Our Team

Elaine Hope Poulin

Elaine has worked with dogs - both formally and informally - all of her life. Possessing an inherent love and understanding of dogs, she uses these attributes to help dogs and their owners form balanced, rewarding relationships with each other. Having earned a Master's Degree in education, Elaine spent years teaching both children and adults. However, she ultimately decided to apply this knowledge and experience to her true calling: dog training. Elaine received her Professional Trainer Certification from the National K9 School as well as an E-Touch Certification from The International School for Dog Trainers. Elaine has studied with Cesar Milan at The Dog Psychology Center and other renowned dog professionals around the country for ongoing professional education in order to continuously hone her skills to be the best she can be. Elaine is an AKC CGC® Approved Evaluator and a Certified Dog Trainer and member of the International Association of Canine Professionals #P2456 (IACP) and the National K-9 Trainers Association.

Elaine's Credentials:

• Owner & Founder Carolina Dog Training, LLC: Trained By Elaine™ and The Pack Sitters™
• Master of Education Florida Atlantic University
• Master level Graduate and Professional Member National K9 Dog Trainers Association
• Professional Member International Association Canine Professionals (IACP) (P#2456) & IACP CDT (Certified Dog Trainer)
• Certified AKC CGC® Evaluator # 34668
• Training Cesar's Way Fundamentals I & II with Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer)
• Certified E-Touch™ / ForceFree ™ Trainer
• Certified Pet Partners Therapy Dog Evaluator #66233

Meet Our Pack Sitters™

Lisa Rousseau is originally from New Orleans and fortunately for us, now resides in Cary, NC! Her full-time occupation is at the Cary Police Department. Besides her career, she loves animals, volunteering, cycling, music, cooking and spending time with friends.

Megan Pendell grew up in Cary, NC and studies Environmental Science and Applied Ecology at NCSU. Her love of animals stem from her early experiences surrounded by all the dogs that her mother Elaine was training! Though, her dog, Daisy, was her most important canine relationship! She loves to travel and has been to as faraway places as Africa and Israel. Her other passions include climate change, nature, kayaking and disc golfing.

I'm Julie Monteiro and I have always been an animal lover. At home I have 1 dog, 2 rescue cats, a parrot and some fish. I was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. When the opportunity arose to see more of the world by living and studying abroad, I jumped at it. For 2 years I lived in a small village 30 miles outside of London, England where I studied Information Technology at the local college and traveled around Europe. Once my studies were complete, I returned to the states with my family and settled in Cary/ Apex area.

I had a very successful career in the pharmaceutical industry for over 10 years.  I was making a good living, but I wasn't really living. With the support of my family, I decided to make some big changes and start enjoying life. I have always been happiest when caring for animals, so I made the choice to do what I love and life has never been so good.

Teia Poulin, a NC native, is a retired Lieutenant from the North Carolina Highway Patrol with 30 years of law enforcement experience. She began her career with the Raleigh Police Department, served in Desert Storm as a Navy Corpsman before joining the Patrol. She currently works with the Cary Police Department in a support roll for the administration. Not only is Teia a dog lover she works daily at the police department with her K9 companion “Laddie,” a 3 year old English Springer Spaniel who can be seen around Cary’s Town Hall Campus. Teia serves as our security specialist with the Pack Sitter’s™ Team. She is an experienced pack sitter and she is available for security checks on your home while your away and providing in home pack sitting services.