Menu
Pooch Pawsitive has been part of the dog loving community for decades, and we adore seeing our students out and about enjoying life with their dog. Our training center exists to get you and your puppy off to the best possible start.
Heidi is the owner of Pooch Pawsitive. In 2002, Heidi earned her Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC) from Jean Donaldson’s Academy for Dog Trainers at the San Francisco SPCA and started Pooch Pawsitive while living in Santa Clara, California. While there, Heidi taught classes for Sirius Puppy Training under the guidance of Dr. Ian Dunbar. In 2003, she decided to leave the high-tech corporate world behind, moving back to Rhode Island to dedicate herself full-time to Pooch Pawsitive.
A graduate of Barrington High School and Providence College, Heidi and her husband currently reside in East Providence. In her free time, Heidi enjoys cooking and fixing up the house they bought in 2017. She likes playing fetch and K9 Nose Work with their Cavalier x Goldendoodle, Murphy.
Her insights and knowledge have been featured in numerous articles in publications such as RI Monthly, the Providence Journal, and RI Local Magazine. Pooch Pawsitive has also made appearances on The Rhode Show television program.
“Thank you for helping us restore health, balance and cheerfulness to our household: the positive training methods you taught us have literally saved our dog and our relationship with him.” – Lucy, Kevin and Bunsen
Meghan is our Daycare Manager and has been with Pooch Pawsitive since 2015. She is a graduate of the Animal Behavior College and is the happy parent of Harley, an 11 year old Lab/Pit mix. Meghan enjoys building relationships with the dogs here and watching them learn and grow! In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and reading.
Thomas is our Shift Supervisor and has been with Pooch Pawsitive since 2019. He has a B.S. in Animal Management from URI, and is the proud parent of Sara, a Shepherd mix. In his spare time, Thomas enjoys playing video games, listening to music and walking Sara.
Hayley is a Group Leader who has been with Pooch Pawsitive since 2020. She loves every single dog here and watching them grow up! In her free time, Hayley enjoys painting, including painting pet portraits!
Ashley is a Group Leader and has been with Pooch Pawsitive since 2021. Ashley enjoys seeing the dog’s personalities shine through every day! She has four cats – Nibbler, Fry, Mable and Lily. In her spare time, Ashley likes crafting and sewing, playing video games and watching documentaries.
Brendan is Group Leader and joined Pooch Pawsitive in 2022. He is a graduate of the Animal Behavior College and has been working with dogs for over 10 years. He enjoys meeting all the different dog breeds here. In his spare time he enjoys sports, movies, take-out and cooking.
Veronica is a Group Leader and joined Pooch Pawsitive in 2022. She has been working with dogs for over 9 years teaching group classes for puppy Kindergarten, agility and other dog sports. She is attending CATCH Academy for dog training. In her spare time, she likes hiking and going to the beach!
Taylor is a Trainer and teaches group classes. She joined Pooch Pawsitive in 2022 and has a B.S. in Animal Science from URI and is a graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy. Taylor likes teaching dogs to understand their owners, but more importantly, teaching owners to understand their dogs! Taylor likes to do Agility and K9 Nose Work with her Goldendoodle, Charlie.
Kassidy is a Group Leader who joined Pooch Pawsitive in 2023 and has been working with dogs for over 4 years. She especially loves spending time with the puppies in our Puppy Academy program, watching their personalities develop, and seeing new friendships bloom! In her spare time, she likes snuggling on the couch with her 6 year old Chiweenie, Fezzik, and watching TV reruns or the same movie she has seen a million times!
Kella is our Puppy Academy and Play & Train Trainer. She joined Pooch Pawsitive in 2024. Kella has a B.S. in Wildlife & Zoo Studies and is certified with the Certification Council for Professional Dog Training since 2019. Aside from dogs, some favorite animals that she has worked with include lemurs, parrots, and foxes. Kella loves helping dogs (and other species) build confidence and communication through positive reinforcement training. Kella lives in Seekonk with her husband and their rescue dog, Hoss. Hoss has been a guiding light in Kella’s animal training education, especially in working with fear, reactivity, and silly tricks.
Daycare:
Training and general questions:
Please note: The best way to reach us is by email. We’ll do our best to respond to your email within 24-48 hours.
Pooch Pawsitive is located at 10 Fairmount Ave., East Providence, RI and founded by Heidi Palmer McNeil. We support clients in the following areas and beyond:
Rhode Island:
Barrington, Bristol, Warren, East Providence, Providence, Cranston.
Massachusetts:
Seekonk, Rehoboth, Swansea, Attleboro.
