Meet Our Team

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All Trainers

Addison Reed

Trainer

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

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

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

Alex Diedrich

Trainer

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,

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

Amy White

Trainer

Amy was born and raised in Houston, TX. She has loved animals her whole life, especially dogs. Amy graduated from Sam Houston State University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. After college, she was a 4th grade teacher for ten years. During that time, Amy and her husband got a dog of their own and sent her to board and train with Suburban K9. She got a personal firsthand

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

Pittsburgh 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

Trainer

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

Devon Oaks

Phoenix Territory Manager

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

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

Trainer

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

Evan Dallas

Trainer

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

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

Trainer

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,

Jason Shaw

Trainer

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

Kati Del Pozo

Madison Territory Manager

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

LaShaunti Bailey

Trainer

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

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 Rodriguez

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

Michelle Cook

Trainer

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

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 Territory Manager

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

Oscar Vela-Gonzalez

Trainer

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

Rebecca Webb

Trainer

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

Remi McGinnis

Nashville Territory Manager

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

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 Trainer

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

Chicago South 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

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

Tiffany Hollenbeck

Dallas Territory Manager

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. In her free

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

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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Holly Wengerski

Director of Training

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

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

Stephanie Kula

Stephanie was born and raised on the beautiful island of Hawai'i. She graduated from the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa with a bachelor's degree in Business Management-Marketing. During her time in college she fell in love with and brought home her first fur baby whom she named Bentley Snuggle Bear the Great. Her unconditional love for Bentley prepped her for her greatest accomplishment yet,

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

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

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

Alex Diedrich

Amber Haseltine

Amy White

Brooke Janke

Brooke Novotny

Cara Hopkins

Devon Oaks

Erin Hansen

Erin Hegeman

Erin Reid

Evan Dallas

Frank Abruscato

Gracie Reed

Haley Warren

Jason Shaw

Kati Del Pozo

LaShaunti Bailey

Lauren Hauge

Liliana Carpano

Lilliana Rodriguez

Michelle Cook

Molly Juneau

Nelson Medrano

Nick Smoots

Oscar Vela-Gonzalez

Rebecca Webb

Remi McGinnis

Rose Pierce

Sabrina Lopez

Samantha Doig

Shelby Adkins

Shelby Naab

Tiffany Hollenbeck

Twila Johnson

Zachary Westfall

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OTHER SUBURBAN K9 TEAM MEMBERS

Holly Wengerski

Matt Covey

Matt Wlos

Jessica Tritthardt

Rachel Woods

Maggie Deemer

Stephanie Kula

Jeanne Dellagardele

Miranda Pavnica

Kristine Meyer

Stephany Douglass

Lenny Szatkowski

Kaitlin Butler

Marci Condon

Joy Palmer

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or CALL US TODAY 866-467-8259

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Customized training tailored to
you and your dog