Doug discovered his passion for animals at a very young age. Growing up he was always surrounded by a full household of furry friends. There was never a moment that he wasn’t teaching them new tricks or taking them on adventures to the local dog park. Fast forward many years later and he found himself working with dogs overseas during his time in the military. He was completely fascinated by… Read More
LaShaunti is a Chicago native raised in the southern suburbs. She’s loved animals ever since she was a kid, but she’s always had a special love for dogs. Her first dog was a long-haired dachshund who lived to be 12. She was a girl’s best friend and fueled her passion for animals. As a kid, LaShaunti was constantly watching Animal Planet with her dog and various other pets. After graduating… Read More
Since he can remember, Alex’s two biggest passions have been dogs and basketball. He was raised in Indianapolis with three sisters and was always surrounded by animals, thanks to his parents. As much as he loved dogs growing up, he never thought he’d be lucky enough to work with them as a job! Alex was a Montessori Kindergarten teacher for seven years which taught him a lot about patience,… Read More
Michelle grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. From a young age, she has always had two loves: animals and hockey. Growing up, Michelle always had family pets (both dogs and cats). She also had a way of always finding wild animals in need and spent a lot of her childhood volunteering to rehabilitate injured birds, rabbits, squirrels, etc. This has stayed with her into adulthood, and during her 17 years… Read More
Oscar has been living in Las Vegas since he was four years old. He is a passionate person with a love for dogs, sports, and anything outdoors! He has always had dogs in his life as long as he could remember. His deep admiration for the loyalty and companionship our four-legged friends offer is something he values so much. Prior to joining SK9, Oscar worked in the corporate world… Read More
Some people know what their dream job is from an early age or find it while attending university, while others take a more circuitous path to it. For Rebecca, being a dog trainer is like coming home after a long journey. Even though finding her true passion took a while, her previous career as a teacher and her lifelong love of animals helped prepare her for a career as a… Read More
Remi grew up loving animals. As a child, they broke the traditional lemonade-stand mold by creating home-baked dog treats to sell to neighbors – and they’ve been working with animals ever since! Growing up in California and North Carolina, their home was always full of fluffy and feathered friends – from cats and dogs to rabbits and chickens. Over time, Remi developed their animal training skills naturally by building… Read More
Jason was raised in Austin and is excited to give back to his home city through Suburban K9. He has been growing his passion for dogs and strengthening his skills for over 15 years, including extensive volunteer experience at Austin Pets Alive, completing their Canine Good Citizen certification program and eventually focusing on working with the more aggressive dogs. Additionally, he has a background in customer service and training… Read More
Cara has had an avid love for animals all her life. If you asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, you’d always get the answers “veterinarian,” or “I want to own a dog rescue.” She was born in Portland, Maine, where she first began pursuing her love of animals. She began volunteering at the local Animal Refuge League at age 11. Then she added in… Read More
Haley has been an animal lover since she was a small child. Growing up, if she was not catching lizards and bugs in the Florida heat, she was surrounded by her small zoo at home: two dogs, a cockatiel, a hamster and a fish. Her parents encouraged her love of the animal kingdom by regularly taking her to zoos, aquariums and parks. A few years after graduating high school,… Read More
Erin was born and raised in Utah. She has been a lifelong animal lover, but her passion for learning about dog behavior started several years ago after owning two pit bulls of her own. For 5 years, Erin worked at a dental lab making teeth, and gained experience working with dogs on the side. She spent a lot of time both working as a dog walker/sitter and helping friends… Read More
Addison grew up in California, surrounded by animals. He worked as a kennel tech at a veterinary hospital in high school, where he first realized that animals had a special place in his heart. After high school, Addison moved to Colorado and graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Biology. He pursued a career in research, which has given him unique experiences involving animals and behavior. Addison… Read More
Kati Del Pozo is originally from Toledo, Ohio. Her love and passion for dogs began at a young age when her grandparents brought home a Cocker Spaniel puppy for her family on Christmas morning. She’s always had family dogs in the household, including three Samoyeds, three Chihuahuas, and of course their very much loved Cocker Spaniel. It was a full house of fun, training, and lots of hair! Kati spent… Read More
As a Chicago area native, Evan grew up spending as much time with dogs as he possibly could (despite not being able to have one at home due to a sibling’s allergies). As an adolescent, he spent his free time training the dogs of family members and soon realized he had a passion for working with animals. During his college years, Evan worked as a dog walker while living in… Read More
Frank has had dogs in his life from the beginning. Growing up in Philadelphia, he was always willing to help his neighbors with their pets and soon realized that he had a way with animals. Frank spent the first few years of his animal career handling and training horses. Then in his early twenties, he adopted his first dog Rex, and he completely changed his outlook on life. It… Read More
Devon’s passion for animals and the outdoors started at a young age in his hometown of Mesa, Arizona. After honorably serving his country for eight years in the United States Army in Germany, Afghanistan, Texas, and Korea, Devon decided to pursue training dogs full time. As a loving father of two, it’s his firm belief that there are no “bad dogs”, just learned behaviors. Devon loves the unique challenge… Read More
Nick Smoots is a Chicago native and an avid dog lover! He was surrounded by pets all his life and has always had a soft spot for animals! Last year, he adopted a two-year-old Pitbull mix named Juno. Nick discovered his passion for working with animals when Juno went through training with Suburban K9. He saw a complete 180 in her behavior in a short amount of time as the… Read More
Twila was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and has been an animal lover from the very beginning. She has had pets her whole life – even a hedgehog! As an Animal Science major at Texas A&M, she found every opportunity to work with animals she could. Twila also spent a semester in the Kentucky Bluegrass region as a Thoroughbred Breeding Farm intern. By her senior year, she was the… Read More
Alex’s love for dogs started at a young age when she read the A-Z dog breed books cover to cover. She told her family that she wanted to be a vegetarian at age six and attended veterinary camp at Washington State University when she was in seventh grade. Growing up, she volunteered at her local animal shelter, which allowed her to gain the confidence to handle dogs that outweighed her…. Read More
Alex spent the majority of his childhood learning and mastering martial arts. He began instructing others while still in middle school, becoming an assistant instructor after attaining his first dan black belt. He continued to the learn and teach under his Master while in college, attaining his second dan black belt, and teaching classes of all ages. In addition to martial arts, Alex has a long history working in the… Read More