Corrie Barrows, Member Services Manager
Corrie Barrows began training at TCOTC in 2000 with her Labrador, Beef. She came to the club because Ruth Foster, one of the inventors of the gentle leader, was an instructor and the former club president. She knew Ruth’s club would be the best place to learn about positive reinforcement and non-force dog training. Corrie went from being a student to an obedience assistant and then an instructor for puppy and flyball classes. She has also served as the Club President and has been our Obedience Trial Chief Ring Steward for the past 15 years. Now she is our Members Services Manager, so chances are good you’ve gotten an email from her! Corrie has two Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, Hugo and Yara, and flyball is their game of choice. Corrie believes the positive reinforcement training we use at TCOTC really works for teaching flyball because it is motivating, fast and fun just like the sport!
Meg Beisner, Instructor, Obedience and Camp K9
Meg has been a member of TCOTC since 2013 when she signed up for Basic with her first rescue dog, Joe, and became engrossed in dog training ever since. After adopting her second rescue dog, Phoebe, Meg wanted to be more involved with the club and started assisting in 2017. Since 2018, she now teaches primarily Basic Obedience and loves having the opportunity to educate her students with the same energy and enthusiasm that she received back when she first started training Joe. Meg’s ultimate goal is having happy, well-mannered family pets. She believes enriching her dogs’ lives with fun activities and positive training have been what has created the strong, loving bonds she has with her two dogs. Her newest challenge is working with Joe & Phoebe on adjusting to the family’s twin baby boys now in the home!
Laura Breckheimer, Instructor, Agility
Laura was “bitten” by the training bug and came to TCOTC in 2003 for agility and obedience classes with her two Jack Russell Terriers (Greta and Zak) and Golden Retriever (Fabian). After taking classes for a bit, Laura began assisting in agility classes to learn more and watch other teams. As she completed the observers class and acquiring additional experience and knowledge in training agility and working with dogs who tend to be overly reactive she became a TCOTC instructor. She currently teaches our Foundation (primarily) agility classes.
Laura and her teammates participate in agility, barn hunt, conformation, go-to-ground, lure coursing, nosework, obedience/rally, terrier racing, and tricks. They have also participated in disc, flyball, and tracking to varying extents. She now teaches agility (primarily our Foundation classes) and is training the newest member of the family, MacGyver (Jack Russell) and enjoying the “mature” years with REO (Jack Russell) and Tommie (mixed breed). When they are not playing (aka training) they enjoy walks, hikes, and relaxing with family and friends with a variety of # of legs. (Update: Laura’s family now has a fourth member, Jenny, an adorable JRT.)
Katie Brittan, Instructor, Agility
Katie has been training dogs since 1980, when she first joined TCOTC. She currently teaches agility from the beginner through advanced levels, from foundation through masters, and has also assisted with Rally Obedience classes. She has participated or currently participates in agility in AKC, CPE and NADAC, barn hunt, AKC obedience and rally, lure coursing, earth dog and AKC conformation, winning a variety of advanced titles. You’ll often see her at the club with her two miniature schnauzers, Rico and Cookie, in tow.
Page DeLong, Agility Set-up Crew Volunteer
I have been involved with dogs since convincing my parents to let me join 4H and raise a puppy for The Seeing Eye (in NJ) when I was in high school in the ’70s. After all, it was only a one year commitment, I said. Well, we all know how that works out! I ended up raising 4 Seeing Eye puppies. Life is better with a dog, so I have had 4 canine companions since then. Paavo is my 3rd Aussie, but my first agility dog. I enjoy that agility has created a fun bonding environment for us and TCOTC has taught me the benefits of positive training methods.
Alexis Erickson, Instructor, Agility
Alexis has trained, taught and competed in agility for 20 years. She also loves fostering service and rescue dogs! She started at TCOTC as a front desk volunteer, then served on the Board, acted as Rental Manager and Agility Director and now enjoys teaching and taking classes at our wonderful club.
