About Us
Devina Iyer is an Accredited Dog Trainer and Shelter Behavior Affiliate with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and a student of Dr. Susan Friedman’s fabulous Living and Learning with Animals course.
She and Jacob live with their dog Kousa (and beautiful memories of their late pup Pia) on a little woodland homestead in Maine where they also raise chickens and ducks and grow lots of vegetables.
Devina has never met a stranger (in a dog) - from the street dogs in South India where she grew up, to the shelter dogs and family pets she's worked with since moving to Maine in 2013. She loves helping dogs and their humans find confidence and joy in working together cooperatively. Find a list of some of her continuing education classes here.
Jacob Wartell has a background in landscaping, building, and project management. In addition to building out the physical infrastructure of Cooperative Dogs, he organizes and constructs training equipment and works with Devina in managing the day to day operations of the company.
He is delighted by dogs’ capacity for blissful abandon, their unabashed honesty, and their gustatory enthusiasm. He is also constantly moved by their ability to help humans connect with the kind, vulnerable, and joyful parts of themselves.