Meet Our Team

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All Trainers

Addison Reed

Addison grew up in California surrounded by animals, including dogs, cats, a pig, horses, and a cockatoo. 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 where he studied

Alex Bassett

Las Vegas Territory Manager

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.

Alex Chadesh

Madison Trainer

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

Alexis Johnson

Pittsburgh Territory Manager

Alexis grew up in a small town that time forgot, and it was her passion for dogs that has brought her to where she is today. She began her training career with her first Golden Retriever, which she trained to be a Therapy dog. Since then, Alexis has helped many families live cohesively with their K9 companions. She has an extensive history of playing softball starting at the young

Allyson Stewart

Dallas Territory Manager

Allyson’s most cherished childhood memories were helping her Aunt on the farm. What started as a chore evolved into her passion, as she quickly learned that she’d rather hang out with the animals than her classmates. When Allyson wasn’t at school, she would spend her days volunteering at an animal rescue or cuddling with her family dog. Allyson’s family always had multiple pets in the house. From the family dogs

Amber Haseltine

Austin Territory Manager

Amber grew up surrounded by dogs! Her love for them blossomed while she was in charge of their care growing up. When Amber got her first dog of her own, she wanted to turn an affinity for training and care for dogs into a career. Amber worked in customer service for over ten years and developed excellent communication and managerial skills. She attended Animal Behavioral College and became certified in

Ashley Buckans

Raleigh Territory Manager

Ashley always had a passion for dogs and helping others. In high school, she raised Guide Dogs for the Blind for her FFA project. She also volunteered at a veterinary hospital and was eventually hired as a kennel technician. Ashley worked at a couple of veterinary hospitals before deciding she wanted to make a bigger impact between humans and animals. At 19, she was hired as a pack leader at

Brooke Janke

Chicago Trainer

Brooke has always had a special place in her heart for dogs! Growing up in a pet-loving family, Brooke was blessed to have several four-legged family members that made her childhood feel complete. In addition to dogs, horses have also played a significant role: she has been a riding instructor for the last 16 years and has competed for most of her life. Driven by her childhood dream, she has

Brooke Novotny

Nashville Territory Manager

Brooke grew up in the small town of Saint Michael, Pennsylvania. She has had a strong passion for caring for animals her whole life and always planned to make a career of it. She received her degree in Psychology with a concentration on animal behavior from Westminster College. Throughout High School and College, Brooke worked at a Dog Kennel and loved being around the animals every day. She was also

Cara Hopkins

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 working

Devon Oaks

Phoenix Trainer

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 that

Erin Hansen

Indianapolis Territory Manager

Dogs and Education have been a part of Erin’s life since she was born. Both of her parents were teachers with a strong love and respect for dogs and animals of all kinds. They made sure that they instilled that in Erin at an early age. Erin taught at a high school for 10 years. after which she worked in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis geared mainly toward working

Erin Hegeman

Milwaukee Trainer

Erin grew up in a small town in west-central Wisconsin. Her love of animals started at a young age. Her first dog was a Cocker Spaniel that her parents let her pick out at the local humane society for her second birthday. Growing up they opened their home to many rescue dogs including a yellow Lab, American Eskimo, and Australian Shepherd. Erin studied Environmental Science at the University of Minnesota

Erin Reid

Erin was born and raised in Utah and recently moved to Vegas with her fiancé. 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

Evan Dallas

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

Frank Abruscato

Philadelphia Trainer

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 was

Gracie Reed

Houston Trainer

Gracie was born in Amarillo, TX, and raised in the suburbs of the Houston Area. She has loved animals, especially dogs, her entire life. Ever since she was a kid, she dreamed of having a career where she was able to work with animals. After high school, she began working at a local pet store. There she learned tons of information about pet nutrition, training, and worked with pets and

Haley Warren

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, she

Holly Wengerski

Assistant Director of Training and Chicago North Territory Manager

Holly has been an animal lover throughout her entire life. Growing up she had pet dogs, cats, snakes, lizards, turtles, and even a praying mantis! Being an only child the connection with her animals was always strong. As she grew she saw the opportunity to turn her passion into a career and pursued a degree in Animal Science. Holly graduated from Illinois State University and had the opportunity to work

Jared Auday

Phoenix Trainer

Jared has always loved dogs and first found his passion for training when his girlfriend was diagnosed with a cardiac condition that required a service dog. He dedicated his time to working with her service dog, Nala, and was fascinated by the impact on his girlfriend’s independence at the end of the training process. From this point on, Jared knew he wanted to make a career out of helping owners

Jax Jackson

Dallas Trainer

Jax has always had a deep love for animals. Their desire to create cooperative bonds between pets and people started early, with them training their rats to perform tricks! Jax has spent 17 years of their life riding and working with horses and gained some experience as a stablehand in high school and college. Jax spent some time working in a pet hotel and absolutely adored the time they spent

