Gabi Vannini CPDT-KA

Gabi Vannini CPDT-KA joined the WAGD staff in fall 2018. She teaches barn hunt, agility, conformation, rally and manners. She is an AKC CGC, trick, ACT test, temperament test and farm dog evaluator. Gabi competes in a variety of dog sports with her own dogs and has titled in obedience, agility, rally, conformation, lure coursing, dock diving, barn hunt, tricks and herding. She has a particular fondness for rare breeds and has titled multiple “off” breeds in various dog sports, including Icelandic Sheepdogs, Norrbottenspets, Great Pyrenees and mixed breeds. She is heavily involved with her two rare breeds, as the president of the American Norrbottenspets Association and a board member of the Icelandic Sheepdog Association of America and the National Icelandic Sheepdog Rescue Alliance. Her Icelandic Sheepdog, Link, has been among the top ranked in his breed in agility, obedience, rally, conformation, coursing, barn hunt and dock diving. He has won High in Trials, competed at Westminster, the AKC Rally National Championship, AKC Obedience Classic and AKC Agility Invitational. She has a degree in Journalism from Michigan State University, and has worked in marketing for various animal shelters. Most recently, she managed the equine adoption program at the SPCA of Texas. She and her husband Chris have fostered more than 400 animals in the last few years. When she’s not competing or hanging out with her dogs, she enjoys traveling and trying unique new foods.