Anitra Francis, Agility Instructor and Desk Volunteer
Anitra has been a Monday night desk volunteer for many years and a recently became an Agility Instructor after serving as an assistant. She was elected as an alternate board member in January 2020 but almost immediately became a full board member after a resignation created a vacancy. She was re-elected to the TCOTC board in January 2021. She has also served on the board of a nonprofit called Corgi Pals that assisted corgi owners with unplanned emergency veterinary services.
Donna Grabowski, Instructor, Puppy/Tweener & Obedience
“I have been a member since 1991. I came to TCOTC with my dog, Shadow, She was a Norwegian Elkhound, who was a great dog but a bull in a china closet. She needed some table manners. Back in those days the classes were Level I, Level II and Level III. After the first eight weeks were over, I knew I was hooked. I started taking classes to become an assistant and then follow through as an instructor. I have been in rescue for about 40 years. My goal has always been to help people get through the early stages of working with their puppies and to keep as many dogs out of the pounds and shelters. I absolutely love my job at TCOTC. I love working with people and their puppies. I also assist in basic classes. My two current dogs are Jazz, a 13-year-old Schipperke mix, and 11-year-old Murphy, a Shi Tzu, Maltese and Poodle mix.”
Trisha Hetue, Instructor, Obedience & Flyball
Trisha started taking classes at TCOTC in 2011 with the goal of trying out Flyball with her Brussels Griffon, Colonel Beardsley. In 2015, she was approached by a staff member about possible interest in assisting in the puppy & tweener classes and she hasn’t looked back. Along with Assisting in Puppy and Tweeners, Trisha has assisted in many basic classes and multiple Tier 2 classes, she has been assisting in the Flyball class for the last several years as well. Trisha enjoys being involved in the community at TCOTC and being around the other staff and members who share a positive training philosophy. The Colonel successfully ran flyball and earned several NAFA titles but he retired from the sport in 2021. He now lives his best life in Trisha’s home being the old man dog that he is and barking at kids to get off his lawn. In 2022, Trisha adopted Admiral Rooster Flannigan (aka Rooster) an Australian Cattle Dog mix that is full of spunk and keeps both Trisha and Beardsley on their toes. Trisha looks forward to bringing Rooster to the club and hopes to get him into flyball and other dog activities after getting his basic obedience completed.
Jane Jacobson, Obedience Department Head and Instructor
Susanne Jones, Desk Volunteer
Meera Kannan, Instructor, Obedience
Meera became a volunteer obedience assistant after training her dogs Satchel and Lilo at the club beginning in 2017. She has taken her dogs through a number of Obedience classes and also completed the Flyball program. Her background in education and understanding of learning styles aided her transition into becoming an Instructor at TCOTC. She was elected to the club’s board in January 2021 and now serves as the club’s President. Meera works for the Minneapolis Public Schools as a Minneapolis Kids Program Coordinator. She was the Assistant Director at local, nonprofit Montessori preschool from 2013-2017, where she attended board meetings as well and gave input to families as decisions were made. She has also volunteered with other nonprofits, serving from 2012-2014 as part of the Special Events Committee for Girls on the Run and working with other volunteers to plan the yearly Silent Auction and Annual Gala. From 2015-2019, Meera was a Foster Coordinator with the dog rescue No Dog Left Behind, where she matched incoming dogs with appropriate foster homes and worked with other volunteers to bring dogs into rescue from local shelters.
LaDonna Kool, Instructor, Agility
LaDonna started training at TCOTC in 2015 when she and her husband got Maxwell, a goldendoodle, and decided that he should have some manners so he could be a good boy in public. 😊 A few years later they got Lexi, a mini goldendoodle. LaDonna and her husband went through many wonderful classes with both dogs and eventually started agility – and became hooked! LaDonna spent five years being a puppy agility assistant before becoming an instructor. She says she was taught early on – always end on a happy note!
