Six-Legs-In-Motion is a registered nonprofit organization, incorporated in October, 2011. The six people who serve on the Board of Directors are dedicated professionals who are volunteering their time to the organization.
Pierre Lessard is co-founder of Six-Legs-In-Motion and veterinarian in San Francisco, California. Pierre graduated in 1978 with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He practiced equine medicine for three years before completing a Master Degree in Preventive Veterinary Medicine at University of California Davis. He was an Assistant Professor at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and completed his PhD in 1990. He worked as a veterinary epidemiologist at the International Laboratory for Research on Livestock Diseases in Kenya, Africa. In 1996, Pierre joined University of California San Francisco as a veterinarian and worked as laboratory animal specialist until 2011. Pierre was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2004. He has combined his love of animals, his knowledge of veterinary medicine and his enthusiasm in working with dogs, to train his own service dog “Echo”. Six-Legs-In-Motion was created to help other people with disabilities, to keep them active and independent by using service dogs. Read Pierre’s Story.
Blancett Reynolds has been on the Ace Dog Sports teaching staff since 2002. Prior to teaching at Ace, Blancett assisted Ace Director, Sandy Rogers, at Companion Dog Training from 1998-2000. In addition to her love of dog agility, Blancett pursues her passion for working dogs by running a Guide Dogs for the Blind puppy raising group, where she has been a group leader since 1998, and by fostering and training dogs for the new Hearing Dog Program. In addition to training dogs, Blancett worked in the pet shipping industry, handling animals under the stress of transit. She also worked as a freelance photographic dog wrangler. A firm believer in continuing education, Blancett is certified by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and furthers her education in the field of animal training on a regular basis.
Jonathan McCurdy is a lawyer who has been practicing civil law in the Bay Area for over thirty years. He has taught law at New College School of Law and was for a number of years the Executive Director of Stanford Law’s Legal Clinic, East Palo Alto Community Law Project. He’s a compulsive music player, bicyclist, and builder. He is lucky enough to have raised two grown girls with his artist wife, Anne.
Germain F. Rivard is a licensed veterinarian who practiced small animal medicine for a decade prior to receiving a Ph.D. in neuroscience. As a researcher in the field of Chemical Senses, he developed better understanding of animal communications. While practicing neuroscience applications, he had a direct and positive impact on the health and well-being of countless lab animals. Dissatisfied with caging and husbandry practices, Germain developed a caging system for rodents that fulfills their species-specific needs and is now in use worldwide. He is currently a Non-Conforming Resident and Fellow in Veterinary and Behavior Medicine at Cornell University Hospital for Animals, where he is studying to become a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists.
Mary Owen has worked as a nurse practitioner at the University of San Francisco Multiple Sclerosis Center since 2004. Mary graduated from the University of San Francisco in 1987 with a Bachelors Degree in Nursing. She worked for 5 years in a hospital setting before finding her niche as a home care nurse. In 2002, she received a Masters Degree from UCSF’s Adult Nurse Practitioner Program, with a subspecialty in Occupational and Environmental Health. In November 2004, Mary was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. At UCSF’s MS Center, Mary has both research and clinical responsibilities, and she leads a monthly MS Support Group called “Art of Living”. Mary is also a life-long lover of animals. For the past four years she has been bringing her own dog, Shadow, to work as a therapy dog. Mary is a solid proponent of “Animal-Assisted Therapy”, and it is her goal to forge therapeutic partnerships between people with disabilities and their four-legged best friends.
Susan Hahn is an internet professional, specializing in online communities and social media. Prior to retiring in 2010, she was the Director of Community at About.com, a New York Times Company. She previously worked at iVillage.com, an NBC Universal Company. She lives in New York with her husband, Peter, and their two dogs, Babu and Russo.
