  • gardening
  • reptile keeping

Certification

Canine first aid trained

Human first aid trained

References

References available upon request.

Timeline

Dog walker and Daycare worker

Rachel's dog club
03.2024 - Current

Assistant Café Manager

Unit one Café & The Union Café
07.2022 - 03.2024

Master’s research

MMU
06.2021 - 09.2022

Animal Behaviour research

MMU
09.2017 - 06.2020

BSc - Animal Behaviour

Herpetology diploma course - undefined

MSc - Animal Behaviour

Emma Smith