PPG Appoints Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as Feline Division Vice Chair
Please join us in congratulating Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as the new vice chair of PPG’s Feline Division!
“I am thrilled to accept the role of vice chair of the Feline Division at the Pet Professional Guild,” said Joanna. “In this position, I will be dedicated to advancing feline welfare through education, advocacy, and support for other cat professionals. Together we will strive to improve the lives of cats and strengthen the bond between pets and their guardians.”
Joanna is a Houston-based dog and cat trainer and behavior consultant. She started on her animal behavior path in shelters nearly a decade ago and has been working with private clients since 2020. Cats were her first passion, but she has worked with a variety of species, including dogs, chickens, goats, donkeys, horses, and even a goldfish.
She is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer–Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), Certified Cat Behavior Consultant (CCBC), Certified Control Unleashed Instructor, Fear Free Certified Professional–Trainer, and a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP). She is also a member of the Shock-Free Coalition.
Joanna’s mission is to show pet parents just how easy it can be to solve behavior issues with the right combination of environmental modification, a detailed training plan, and guidance from a trained and certified professional. Her main areas of expertise are reactivity and aggression in dogs, and inappropriate elimination in cats. She also enjoys working with mixed-pet households.
In her role with PPG’s Feline Division, Joanna particularly enjoys co-hosting monthly Chat & Chuckle events with Feline Division Chair Laura Cassiday and talking to cat practitioners with various backgrounds.
She currently lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and her Malaysian-born dog, Fuji.