Meet The Staff
Shelter Manager
Abby (She/Her)
Abby has been working in animal welfare since 2015 after graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in Parks and Protected Area Management. She started out working with wolves by monitoring wolf behavior and providing daily care.
Since then she has had the amazing opportunity to work with animals like lions, bears, jaguars, tigers and more! Though she has experience with a number of exotic animals, her favorite has always been working with dogs. She has worked in a variety of settings training and providing medical care for dogs of all ages and breeds, and ultimately loves seeing them thrive in their forever homes.
Abby has 4 pets of her own at home who are all rescues as well – one cat and 3 dogs. She is always taking in dogs with behavioral and medical special needs, and can usually be found taking home a CCR pup as a foster as well!
Assistant Shelter Manager
Nicole (She/Her)
Having had many rescue dogs of her own, Nicole grew up with a love for animal welfare. After spending eight years devoted to volunteering with several rescues, pet pantries and clinics, she decided to follow her passion and commit to the rescue world full time!
She joined Chicago Canine Rescue officially in October 2022 after having been a volunteer for over a year and is working toward completing her degree in Animal Sciences!
She has two dogs of her own but you’ll often find a third (and sometimes fourth) pup in her house because she loves to foster! She’s very excited to make a difference for the dogs in our care alongside the CCR team!
Kennel Manager
Maia (She/Them)
Maia was a dog sitter and walker for three years before joining the CCR team in February of 2022! She started as a kennel tech but during her first winter with us she expressed interest in joining the adoption team and has excelled as an adoption counselor since!
She says that her favorite part of the job beside finding pups their perfect homes is spending time with and caring for our dogs!
Senior Kennel Technician
Jordan (He/Him)
Jordan moved to Chicago in 2019 after working in horticulture for several years. He never expected he would end up in animal care, but as a lifelong dog-lover it’s felt like a natural transition and he loves what he does. He says the most rewarding part of the job is getting to see each dog’s transformation during their time with us, as they slowly let their personalities shine through.
He has a lovely pooch at home named Millie and when he’s not caring for our pups, he enjoys listening to music and learning about nature.
Senior Kennel Technician & Adoption Counselor
Katelyn (She/Her)
Katelyn has always been passionate about working with dogs and has been doing so since she was 14! She started out volunteering at shelters and has also worked in grooming and daycare but for her, working with rescues is the most rewarding. Being able to connect with dogs and help them on their way to finding their forever homes is something she enjoys very much!
She currently has a 15 y/o beagle/bulldog mix, as well as two rabbits and a cat. Outside of work she loves to make art, skateboard and hang out with my pets.
Senior Kennel Technician
Laura (She/Her)
Laura has been with CCR since April of 2022 but has been a long time supporter and has been volunteering since she was in highschool! She has experience at daycare and boarding facilities as well as having had three dogs of her own! (Including one from CCR)! She says that working in the shelter isn’t easy but seeing the dogs come out of their shell and ultimately get adopted makes the harder days worth it!
Outside of animal care, Laura’s hobbies include painting, gardening, and playing video games!
Senior Kennel Technician
Cece(She/Her)
Cece started working at CCR in January 2019. When she started she thought it would be a fun job to work with dogs! However, over the years she has been able to learn so much about what it takes to care for them and being able to see all the pups find their forever home is just one of the perks of working in a dog shelter! I’ve also enjoyed taking photos and videos of the pups for their adoption bio and CCR Instagram. She has 2 little pups at home, Bella (morkie) and Luna (terrier mix)! Luna was actually a foster fail from CCR and she is thriving!