MEET THE TEAM

Meet our staff and board that make ABRT the best

Staff

Lauren Fox

Executive Director

Lauren Fox has served as the Executive Director of All Breed Rescue & Training in Colorado Springs since 1998, bringing more than two decades of experience in dog training, competition, and rescue.

While she oversees the organization as a whole, Lauren’s true passion lies in training and developing strong, lasting partnerships between dogs and their people. She teaches a range of classes including AKC STAR Puppy, intermediate and advanced obedience, Rally, Trick Dog, AKC therapy dog certification, and canine freestyle (“doggy dancing”), among others.

Lauren has competed in multiple dog sports, including agility, obedience, and Rally, and currently handles dogs in AKC conformation across a variety of breeds. Her experience in both the performance and companion dog worlds gives her a well-rounded, practical approach to training.

In addition to her work in training, Lauren has remained deeply connected to rescue throughout her career, helping guide the organization’s efforts to support dogs in need and the people who care for them.

Known for her straightforward, supportive teaching style, Lauren enjoys helping teams at all levels build skills, confidence, and connection.



She believes training should make life better for both ends of the leash.

Jenna Haines

Director of Behavior

Jenna began with All Breed Rescue & Training in 2011 to follow her passion to help dogs and owners blossom. She is currently the Director of Behavior and Canine Behavior Specialist to further this passion. When not working, she enjoys hiking, camping, being outdoors, and  live music. She also enjoys spending time with Cassidy (her first foster whom she adopted) who is a 13 year old Carolina Dog and Princess Leia, a 2 year old Bulldog who has earned her CGCA, TKN, RN, and graduated Therapy Dog in the past year.  She is, also, owned by two crazy cats, Yoda and Gandalf. She has also, proudly, fostered many puppies over the years.

Eilee Raider

Office Manager

I started at ABRT in 2021 as an intern as part of the requirements for my Zookeeping degree. During my internship, I primarily assisted with the day-to-day operations in the office and occasionally helped with the Behavior Program. This experience allowed me to learn firsthand about the amazing work ABRT does every day. It has been incredibly rewarding to see the dogs we help thrive through our rescue efforts and behavior program.



In 2022, I was hired as the Office Assistant and have since stepped into the role of Office Manager, where I oversee the organization and workflow of the front office. I have had a passion for animals for as long as I can remember and have always wanted to be part of the rescue community.

When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my two little boys, who often tag along with me on days I’m in the office.

Bryan Doerer

Director of Training Class Facilitation

Bryan Doerer is the Director of Training Class Facilitation and has been with All Breed Rescue & Training since 2011. He has worked with over 6000 dogs and their owners. Bryan has also trained with chickens, rabbits, wolves and wolf hybrids, a black bear and also had a pig graduate beside the dogs in one of his classes. He has taught humans how to sell, manage people, manage their time and how to play tennis, racquetball, golf and pickleball. As a multi-species trainer Bryan is passionate about helping others learn. He enjoys helping create closer relationships between dogs and their people through relationship based training. He shares his life with his wife Helen, son Nick, Am Staff/Mastiff/Lab mix Bingo and Am Staff Homer. 

Kara Perry

Trainer

Kara started her journey with ABRT in 2020. She began as a Student Trainer and eventually went on to run ABRT's Social Media, Marketing, Fundraising, and Events. She has since retired from running marketing and events and shifted her focus solely to training. Kara teaches a variety of classes at ABRT including Puppy Raising 101, STAR Puppy Elementary, Neo-1, Neo-2, Walk With Me, and many more. Kara has two dogs at home, Tinkerbell and Aurora. When not working she enjoys hiking, training with her own dogs, baking, reading, and traveling. Kara is very passionate about ABRT's mission to not only rescue dogs that have some extra needs as well as spreading awareness of Positive Reinforcement training and general info on how humans and their  dog companions can have happy and full lives together.

Heather Balle-Mason

Director of Operations

Heather has been a pillar of All Breed Rescue & Training since 2017, though her roots here run even deeper as a former student trainer and behavior counselor apprentice. With a background in electrical engineering and computer science, she keeps our nonprofit’s tech and financial operations running like a well-oiled machine.

