About Us

A woman with sunglasses and a black bikini top kneeling in shallow water with a black dog wearing a collar on a beach, with ocean waves and a city skyline in the background.

Natalie Wagner-Welds is the founder, CEO, and certified dog behavior consultant at The Scallywag Dog whose specialty is in human-animal connections. The Scallywag Dog was launched pre-pandemic in NYC and now in Denver Colorado and surrounding areas!

Recommended by veterinarians, veterinary behaviorists, dog rescues, and shelters, Natalie is an animal welfare scientist holding a MSc degree in animal behavior and welfare from University of Pennsylvania Penn Vet. She is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and Fear Free Shelter certified. She was an AVMA welfare contestant in 2020 through Penn Vet, completed Michael Shikashio's Aggression Dogs Master Course, and has experience working in veterinary hospitals, shelters, sanctuaries, and in rescue. She is a senior behavior consultant for the Humane Society of Boulder Valley and previous animal behavior manager at Foothills Animal Shelter in Golden, Colorado.

Always inspired by her happy-go-lucky 1 eyed pup Pearl, Natalie strives to be a more compassionate, patient, empathetic, educated behavior consultant to benefit both humans and animals.

Person walking on a dirt path through an open field with a dog on a leash, overcast sky, trees in the background, and some greenery along the sides of the path.

Fusing the arts, anthropology, and animal welfare into one, Natalie has conducted promising pilot field research while attending University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Vet graduate program on how cinematic storytelling has the ability to increase animal welfare across the globe. Her research focus is specifically on increasing the welfare of animals that can be “scary” to society such as certain dog breeds, wolves, big cats, sharks, and snakes. She has also launched Wild Narrative Media in 2025 as a consultant to assist film, tv, media, and entertainment on how to utilize stories more responsibly in animal welfare while still remaining entertaining

One of her favorite animal welfare experiences was caring for 50+ wolfdogs during the pandemic at Full Moon Farm sanctuary in Black Mountain North Carolina. She is extremely thankful for every being (human and animal alike!) that has helped her along her path to keep giving a voice to the voiceless.