About Us
SCENTdog Collective, Inc is a registered 501c3 based in Southern California. We network nationwide. Our mission is to rescue high drive dogs that may be suitable for professional scent detection or dog sport homes. We focus on the dogs who may struggle in the average pet home but excel in a working or sporting one.
Meet the Team
Lauralea Oliver, CNWI, CPDT-KA
President
Lauralea is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Ecological Detection Dog Trainer and Handler and an International Speaker on canine scent work and scent detection dogs. Through the National Association of Canine Nose Work she is a Certified Nose Work Instructor®, Trial Judge and Certifying Official. Lauralea has made a career working with dogs which began professionally in 2000. Her years of experience include working with dogs in many environments and disciplines including shelter and rescue dogs, working dogs, sporting dogs and companion dogs.
Lauralea has extensive experience in the animal shelter world having started down that path back in 1987 when she started out as a volunteer at a Florida shelter. Since then, she has worked with numerous private rescues and city shelters including work as the Behavior, Training & Enrichment Lead at Best Friends Animal Society – Los Angeles. While at Best Friends, she managed the Behavior Department as the Lead Dog Trainer for the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in Mission Hills and the NKLA Adoption Center in West Los Angeles. Her responsibilities included evaluating dogs and cats for transfer from the LA City shelters and guiding the adoptions of these pets from the Best Friends facility. She created and implemented all staff and volunteer animal handling protocols and training programs. In addition, she taught all on-site dog training classes in basic obedience, canine manners and K9 Nose Work® with shelter staff and volunteers. Lauralea was also called upon to provide training support to adopters and their families.
Heather Long
Secretary
With parents from Africa, Heather developed a deep passion for wildlife and conservation. In 2001, she completed an Animal Husbandry and Training Program, launching a career as a studio animal trainer and keeper, working with a wide variety of species.
Her journey into scent detection work began after rescuing Cash, a young collie mix struggling with severe anxiety and under-socialization. Seeking a confidence-building activity, Heather introduced Cash to K9 Nose Work, a decision that sparked her fascination with scent detection.
In early 2022, Heather joined Lauralea’s k9inSCENTive team as an Associate Trainer, combining her love for wildlife, nature, and conservation with her expertise in animal training. Now an active ecological scent detection dog handler, she has contributed to specialized projects in Arizona and California.
A passionate advocate for rescue animals, Heather has fostered four SCENTdogs, dedicating time to rehabilitating and rehoming dogs to their perfect families.
Sarah Stout
Treasurer
Sarah has over 10 years of experience in non-profit administration. She previously served as the Scholarship Officer for the Tallahassee Community College Foundation focusing on such things as improving scholarship administration by implementing more effective policies and procedures pertaining to student awarding, scholarship donor relations and community engagement to fundraise for academic programs. After leaving the TCC Foundation she joined the Community Foundation of North Florida as the Director of Donor Relations. Sarah oversaw the administration of all grant awarding from donor funds to selected nonprofit organizations, she provided resources and support to the nonprofits with an established fund at the Foundation to promote fund growth, she was instrumental in rewriting policies and procedures for the organization as well as maintaining current donor relations and implementing strategies for engaging new donors.
Sarah is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Psychology and an MA in Educational Leadership & Administration as well as a graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a BA in Elementary Education. Currently, she provides administrative support for Bagel Bagel the restaurant her husband John opened in 1991. Sarah and John have two children, Tiffany and Matthew, both graduates of The University of Alabama. Matthew is currently a Segment Financial Analyst for Sodexo and Tiffany is a recent graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Paris and is working as a Chef in Ft. Lauderdale.
Contact us
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