Animal Connections

Kinna’s passion for animals pretty much began at birth. Kinna’s first spoken word was “dog.” Her family moved to the Adirondacks when she was two years old so she grew up surrounded by wildlife as well as her family’s own animals. 

By the time she was six years old, Kinna’s parents had taken on a family dog and allowed her to start horseback riding lessons. Her passions for animals continued through childhood, and included time with hamsters, goldfish, two ducks, as well as daily time in the local forests observing wild animals.

When she was twelve, Kinna’s parents gave her the full responsibility of caring for her own horse. These early, personal experiences with animals and animal care led Kinna to cultivate a deep understanding and awe of her animal friends.

Left: Kinna takes her horse swimming in the Upper Saranac Lake (Adirondack Park, NY) at age 13.

Kinna continued her search for ways to understand and work with animals as an adult. Kinna helped rehabilitate “end of the line” dogs at a kill shelter and worked to find homes for them. She spent five years learning about border collies and their passion for sheep. Kinna trained one of her own dogs for wilderness search and rescue, as well as for avalanche work. Her dogs have always been equal family members—taking raft trips in the Rocky Mountains, spending summers camping and hiking in the Adirondack mountains, and learning that traveling is so much fun!

Kinna has studied horse natural nutrition with veterinarian Eleanor Kellon. She’s also taken Dr. Kellon’s natural nutrition course for dogs & cats. Kinna completed her Masterson Method Weekend Seminar Workshop (equine bodywork) in August 2014. 

In 2015, Kinna completed her professional dog training certification program with Karen Pryor Academy. She and her husband Gene started Animal Connection Training directly after Kinna’s certification from Karen Pryor Academy (Gene continued on to certify in 2016).

She lives in the Adirondacks of northern New York with her husband Gene, two border collies, and two horses.

Tomte the Golden joins Kinna on a Colorado River raft trip in 1996.

Teaching & Communicating:

Kinna has a strong passion for teaching and sharing information with others. Like Gene, she absolutely loves teaching animals and people.  She’s always striving to find new ways to make ideas accessible and fun to learn!

Kinna started teaching early – as a 16 year old.  She taught alpine skiing to adults and older children during high school in northern New York, then continued for multiple seasons throughout her 20s and 30s in the Northeast and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Montana.

In her early 30s, Kinna filled in as an adjust professor for two years at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado – she designed two classes and especially loved teaching a field class about water issues in the west. She moved back to the Adirondacks in 2004.  She explored other avenues for sharing information as both a magazine writer for regional publications and a public radio producer for the Environment Report as well as NPR.

Kinna graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont with a BA in Economics, and received her master’s degree in Environmental Policy from the University of Colorado in Boulder.