Jay Buchanan

Illinois Trainer

Janessica J. Buchanan, also known as Jay, is originally from Amarillo, Texas. She found her love for pets at an early age, spending most of her childhood and high school years training German Shepherds with her dad. With over 6 years of experience in veterinary medicine as a veterinary technician, she has treated not only domestic animals, but also farm animals including cattle and horses. Jay’s passion for animals

Kaitlyn Hohimer

Kaitlyn joins Suburban K9 with a lot of experience and passion for training animals. Growing up, Kaitlyn rode horses as often as possible, and, if she wasn’t riding horses, she was training her family dogs for fun. Kaitlyn knew that she was meant to work with animals from the very beginning. Before graduating from high school, Kaitlyn was offered an internship at her local animal hospital, and she was quickly

Katelyn Anhalt

Phoenix Territory Manager

Katelyn grew up on a small farm in Southeastern Iowa, where her love of animals began! She was actively involved in 4-H from a young age and enjoyed exhibiting at the county and state fairs. She showed everything from sheep and goats to beef and dairy cattle! She even taught her lamb, Smokey, how to play basketball at the farm! Katelyn attended a community college in Iowa to study to

Kati Del Pozo

Kati Del Pozo is originally from Toledo, Ohio but has been living in the Chicago area for about 17 years and now resides in Gurnee, IL. 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

Kira Greenfield

Kira grew up in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Growing up, they always had a fascination with animals, from watching Steve Irwin, to their first word literally being "cat". From a young age they knew that they wanted to work with animals if they could. Following high school, they immediately got a job at a pet hotel caring for dogs and cats while their pet parents were away.

Kyle Lohman

Chicago South Trainer

For as long as Kyle can remember, he has always wanted to work with animals. He grew up with dogs, cats, and even ferrets, just to mention a few. His mother has worked as a dog groomer for over 20 years, and growing up, he spent every summer at her shop. Kyle graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting from Northern Illinois University, but began his career working with animals

Lauren Hauge

Milwaukee Territory Manager

Lauren grew up in a small town south of Milwaukee and attended the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse, where she earned a Community Health Education Degree. After college, she moved to Eau Claire, where she primarily worked with teenagers at the Boys & Girls Club, helping them to gain the tools and skills they need to be successful. Lauren is excited to be back in Milwaukee and have the opportunity

Liliana Carpano

Philadelphia Territory Manager

Liliana began attending university, it didn't take long for her to realize she was far more passionate about her part-time job of walking dogs than she was about the degree she was studying. That passion only grew as she remained in the pet industry and eventually began fostering rescues. Her love for animals and desire to help people led her to Suburban K9, where she hopes to help keep

Lilliana Calero

Miami Territory Manager

Lilliana grew up in Pembroke Pines, Florida, and was always surrounded by animals and immediately grew a love for them. As she got older, her passion for animals never changed, and she made sure to put that passion into her career choice. While attending Florida State University, Lilliana studied biology, with a focus on animal sciences. During that time, she spent her free time working and helping animals in any

Molly Juneau

Tampa Territory Manager

Molly’s passion for animals started at a very young age. She loved helping animals and people. Throughout her life, she has focused a lot of her free time on pet sitting, fostering animals, and volunteering at rescue and wildlife centers. Molly has a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Grand Valley State University, which led her to opportunities in marine mammal training. She participated in internships in Florida to train and

Nelson Medrano

Media Production Specialist and Chicago Trainer

Nelson comes from a family with a strong tradition of dog training; both his father and brother are dog trainers. While Nelson was growing up, his father was a hunting dog trainer and he would tag along as his father taught clients both basic and advanced hunting skills. Nelson would help with the dogs as much as he could and saw firsthand how happy the dogs would be when given

Nick Smoots

Chicago North Trainer

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

Rose Pierce

Houston Trainer

Rose was born and raised in Houston, TX, and for as long as she can remember there have always been dogs in her life. With several years of retail experience she eventually landed herself inside of a holistic pet store which flared up her passion for pets to an entirely new level. Rose found herself enamored with every furry friend she got to meet and with every pet parent she

Sabrina Lopez

Chicago South Territory Manager

Sabrina spent the majority of her childhood surrounded by family dogs. Her parents adopted the first of many dogs when Sabrina was just three years old. Sabrina took a lead role in loving and working with the dogs from a young age. In addition to spending time with the family dogs, she loved running cross-country and track. Sabrina has a long history of making customers happy! She spent years working

