People

The Human-Animal Bond is the product of the hard work of dedicated staff and volunteers.

LINDSAY LIVENGOOD Ph.D

Associate Certified Animal Behavior Consultant, Director of Program Development, Hearts of Gold Service Dogs

Lindsay Parenti earned her Master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and recently completed a  Ph.D. in Human-Animal Interactions. Lindsay developed and currently teaches four courses in West Virginia University’s Animal Sciences department that teach students how to train service dogs and visitation therapy dogs. Lindsay also works part time as an independent pet behavior consultant for Pet Behavior Change, LLC. Lindsay has several publications and presentations related to dog training and assistance animals and is looking forward to continuing research in this area. Lindsay is an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen evaluator, certified to administer the Canine Good Citizen, AKC Community Canine (an advanced level of CGC), and Urban Canine Good Citizen evaluations. Lindsay is an Associate Certified Animal Behavior Consultant in the Dog Division through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She is a Morgantown native and currently shares her home with her beloved 17-year-old Beagle mix, Merlot, and her 6-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever (a “failed” service dog), Mocha.

ABIGAIL McELWEE

Assistant Trainer, Hearts of Gold Service Dogs
Abby was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She loved animals growing up, the zoo was her favorite place to visit. She moved out to Morgantown to obtain her bachelor’s degree at West Virginia University. Starting in February of 2019, Abby worked as a Veterinary Assistant at Cheat Lake Animal Hospital, and volunteered with the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia (ACCA). During her undergraduate, she took the service dog training courses that Hearts of Gold offered and she moved up from there. She began fostering and became a teaching assistant for future student courses. In the summer of 2021, Abby attended Penn Vet Working Dog Center in Philadelphia, PA as a summer intern learning about training working dogs and research. Abby graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Animal Sciences with a minor in Psychology in December of 2021. She got hired on with Hearts of Gold as an Assistant Trainer in October of 2021.

JEAN MEADE
B. Jean Meade, DVM, MD, MPH, PhD, Human-Animal Bond Executive Director
Jean has over 30 years of experience in veterinary medicine. She spent her academic career in the field of immuno-toxicology and is now using her combined experience in veterinary and human medicine along with her basic science background to investigate the many facets of the human-animal bond.