Creating Your Dream Job

Heidi was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She loved performing and working with animals. She grew up with dogs, cats, birds, fish, horses, a bunny and a goat. After graduating high school, she attended Chapman College and graduated with a BA in Communications with a PR Emphasis. She started out her professional career touring in shows dancing and singing on stages in the United States and overseas. Heidi always found an animal in need in all the places she worked, and it was her mission to find that animal a home before she left for the next job.

When she retired from touring in 2000 she wanted to bring people and animals together and the idea came up to create a nonprofit. She named it KidsnPet. The mission was to teach a child and build a future through humane education and therapy dog programs.

In 2004 Heidi was hired to restructure the volunteer program for the City Shelters and create adoption programs to get the animals out of the shelters and into permanent loving homes. A few of the programs she created are the Senior for Senior Program, the Adoption Partnership Program with local rescue groups and the in-house adoption special events.

Fast forward to 2010. Heidi was hired to revamp the volunteer program at LAX. The volunteers are stationed in information booths in the terminals to help assist and answer questions from the passengers.

Traveling can be very stressful, and the airport was looking for programs to create a positive environment. The lightbulb went off. LAX needed to have therapy dog teams in the terminals.

In 2012 Heidi put pen to paper and developed the PUP Program. It took about eight months to get all the interested parties to agree and give the program the green light. On April 15th, 2013, the program officially launched.

The PUP program is an opportunity to provide an overall enhanced customer experience, providing stress relief and comfort to passengers through interaction with pets.

Therapy dogs and handlers roam the departure levels in the gate areas of each terminal, visiting passengers awaiting flights and providing comfort. Passengers love seeing warm, wet noses and wagging tails that create a friendly, “PAWSitive” experience at LAX!

All PUP volunteers and dogs must be registered with Alliance of Therapy Dogs, a national organization that registers, certifies, insures and supports members who are involved in volunteer animal-assisted activities.

They also complete a walk-through with their dog to make sure there is a good fit for both volunteer and dog. In addition, handlers are fingerprinted and badged.

To date, Heidi has helped 91 airports nationwide and internationally to start similar programs. Her nickname is the Dog Mother of Airport Therapy Dog Programs.

Heidi has always worked jobs that she is passionate about which she believes has led her to where she is today. Believe in what you can do, put in the hard work and it will happen.