Marsha LeDuc, Instructor, Agility
I am a very ,very long time member of TCOTC. I have instructed at TCOTC for about 40 years teaching obedience and now agility. I’ve handled a variety of dogs including soft coated wheatens, American eskimos, Yorkies and papillons. I even had a Doberman live with me for about 6 months while the owner’s house was being built. I have showed in agility, obedience, rally, confirmation, and scent work and have earned titles in all of them. I feel that TCOTC is a great organization to be a part of and find it is good place to find friendships.
Rachel Maino, Assistant, Obedience
Hi, I’m Rachel. My evenings are spent at TCOTC taking dog training classes or as a volunteer assistant instructor. I’m married and have two Labrador retrievers. We love to go camping and hiking. We also love to kayak. If I could find a way to bring my dogs on a kayak trip, that would be my favorite way to spend a weekend.
Scott McKenzie, CPDT-KA, Instructor, Obedience and Events/Member Activities Manager
Scott started as a student at TCOTC in 2008 with his German Shepherd named Tucker. He began teaching at TCOTC 2013. Scott teaches Basic and Puppy Basic Obedience, as well as all Tier 2 Classes. He is certified in Pet Emergency First Aid and Canine CPR. He is also a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen, Trick Dog, and FETCH evaluator and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through CCPDT. Scott has won CD Obedience Titles, and NA Agility Titles.
Vanessa Niemi, CPTD-KA, Obedience Instructor
Vanessa has been a member of TCOTC since 2015, when she first began puppy socialization with her German Shepherd, Baxter. Since then she has been a desk volunteer, a board member, puppy agility assistant, and an obedience and behavior assistant. Currently, Vanessa is the instructor for Changing Attitudes, a behavior modification class. Vanessa is pet CPR and First Aid certified, is an AKC Canine Good Citizen and Trick Dog evaluator and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through CCPDT. She belongs to several dog training organizations, including the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) and the Pet Professionals Guild (PPG). She goes to conferences and watches webinars at every opportunity.
Her dog Baxter is involved with Rally-O, agility, lure coursing and dock diving. Vanessa’s favorite part about being a dog trainer is helping pet parents develop a bond with their dogs. Her main interests are in dog behavior problems and how to solve them humanely and using positive methodologies.
Wendy Olson, Instructor, Conformation
Wendy has owned a Dachshund, Basset Hound and has shown her Akitas,Samoyed and Great Pyrenees. Both of her male Great Pyrenees have earned their HOF and OFA CH of Health for the breed and have been ranked in the Top Ten breed and all-breed national rankings. Her females have won group placements and the Greater Pyrenees Club of America Animal Assisted Therapy Dog award. She now has Great Pyrenees and a Samoyed. Wendy is a long-time member of Minnesota Purebred Dog Breeders Association and the Northstar Working Dog Club. She taught handling classes at Pet Junction and has filled in for Jim Shea at TCOTC on numerous occasions. Wendy served as a public educator (high school history, social studies and language arts) for over 40 years.
Carol Ouhl, Therapy Department Head
Carol is the Therapy Department Head and lead instructor. She began teaching at TCOTC in 1992 and currently teaches Therapy Dog Levels 1, 2, and 3, and is also responsible for developing the program’s curriculum. Carol has been a therapy dog handler for 30+ years and has been a Pet Partners Therapy Animal Evaluator of 10 species of animal for 25 years. Carol is a retired Member of the National Therapy Animal Organization Incident Evaluation Team and the Author/Developer of species-specific evaluation criteria, procedures and score sheets. Two of Carol’s therapy dogs were featured for 5 years on Animal Planet’s K9 to 5 TV series and in Colleen Needles’ book of the same name. Carol and her dog were a National Therapy Dog of Year 2009 Nominee-Delta Society. Carol’s dogs have titled in Rally, Obedience, Tricks, Farm Dog, and she handled the #5 nationally ranked German Shepherd in Obedience Open, as well as the breed champion nationally ranked #7 Schipperke in Rally and Obedience.
Cheryl Pastick, Agility Set-up Crew Volunteer
Cheryl volunteers regularly for a variety of events, and is also a member of the agility setup crew. Her dog Abby earned her AKC MACH in agility and her AKC UD In obedience and her AKC Rally RAE. Her current dog Georgie earned her AKC, ASCA, and CDSP CD and she also has her AKC Rally Novice title.