Samantha Doig

Houston Territory Manager

Born and raised in Plainfield, IL, Samantha had a lot of different pets, which fueled her love of animals. Her passion turned into a profession when she majored in Zoology and Psychology at Western Illinois University. She loved learning about the different ways animals think, behave, and interact with their environment. Her studies led her to work with animals in a multitude of environments. Samantha has worked at several wildlife

Shelby Adkins

Orlando Territory Manager

Shelby has loved animals her entire life. In the first grade, she started working on farms during the weekend to earn horse riding lessons. She would take care of horses, pigs, birds, sheep, cows, dogs, and cats. She enjoyed the work just as much as the reward. Shelby’s family moved around a lot when she was in school. She begged her parents for a dog of her own for years,

Shelby Naab

Milwaukee Trainer

Shelby grew up in a suburb of Milwaukee with two animal-loving parents. Her mother started her love for dogs and her father, her passion for horses. Shelby spent most of her summers working on farms or at horse camps. Quickly realizing that animals were her lifelong passion, she went to college for Animal Science at UMN. After graduating, she managed two therapeutic riding barns for a few years, then moved

Stephanie Israel

Illinois Trainer

Stephanie grew up on a farm in rural South Carolina, raising dogs, cats, birds, horses, goats, chickens, ducks- the full farm experience! She discovered a love for connecting with animals while working with dogs and horses from a young age, including training her family’s dressage horses as a teenager. After obtaining a BA in Psychology, Stephanie transitioned her passion for animals into her professional portfolio by working as a

Tiffany Hollenbeck

Trainer

Tiffany was born and raised in California, where her passion for animals developed at a very young age. She grew up surrounded by dogs, horses, cats and many other animals. Her life-long dream has been to work with animals. When Tiffany was young she spent her free time playing with and training her family’s dogs and is so happy to see her passions come full circle. Tiffany moved to

Twila Johnson

Houston Trainer

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

Wes Smith

Indianapolis Trainer

At a young age, Wes was introduced to a lifestyle that consistently involved dogs. His mom was the manager of the Porter County Animal Control in Valparaiso, IN, where he hails from. He spent many days helping his mom at the animal shelter while developing a deep sense of connection in caring for animals along the way. As an AKC Junior Handler, Wes participated in showing his family’s German

Zachary Westfall

Jacksonville Territory Manager

A Florida native, Zachary discovered his love for animals at a young age. He took any opportunity to be around animals, which led him to begin horseback riding and volunteer work. Through volunteering, he was hired as a barn manager at a therapeutic riding facility and learned many skills necessary to manage the horses, volunteers, and facility effectively. Not only did he gain managerial experience from this job, but

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Matt Covey

Company Founder

Having grown up in a family that spent their time breeding and showing dogs, it was only natural that Matt’s long time passion for dogs turned into his profession. Matt’s training skills have given him the opportunity to train for celebrities such as Antonio Davis of the Chicago Bulls and Bobby Simmons of the Milwaukee Bucks. Matt’s reputation also allowed him the incredible opportunity to work as the head dog

Matt Wlos

Head of Technology and Operations

Matt Wlos grew up around computers and technology; his father was instrumental in creating the early course registration system for the University of Illinois. Having a computer and internet access in the home prior to any of his classmates he was able to create webpages and other basic computer programs while still in junior high. He pursued his childhood passion of working with technology and graduated with a degree in

Jessica Tritthardt

Human Resources Manager

Jessica grew up in a home that always had several animals rooming around. Her family home included four-legged friends such as dogs, cats, hamsters, and a rabbit. She has loved animals for as long as she can remember, which is why she worked at Petco starting in High School, all the way through college! Jessica graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education and spent years

Rachel Woods

Human Resources Coordinator

Some consider themselves to be cat people, while others consider themselves to be dog people; Rachel grew up in households with both, so she considers herself a “bipartisan” animal lover. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, she loved taking advantage of opportunities that appealed to her affinity for animals, including taking an intensive Animal Behavior course that led to some incredible encounters with elephants, giraffes, monkeys, and more. She has been

Maggie Deemer

Director of Training

Ever since Maggie was four years old, there has always been a dog or two in the house. She learned a great deal helping her mother train all their dogs, from a Maltese to a sheltie to a mini poodle. Working with dogs and helping people better understand how to care for their companions has always been her passion! Maggie started her career with Suburban K9 many years back as

Jeanne Dellagardele

Customer Service Representative

Jeanne loves helping prospective clients learn about our services and schedule training. She grew up in Iowa and moved to Chicago shortly after graduating from Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa. She and her husband moved to Brookfield, Illinois not long after their son was born. Jeanne previously worked at Crain's Chicago Business as an administrative assistant. She enjoys gardening, hiking, cooking, and baking bread. Along with her husband and son,

