About Us

Keep Austin Dog Friendly is an educational and informational not for profit service. Your contribution offsets the costs of hosting, smart phone app development, promotional materials, and the costs of sponsoring events. Thank you so much in Keeping Austin Dog Friendly. Donations are not tax deductible.

Blogs

Awards

Proud members of GSMDCA, Southbound, Gulf Coast GSMDC, IWPA, TXWorkingDogs, LSBMC, WETDOG, BVKC, OWNC, LCA, SNIP, and CGC Evaluator #27966.

Who: I'm a research scientist with a penchant for cooking, puppies, & clean driving. By day, I am an adjunct associate professor, behavioral endocrinology nerd, statistics geek, tech enthusiastic, and social strategy consultant. See my LinkedIn profile for current professional pursuits. My PhD is in social psychology, and my research focus is on behavioral neuroendocrinology. I study how behaviors can affect hormones and how hormones can affect behaviors in humans.

MisoHungry focuses on cooking with craft beer, fine wine, and artisan spirits, and it also covers Austin area food events, food trends, and thoughts on social media. RomanReign.com and Keep Austin Dog Friendly is a resource for places for your puppy to socialize with bent on canine sports. Canine Drafting covers basics about drafting with your dog, or goat, or pony. Chenergy Consulting is a blog on social behavior, relationship research, and social media. I'm in the following canine clubs:

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Club of America - Draft Judge, Pack Dog Coordinator, Versatility Committee, Weight Pull Committee, Sunshine Committee, Weight Pull Judge, Health Committee, and Past Ways and Means Chair
Gulf Coast Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Club - past secretary
Brazos Valley Kennel Club - Past Board Member, Past Trophy Chair, and Past Ads Chair
International Weight Pull Association - Event coordinator, Regional Representative, and Judge
Old West Newfoundland Club - member
Texas Working Dog Association - Founder
Aggieland Guide Dogs and Service Dogs - Advisory Board and Trainer
Gold Ribbon Rescue - Foster Home and Home Evaluator
Aggie Dog Club - President
Lone Star Bernese Mountain Dog Club
Keep Austin Dog Friendly - Founder
AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator #27966
Pet Partners - Formerly Delta therapy dog since 2012
Wet Dog
The Lowchen Club of America
Lone Star Bernese Mountain Dog Club
Southbound Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Club
SNIP - Spay and Neuter Incentive Program Founding Member

The following are non-canine clubs:

International Association for Culinary Professionals - Host Committee Volunteer Chair
Austin Food Blogger Alliance - Founding member and Educational Chair
Texas Craft Brewer's Guild
TEDxAustin Interactive Producer
Texas Craft Brewers Festival Producer and Communications Manager
TEDxUT Social Media Chair

Academic Organizations and Contributions:

Austin Community College - Social Sciences Adjunct Voting Chair
Austin Social Media Club - Panelist and Moderator
Texas A&M University Graduate Teaching Academy Fellow
Human Behavior and Evolution Society - Conference Session Chairs
Society for Personality and Social Psychology
American Society for Clinical Pathology in Phlebotomy
Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology
Psi Chi Psychology Honors Society, President 2001-2002, University of Texas, Austin
Ad Hoc Journal Reviewing - Evolution and Human Behavior

Office of Graduate Studies Research Workshop Panelist

Community Contributions:

South By South West EDU - 2015 - Mentor
Austin Social Media Club - Panelist and Moderator
PR Over Coffee - Speaker
BlogHer Food 2013 Speaker - Mobile App Panel Chair
South By South West Interactive, Austin, TX - 2010 - Core Conversation Panelist - The Yelp Effect, When Everyone’s a Restaurant Critic
Relationships and Information Series for Entrepreneurs (RISE Austin) - 2010 - Presenter
Ignite Austin 1 – Jan 2010 - Presenter

Why a Swissy? I love large breed dogs and especially like to work. So it was natural that I fell love with the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (Grosser Schweizer Sennenhund). But the Löwchens? I first met Pistol Pete (owned by Barbara Cecil), and I just had to have one. They have the personality in of a big dog in a little dog body.

Why the name Roman Reign? The historians of Swissies claims that they were developed from Roman War dogs (Mollasian). These dogs eventually developed into the large European breeds including mastiffs, rotties, and bernards. I chose a name that goes back to the roots of the breed and also reflects the breed's function and temperament - bold and powerful. Even though the website has morphed into a more inclusive site, I decided to keep the name Roman Reign.

Are you associated with the wrestler, RomanReigns? Not yet. I have challenged him to a showdown.

What are your articles based on? I'm formally trained in social psychology with a research interest in behavioral neuroendocrinology in topics ranging from human social phenomenon, classical conditioning, and operant conditioning. I've taught many psychology courses at major universities (since 2002), and have a background in biobehavioral research as well as training in behavioral genetics. My other research areas and interests are marketing and management (applied social psychology), attitudes and behavior change (particularly towards public policy), hierarchical linear modeling (and quadratic modeling), mating strategies, intimate relationships, health psychology, group dynamics, message framing, and social dominance behaviors.

Where do you train? Krafty K9, Houston, TX for obedience and Shertom Kennel, Liberty Hill, TX for herding. I do all other training myself.

Ad Hoc Journal Reviewing - Evolution and Human Behavior