Meet Susan Tripp, BA, MS/P
Education Director, Practice Consultant
Syndicated Pet Behavior Columnist

Susan Tripp earned her California Life Teaching Credential from San Jose State University. Always an advocate for pets, as a dormitory Resident Director, Susan was able to change the housing department rules by adding her first cat, Toby, to her dormitory residence. Soon, a Resident Director dog, and a Floor Advisor rabbit were added. Susan likes to point out that her teaching credential is appropriately K9 (kindergarten through ninth grade). 

After a few years of teaching for public schools, Susan taught for eight years at a private school in Los Gatos. She began additional coursework in early childhood education. As part of her classroom curriculum, she added her new puppy and rabbit to the classroom. After five years of early childhood education studies, Susan initiated parent education classes, authored a book, and began speaking at regional and state conferences. As an author and speaker, Susan was a guest on KABC television and radio. She become the Program Director for a local cable program, People in Progress.

Interested in both human and pet behavior, Susan joined husband Rolan Tripp, DVM, in their first pet-related business, TeleVet (Veterinary  Telecommunications) in 1985. As Executive Director for TeleVet, Susan was able to expand the business to serve five Northern California counties with veterinary referred client to pet behavior lectures and puppy socialization classes. Susan taught puppy kindergarten, puppy graduate and puppy honors classes in WellPet (now Petco) stores and supervised seven top puppy trainers.

In 1989, Susan and Rolan moved back to Southern California to be closer to family. They purchased the La Mirada Animal Hospital. Susan developed new staff phase training, Animal Care Counselor Units and Certifications. She implemented management by statistics, and helped Rolan transform their practice into "The Cookie Place" and "The Puppy Place!" by offering community seminars, a volunteer program, puppy kindergarten classes, daycare, deluxe boarding and gentle grooming.

In 1993, Susan earned a Veterinary Economics Merit Award for an article published on client service, and developed a consulting business, Putting Principles into Practice. Her first client was Dr. Gary Burge, founder of National Pet Centers.

As a parent, Susan became active at La Pluma Elementary School. As a business owner, Susan served on the La Mirada Chamber of  Commerce Board. As a community volunteer, Susan served on the Communitywide Drug and Gang Task Force Board, as Chair of the Public Safety Commission, as Co-Chair of the Communitywide Disaster Preparedness Committee, as Coordinator of the La Mirada Neighborhood Watch, as a La Mirada Kiwanis Club Youth leader and school mentor.

In 1996, Susan received the Los Angeles County Quality and Productivity Award for a Pet Adoptions cooperative she initiated and ran for five years. Susan selected shelter pets from the Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control, brought them to the La Mirada Animal Hospital for a health check and grooming. Then took them to Petco to promote their adoption. Susan selected hundreds of orphaned puppies and kittens over a period of five years and placed them into new homes with early behavior training and health care information.

Susan received two City of La Mirada Volunteers in Action awards; one Judges and  one for Innovative Leadership before her election to the La Mirada City Council in 2001. In 2004, Susan received the Norwalk-La Mirada School Board Superintendent's Community Award. Susan was honored to serve as Mayor prior to her re-election to the City Council in March 2005.

Susan enjoys writing about pet behavior training. She is co-author of books, eBooks, and eCourses on Positive Pet Parenting™, Error-Free Puppy Raising™, and Error-Free Kitten Raising. In addition to writing and editing web content for the Animal Behavior Network, www.AnimalBehavior.Net, founded by her husband, Susan writes a syndicated pet behavior column for Universal Syndicated Press through Pet Connection at www.petconnection.com. Susan is also a contributing author to The Ultimate Cat Lover book by Dr. Marty Becker released in 2008.

In 2008, Susan founded Positive Pet Parenting Saves Lives™ 501 (c)(3) Charity to provide a Free 60 Day ECourse to pet parents who adopt pets from shelters and rescue groups. Positive Pet Parenting™ ECourses help prevent pet neglect, abuse, and surrender due to misunderstood pet behaviors. The non-profit charity also provides free education to shelter volunteers and teams on how to provide kinder, gentler pet housing and handling. The goal of pet behavior education is to improve relationships between people and indoor pets and to save pets from neglect, abuse, a life on the streets, or surrender to shelters and euthanasia. 

Susan's professional passion is creating kinder, gentler experiences for pets in the veterinary practice, shelter and home setting through pet behavior education and services.

Her public service passion is continuing the tradition of responsible, ethical government in the model  City of La Mirada that continues to provide outstanding services, programs and facilities without charging the residents city taxes. As a public servant, Susan's priorities are public safety, fiscal conservatism, ethical government, quality programs and encouraging volunteerism in all ages.

Susan is the proud mother of an Air Force veteran, and now, civil service firefighter son, Dan.

Dan and his wife, Michelle, met at La Mirada High School. They are the proud parents of two sons, Tyler and Bradley.