Miranda Pavnica

Customer Service Representative

Miranda grew up having many dogs in her family. That love grew as she got older, which led to adopting and caring for multiple dogs throughout the years! Miranda attended Florida SouthWestern State College where she studied Early Childhood Education. After graduating, she taught at a local elementary school where she was able to share her love of dogs and animals with her students. Since moving from Florida to the

Kristine Meyer

Customer Service Representative

Kristine grew up around dogs, cats, and horses, so animals have always had a special place in her heart. Throughout her life she has lived in Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, California and Illinois. Before working at Suburban K9, she worked for many years in customer service with a jewelry store. She also received her Master’s Degree in Social Work and used her degree to run a group home for 10 years

Stephany Douglass

Front Desk Manager

Stephany grew up in Mesa, Arizona, and Dallas, Georgia. Over the years, she had all different kinds of pets, from horses to dogs and cats, and even some ferrets. These pets have helped Stephany understand that every animal has a unique way of learning and loving. She began working with animals at a young age, as she trained and interned at a local horse rescue and county animal shelter. She

Jamiere Joiner

Customer Service Representative

Jamiere was born in Alexandria, VA, and has since lived in six states and two countries, which has a lot to do with her love of meeting new people and developing relationships. She attended high school in Fayetteville, North Carolina and graduated early to join the Air Force on the delayed entry program. After receiving an honorable discharge from the Air Force, she attended college at the University of North

Lenny Szatkowski

Director of the Suburban K9 Academy

Lenny has always been a dog lover, and knew early on that he wanted a career with dogs. He became a trainer with Suburban K9 in 2009, while still attending college at Northern Illinois University. Lenny quickly excelled as both a trainer and a student, eventually graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing. Over the years he became an expert in dealing with difficult dogs and training

Kaitlin Butler

Customer Service Representative

Kaitlin's love of animals and helping others has always been a priority in not only her personal life, but her professional life as well. Her career in the animal industry began with her very first job at a doggy daycare and grooming facility. Once realizing animal welfare was her passion, Kaitlin spent the next seven years dedicated to shelter medicine and finding homeless pets their “furever” homes. Her interest then

Marci Condon

Customer Service Representative

Marci was 15 when she got her first dog, Babe. After that she was hooked. Since then she has had many dogs and currently has a rescue Bichon Frise, Corey. Corey has brought so much joy into her family’s lives and is currently looking to rescue another dog. She has a husband and 2 boys in college. Her hobbies include crafting and working in the yard. She loves going to

Mikayla Savage

Customer Service Representative

Mikayla was born and raised in Tampa, FL. Growing up, she could not have pets, but this did not stop her love for animals. She would often bring home injured or abandoned wildlife to care for a release, and she was always begging her mom to let her have a dog. Mikayla began college with a degree in nursing but quickly switched to Zoology. After several zoo internships, she moved

Joy Palmer

Logistics Manager

Joy grew up in Joliet, Illinois. After spending a few years in Iowa, she returned to the area where she was raised to meet and marry her husband. They now live in the warm and sunny suburbs of Orlando, FL. Joy has been around dogs all her life and currently has a Great Dane that she absolutely adores! Joy has worked as a hairstylist and a florist before joining the Suburban K9 team. It is so amazing

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Customized training tailored to you and your dog

OUR PROFESSIONAL TRAINERS

All Trainers

Addison Reed

Alex Bassett

Alex Chadesh

Alexis Johnson

Allyson Stewart

Amber Haseltine

Ashley Buckans

Brooke Janke

Brooke Novotny

Cara Hopkins

Devon Oaks

Erin Hansen

Erin Hegeman

Erin Reid

Evan Dallas

Frank Abruscato

Gracie Reed

Haley Warren

Holly Wengerski

Jared Auday

Jax Jackson

Jay Buchanan

Kaitlyn Hohimer

Katelyn Anhalt

Kati Del Pozo

Kira Greenfield

Kyle Lohman

Lauren Hauge

Liliana Carpano

Lilliana Calero

Molly Juneau

Nelson Medrano

Nick Smoots

Rose Pierce

Sabrina Lopez

Samantha Doig

Shelby Adkins

Shelby Naab

Stephanie Israel

Tiffany Hollenbeck

Twila Johnson

Wes Smith

Zachary Westfall

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OTHER SUBURBAN K9 TEAM MEMBERS

Matt Covey

Matt Wlos

Jessica Tritthardt

Rachel Woods

Maggie Deemer

Jeanne Dellagardele

Miranda Pavnica

Kristine Meyer

Stephany Douglass

Jamiere Joiner

Lenny Szatkowski

Kaitlin Butler

Marci Condon

Mikayla Savage

Joy Palmer

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or CALL US TODAY 866-467-8259

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you and your dog