Pet Harmony

#183 - Beccy Hughes: There's No Wrong Way in Animal Care

There's No One Way To Care

September 9, 2026

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TLDL (Too Long, Didn’t Listen):

✅ Learning is a cycle, not a checklist – Consuming without application and refinement means you aren’t learning new skills, you’re just downloading information.

✅ Enrichment for… goats? – Enrichment is for everyone, including goats! Beccy talks about how providing an enriching environment it’s about stopping goats from being goats, rather giving them safe ways to goat.

✅ A winding path helps more than you think – From sea lion shows to dog training, Beccy’s route wasn’t a straight line, and every stop along the way taught her something new. Her journey is exactly what makes her skillful now.

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Episode Overview:

In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Pet Harmony’s newest consulting team member Beccy Hughes! With decades of animal care and training experience, Emily and Beccy talk about the wonderful, windy story behind Beccy’s skills. From college, to a career in marine mammal training, to finding herself struggling with pet conflict in her own home, to realizing she can help pet parents too, Beccy’s journey here highlights there’s no wrong way in animal care.

Join Emily and Beccy for a discussion on learning when the path is anything but straight and narrow, how enrichment and a safe learning environment makes a world of difference for all living creatures, and why there’s no right way into animal care or to care for your animals.

Links & Resources from the Episode​

🧾 For full episode transcripts: Arial l OpenDyslexic

📚 Why the Best Trainers Always Go Back to Basics

🧩 Join PETPro for Professional Mentorship and Community

🐐 Watch Hot Fudge and Sundae on Twitch

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Meet the Hosts

Allie pic with Oso

Allie Bender, CDBC, CPDT-KA, SBA

Allie Bender is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, Certified Professional Dog Trainer- Knowledge Assessed, and a Shelter Behavior Affiliate. She has been in the animal welfare industry since 2006 and professionally training since 2012. She is the founder and co-owner of Pet Harmony, co-author of Canine Enrichment for the Real World, and a national speaker.

While in the animal sheltering industry, Allie realized that her passion lied in helping pets with maladaptive behaviors. Today she spends most of her time teaching other trainers and behavior professionals the skills they need to have their most fulfilling, sustainable careers.

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EMIly strong

Emily Strong has been in the animal welfare industry since 1990 and has been a behavior consultant since 2008. She is the co-owner of Pet Harmony, co-author of Canine Enrichment for the Real World, and a national speaker. 

Emily started working with animals at a young age and struggled with the notion that you have to hurt, scare, or intimidate animals to help them. Emily loves helping current and prospective behavior professionals and working with pet parents through our in-depth services. She enjoys working with all species.

Team Members in the Episode

Beccy Hughes, VSA-CDT, FFCP

Beccy is a trainer and behavior consultant with Pet Harmony. 

After more than a decade working with a variety of species, from sea lions to parrots, and everything in between, Beccy found a love for helping pet parents navigate behavior challenges at home. Whether helping clients integrate two dogs or teaching pets skills to participate in their vet care, Beccy’s dedication to empathetic and sustainable plans means clients walk away with plans they can actually stick with. 

Check out more from Beccy on the blog!

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Results are not guaranteed because behavior, human, canine, or otherwise, are not guaranteeable.

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