Meet The MSK9 Crew

Train with the best

We have the BEST team of kennel technicians and daycamp counselors that you could hope for! Everyone genuinely cares for every guest, and will go out of their way to make sure everyone is healthy, happy, and comfortable. Over the years we have had the pleasure of working with many kennel techs, and all of our past and current employees are the reason MSK9 still stands. Everyday is Kennel Tech appreciation day!

 

OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM

Owner

Kari Herron (Koch)

Kari has more than 35 years of experience training dogs and their owners. In July 2008 Kari attended and graduated both the Professional and Masters programs with a "V" rating from the Tom Rose School for Professional Dog Trainers. In January 2009 she was hired as the Training Director and Instructor until November 2014. Kari's experience includes AKC, Flyball, PSA (Protection Sports Association), and Schutzhund. Kari exhibits in AKC and PSA where she competes at the national level, and has professionally trained over 10,000 dogs of all breeds and ages from basic obedience, Police K-9, service and therapy dogs. Kari works closely with numerous rescue organizations in Colorado and Missouri to help dogs find their forever homes through education for people as well as their dogs.

Accomplishments
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Owner

Jake Kemp

Jake has had a passion for dogs his entire life. He began training dogs as a hobby in 2000 and decided to turn his passion into a career in July 2008 when he attended the Tom Rose School for Professional Dog Trainers in St. Louis, Missouri. While there, he graduated from both the Professional and Master Dog Trainer programs at the top of his class. In March of 2009, he was asked to go to work for the Tom Rose School as an instructor and trainer for The Dog House. During his time there, he helped instruct many students to become well-rounded dog trainers. With Jake's instruction and guidance, his students achieved multiple titles in AKC obedience and protection sports such as IPO and PSA. Jake is well versed in tracking and specific odor detection and has instructed many students in these areas as well. Additionally, Jake is an experienced decoy and has worked with protection dogs in training for a variety of venues including protection sports, personal protection and law enforcement applications. He was certified as a PSA trial decoy in 2010 and was selected to decoy the PSA Nationals in 2012, 2013, and 2014. He was also selected to be the assistant Midwest Director for PSA in 2012. Jake has personally titled multiple dogs in AKC Obedience, PSA and IPO.

Accomplishments
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General Manager

Mackenzie Radzik

Pictured with her Golden Retriever "Bojangles"

Born and raised in Southern California, Mackenzie comes to us from a veterinary diagnostic lab. She joined MSK9 for her love of dogs and passion in creating stronger bonds between owners and their canine companions. During her time at MSK9 she has titled Bojangles with his Canine Good Citizen and participated in numerous training classes. In her free time, she enjoys training and participating in sports with her dog such as Flyball and Dock Diving.

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Training Director

Gator Schott

Having grown up in Ravenna Nebraska, Gator has always had a passion for dogs, spending a lot of his time hunting with Labradors and Weimaraners before making his move to Colorado in 2014. Gator joined the MSK9 team in January of 2020 and completed the MSK9 Apprentice Trainer Program after some brief time as Operations Manager. He has a Labrador Retriever named Rowe and together they have successfully achieved an AKC Jr. Hunt Title. In January of 2021 he expanded his pack when he rescued his Doberman, Ronald. Gator and Ronald have worked diligently and titled in protection with a PSA PDC in 2023.

Accomplishments
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OUR TRAINERS

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Dylan Two Dogs Leaves

Trainer

Dylan Near

Pictured with his working Labrador Retriever, Suede, and Pitbull mix, Kodi, Dylan has had a passion for studying dogs' behavior and finding the best ways to communicate with them from a very young age. In addition to the basic childhood chores, he was also responsible for training his family dogs, an Akita and a Cattle Dog mix rescued from the local shelter. In 2020, he rescued Kodi, a Pitbull mix with human and dog reactivity. Working with Kodi was a challenge that blossomed into a passion for finding ways to provide even the most stubborn and aggressive dogs the freedom and structure they need for a fulfilled and happy life. Today, Dylan has successfully titled Kodi with his Canine Good Citizen. While continuing his education at MSK9, Dylan aspires to earn hunt titles with his black lab, Suede, along with obedience, trick, and other sport titles.

Accomplishments
Patrick and Willow Cotter
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Trainer

Patrick Ostrander

Patrick has always had a passion for dogs. Growing up in Waco, Texas, he volunteered at a local shelter but never knew there was opportunity to turn his passion into a career. After high school, he served for four years as an Army Medic and went on to earn his Bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Texas State University. After a move to Colorado in 2019, his eagerness to work with dogs led him to MSK9. While working as a kennel technician, he completed Top Tier K9's Pet Dog Trainer Class. The skills learned in this course helped him tremendously as he entered MSK9's Apprentice Trainer Program, becoming a full-time trainer in 2022. He loves learning alongside his rescue cattle dog, Ahsoka, in multiple disciplines such as agility, trick, and hunt-style retrieve. He is grateful to be fulfilling his passion by creating better relationships between owners and their dogs through training.

Accomplishments
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