Who We Are
About Studio Animal Services
Our Story
Trusted Animal Talent for Over Four Decades
For more than four decades, Studio Animal Services has helped productions bring unforgettable animal performances to the screen. Founded by Karin McElhatton, the company has grown from a passion for animal training into one of the entertainment industry's trusted sources for professional animal talent.
Over the years, we have built lasting relationships with production companies, directors, photographers, agencies, trainers, private animal owners, specialty providers, veterinarians, and humane representatives. Those relationships allow us to confidently support productions of every size while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and animal care.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide exceptional animal talent while ensuring every animal is treated with patience, respect, and compassion. We believe successful productions begin with careful planning, honest communication, and a commitment to humane training methods.
Our Team
Behind every successful production is a dedicated team working together. Our office staff, coordinators, trainers, and animal handlers collaborate throughout every stage of production, from the initial inquiry through the final day on set. Each member of our team plays an important role in creating a safe, organized, and enjoyable experience for both production crews and our animals.
Our Approach
Every project begins by understanding your creative goals. From there, we help identify the right animal talent, develop achievable action, prepare the animals through training and rehearsal, coordinate transportation, and provide experienced handlers on set to ensure each production runs smoothly.
Animal Welfare
Animal welfare is the foundation of everything we do. Our training philosophy is based on patience, trust, positive reinforcement, and respect for every animal. We believe confident, well-cared-for animals deliver the best performances while creating a safer environment for everyone involved.
Industry Experience
Studio Animal Services is proud to maintain the licenses, permits, and industry relationships necessary to support professional productions. Our experience navigating regulations, permits, and humane requirements allows productions to focus on creativity while we help manage the details behind the scenes.
Why Productions Return
Many of our clients return to us project after project because they know they can depend on our experience, communication, preparation, and commitment to quality. We take pride in building long-term relationships and becoming a trusted member of every production team we serve.
Leadership
Our Owner
Founder & Owner
Karin McElhatton
With more than 40 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Karin McElhatton has built a reputation for providing exceptional animal talent while prioritizing safety, professionalism, and humane training. As the founder of Studio Animal Services, her passion for animals, dedication to rescue, and collaborative approach have helped bring hundreds of productions to life. Learn more about Karin's story, training philosophy, and the vision behind Studio Animal Services.
The Team
Our Trainers
Our trainers bring years of hands-on experience working with animals across every type of production.
Lead Trainer
Deborah Papagiannopoulos
From an early childhood, Deborah has had a passion for rescuing and working with animals. She was the kid that would bring home a free kitten someone was giving away in front of a store. She is grateful that she found a way to combine her love for animals with an amazing career. After graduating from the Exotic Animal Training and Management program at Moorpark College in 1994, she was fortunate to find her way to Studio Animal Services. She started volunteering during her final months of college, interned until her skillset grew to be an assistant trainer and is now one of the lead trainers at SAS. She loves rescuing dogs and cats from the shelter and watching their transformation as they learn new things and their confidence grows. Jobs have allowed her to travel throughout the US, Canada, Japan, Hungary and South Africa.
Animal Trainer
Carolyn Doherty
Carolyn Doherty has loved animals all her life, and has been training them for most of her life. Her drug of choice is building trusting relationships with the dogs and cats at Studio Animal Services, and then watching them shine on camera!
Animal Trainer
Christina Tomas
Chrissy has been working in the animal entertainment industry since 1999. Throughout her career, she has gained extensive experience working with a wide variety of animals for film, television, commercials, and other productions. Her dedication, knowledge, and hands-on experience have made her a trusted professional in the industry.
Animal Trainer
David Meyers
Dave graduated from the Exotic Animal Training and Management program in 2001 and has spent the past 25 years training animals for the entertainment industry. He has been a valued member of the Studio Animal Services team for 25 years and is also a SAG member.
Animal Trainer
Kayla Chandler
Growing up around animals, Kayla knew she wanted a career involving and working with them. In college she attended and graduated from Moorpark's Exotic Animal Training and Management Program in 2019. Through the program she found Studio Animal Services and knew right away she wanted to go back to work with them. Her favorite type of animal to work with is dogs. If she had to pick a favorite animal at SAS that would probably be Pluto!
Animal Trainer
Megan Post
Megan has always loved animals and knew from a young age that she wanted to work with them. Through her experiences training and competing with her horses, she gained an early understanding of animal behavior and training. Originally, she planned to become a veterinarian, but after meeting Chrissy Tomas, another trainer at Studio Animal Services, she realized that animal training for the film industry was the career path she wanted to pursue. Megan has been a part of Studio Animal Services since 2020.
Animal Trainer
Ute Braun
Ute graduated from Moorpark College in 2016 with a degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management and has been working professionally as an animal trainer for the past 10 years. Growing up in Germany, she developed a love for animals at an early age, especially through her experience with horses. Since then, that passion has grown into a career working with a wide variety of animals. She truly enjoys building relationships with each animal she works with and helping them succeed through patience, trust, and positive training.
Operations
Office Manager
Jaiden Simone
Office Manager
Jaiden serves as the Office Manager at Studio Animal Services, helping coordinate projects from the initial inquiry through completion. She works closely with clients, trainers, and vendors to manage scheduling, estimates, production details, and day-to-day office operations while ensuring each project is handled professionally and efficiently.
Next Generation
Our Interns
We're proud to mentor the next generation of animal trainers and handlers in the entertainment industry.
Intern
Jessica Knight
Jess is a Jill-of-all-trades with a little over three years at Studio Animal Services. She brings a calm, detail-oriented approach to animal handling and training while also utilizing her business degree as our assistant office manager.
Intern
Alexandra Enoch
Alexandra got her holistic health studies degree and became a licensed massage therapist in 2019. The pandemic changed that trajectory and she spent that year completing prerequisites to fulfill her childhood dream of attending the Exotic Animal Training and Management program at Moorpark College. During her time at Moorpark she did an internship at SAS, and was fortunate enough to be asked to join the team upon graduation. Her favorite part about being on set is seeing everybody's face light up when they bring out the fur babies — the animals love the extra adoration as well!