When she isn’t managing the "human" side of things—like payroll and hardware—Heather is dedicated to our canine community as a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and Assistant Director of our AKC Therapy Dog Program. A lifelong learner and local EMT, she brings a focus on safety and precision to everything she does for our dogs and their people.

Julie Harbican

Nosework Instructor

Julie has been involved with All Breed Rescue & Training since 2001 when she started as a client. Julie currently teaches: Puppy Raising 101 (Socialization) and Canine Nosework (Scent Detection). She is currently an Adoption Champion (her current five dogs are all adopted from All Breed and she holds the All Breed record for her number of "foster failures") but is working hard to become a Foster Champion instead. She has currently given seven other dogs a place to stay until they find their forever home.

Currently Julie shares her home with her personal dogs, two foster dogs, a patient cat, and an even more patient sister, Karen. In her spare time (lots of laughing), Julie likes to cook, read, bead, crochet, and waste time on Facebook and Pinterest. She also competes in Canine Nosework with her dogs Lucy and Bugsy.

Kelli Jesfjeld

Kennel Manager

Growing up Kelli had an Aunt who was a dog training assistant in Michigan. After 10 years of being a pro wrestler Kelli decided to “hang up the boots” and become a dog trainer. She attended Animal Behavior College to learn and came to All Breed Rescue & Training for hands on training. She started in the kennels as a volunteer walker. She is now the Kennel Manager and a training assistant. Kelli has had dogs all her life including her first dog as an adult, Carly. She loves all things Dog, Disney, Fantasy, and Harry Potter. 

Karen Hancock

Trainer

Karen has been with All Breed Rescue & Training since 2008 when she won a free Foundation Course class at a dog show and brought her pug to the class. Karen enjoyed her class so much that she decided to join the student program. She now teaches Puppy Raising 101 along with helping us keep all the pennies in the right place. She fell in love with her first foster dog, Pharaoh. She learned that the dogs rescued by All Breed are wonderful dogs who just had bad beginnings. Karen lives with her "pack:" Minya (Pug), Pharaoh (Chi Mix), and Moi (Pug mix). She also has two parrots and eight ducks who keep all the dogs in “their places and on their toes.”

Francis Bennett

Office and Training Assistant

Francis Bennett worked at an automotive shop for 8 years before he decided to go back to school in Spring of 2023 to pursue a career in working with animals. He enrolled at Pikes Peak State College in the Zookeeping program and in the Spring of 2025 he graduated with an Associate’s in Zookeeping Technology and a Certificate in Core Animal Care. As part of this program he had a couple of internships, one being here at All Breed Rescue & Training. After being accepted he spent his time helping in varying positions such as assisting with behavior work, training classes, and caring for the dogs at the facility. Once his internship was completed he was offered a position and has been with ABRT since the summer of 2025.

Autumn Lynn

Trainer, Behavior Counselor, S.D.O.T.A. Director

Autumn Lynn previously graduated from Western Washington University with their Bachelor of Science in psychology, and graduated in June 2022 from the Graduate School of Social Work at University of Denver with their Master of Social Work concentrating in mental health and with a certificate in Animal-Assisted Social Work from the Institute of Human-Animal Connection.

As a graduate student they specialized in mental health and animal-assisted social work, interning at organizations providing services to clients with trauma histories, as well as organizations utilizing animal-assisted interventions such as service and therapy dogs. Autumn also worked as a research assistant in both their undergraduate and graduate careers, focusing on interpersonal trauma and animal-assisted interventions.

Now at All Breed Rescue & Training, Autumn created and directs the Service Dog Owner Trainer Academy (SDOTA), is a Behavior Counselor working with self foster dogs and dogs adopted into their new homes, and also teaches a variety of classes.

Laura McGuire

Foster/Adoption Coordinator

Terje Goldston

Trainer

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Teddi Richardson

Medical Coordinator

Teddi is our Medical Coordinator and oversees all of the medical needs of our foster dogs and ensures all are current on their vaccinations.

Board of Directors