MEET OUR STAFF
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About John...
Founder and President of John K9, LLC John's animal training career began in 2005 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. He was accepted as an intern in Hawaii caring for dolphins and sea lions. Since then, John has trained in zoos and marine mammal parks throughout the United States, and a decade of zoological experience allowed him to work with a wide variety of exotic animal species. However, he soon found himself becoming fascinated by the unique relationship between dog and handler. Very quickly, John was focusing more and more on dogs and dog behavior. Once he found his pup, Maker, there was no turning back...and, in 2015, JOHN K9 was born! In their spare time, John and Maker can usually be found on the water, swimming and fishing. Growing up as a swimmer in Florida, John has always appreciated his time outside. It was ultimately this love for nature that got him into training. |
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About Chris...
Senior Trainer at John K9 Meet Chris, Makani, and Cheddar! Chris is one of our Lakeland Store Managers, Kennel Managers, and our Senior Trainer. Makani is his 4-year-old Belgian Malinois and Cheddar is his year old yellow Labrador retriever. Chris graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelors of Science in Integrative Biology. Chris has over 10 years of training experience including tigers, dolphins, sea lions, and primates. Makani excels in many dog sports, but dock diving is her favorite - with an Elite Dock Diving Title under her collar. Cheddar is just a straight up good boy. He is continuing to solidify his obedience before jumping into dog sports. When not training Chris is traveling the state playing underwater hockey (yes, it's real, look it up)! |
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About Abby...
Seasonal Trainer at John K9 Meet Abby and her 11 traveling stunt dogs aka The Dog Carnival! Abby has been training dogs since 2008 when she finished her dog training apprenticeship with a company outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 2009 Abby started performing with Stunt Dog Productions in a ground act showcasing Freestyle Frisbee, agility, high jump, Flyball, and tricks. Abby and her dogs have performed at fairs, festivals, theme parks, theaters, and NFL and NBA halftime shows. In her off season, she travels to Florida giving Abby the opportunity to further her training skills at John K9 with the puppy raising program, bed bug training, blood trailing, and contributing her skills to the Training Camp. You can now catch Abby back on the road entertaining the masses! |
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About Jacquye...
Trainer at John K9 Meet Jacquye and Thea! Thea is a 7-year-old chocolate Labrador Retriever and is only one in her 3 dog pack: Turbo is a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois, and Impulse is a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois. Jacquye has been training dogs professionally since 2015 after leaving the field of veterinary medicine. After she graduated a dog training school in 2014 she continued her learning by attending an apprenticeship program under other trainers. Jacquye is an AKC evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen and AKC trick dog titles. Jacquye's love of dog sports led her to compete in IGP with her Labrador Retriever, Thea, and both her Belgian Malinois Turbo and Impulse. Her background in veterinary medicine led to her focus on canine fitness. In February of 2016, while at the North American Veterinary Conference she met Tricia Montgomery, the owner and founder of K9 Fit Club. In August of that same year she became a licensed K9 Fit Club trainer. In 2018 she then became one of their instructors for other individuals looking to earn their K9 Fit Club licenses. In 2020 while continuing her education, she became a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer through the University of Tennessee. Jacquye is a Trainer in both our obedience programs (Private Obedience Lessons and Training Camp) and is the host of K9 Fit Club group fitness classes. |
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About Kendra...
Trainer at John K9 Meet Kendra, Emma, and Ruxin! Emma is an 9-year-old Australian Shepherd/Jack Russell Terrier and Ruxin is a 1-year-old Australian Shepherd/Border Collie/McNab. Kendra's animal pathway started when she was 4 years old and began traveling to marine mammal parks and zoos. Her love for animals grew to a passion and drive that lead her to earn a Bachelor's of Science in Marine Biology and minor in Animal Behavior at the University of New England. After graduating in 2013, she completed multiple internships with dogs, seals, sea lions, and dolphins which led to her first job as a trainer working with parrots in the Florida Keys. She later took on a position at SeaWorld Orlando in the Education Department. After spending a season educating the public about the park's wonderful animals, she was offered a spot on the Aviculture team at SeaWorld's Discovery Cove. She trained there for about 2 years before switching to work with man's best friend. She's always had an interest in training dogs, so in 2021 she went full time with John K9! In her spare time you'll find her exploring local areas, going to theme parks, and taking care of her 3 parrots, 2 geckos, and two dogs! Kendra's main focus with John K9 is working at our Lakeland storefront as a trainer for our Private Obedience Lessons. |
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