Anne Schenk, Executive Director
Anne moved to the Twin Cities from Detroit in 2016 to become TCOTC’s first executive director. She saw it as a great opportunity to combine her experience running nonprofits with her love for dogs. Before joining TCOTC, Anne was vice president of communication and marketing for Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan, where she oversaw annual fund raising, marketing, board and volunteer engagement, and media and public relations. Prior to joining Gleaners, Anne served as vice president of communications for the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in organizational communication and public relations, both from Wayne State University. She spent her undergraduate junior year at the Albert-Ludwig-University in Freiburg, Germany. Anne is a graduate of Leadership Detroit Class XXXIII and has served on several nonprofit and professional boards, including the Association of Fund Raising Professionals – Detroit Chapter. Anne has been active in numerous causes and community organizations, including the Clark Park Coalition in southwest Detroit and the Oakland Literacy Council. Anne currently has a jindo/shiba rescue from South Korea named Tegan, and a shiba inu named Ren. In addition to her job and working with her dogs, Anne enjoys playing and watching sports, cooking, and spending time with family.
Christine Schultz, Instructor, Obedience
Paula Sotirin, Instructor, Agility
Paula has been training at TCOTC since 2012 when she started a beginners agility class with her 5 year old chessie. Since then she has progressed to competing in agility, flyball, and hunt with her two Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers. Paula has been a desk staff person and an agility assistant, but has spent most of her time as an obedience assistant at both beginner and intermediate levels. During her time at TCO she has discovered that any dog can be a good dog or at least a better one. She finds watching the relationship between owner and dog as classes progress a truly wonderful thing that makes the world just a little bit better.
Katina Stamp, CPDT-KA, Instructor, Obedience and Gundog
Katina Stamp, CPDT-KA, has been training dogs since 1994 and has been involved with TCOTC since 2004. She has titled her own dogs in multiple levels and venues of agility, obedience, tracking, and tricks and is a certified Canine Good Citizen evaluator. Katina hunts with her Labradors for Upland birds, uses them as demos in her workshops, and works her dogs for engagement In community activities for people with disabilities. She owns and operates Universal Dog, which provides in-home boarding, training, private consultations and instruction. Katina loves helping people see the potential in their own dogs for growth of the cross-species bond. She holds a bachelor of science degree in social work and has applied her group facilitation, teaching and presenting skills to her dog training work. She and her husband of 20 years are raising and homeschooling four daughters.
Julia Torgersen, Instructor, Agility
Julia has been an instructor in agility at TCOTC for about 12 years. She has volunteered for trials in agility and obedience in many different facets. She worked for a time as Facility Manager and has also volunteered to help with facilities at the club, including updating the agility equipment inventory, ensuring that equipment has been repaired and maintained. Julia also regularly gives her own time to help students find a venue they enjoy for competing, and helping them with skills before and after class times. Julia has served on a number of boards and currently serves on the Croix Valley Tracking Club board.
Mary Verness, Instructor, Obedience
Laura Waudby, Instructor, Obedience
Laura has been an instructor at TCOTC since 2008. Her primary focus in teaching is ring confidence and preparation to get happy, motivated dogs in the competition ring. She teaches Advanced Obedience, Competition Obedience, Ring Confidence, and Bye Bye Cookie, a relatively new class designed to transition your dog away from relying on rewards to offer the desired behavior. She also instructs students worldwide for the prestigious Fenzi Dog Sports Academy online training school. Laura’s novice A dog earned his UDX in obedience and was invited to the National Obedience Championships 2 years in a row before an injury forced his early retirement. She has also competed in agility, earning multiple championship titles in different organizations.
Christina Wessel, Instructor, Agility
Christina has been a member of TCOTC since 2013 when she took her tentative first step into the sport of agility with her first Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Nikko. She was immediately hooked by the strong bond formed with the dog and the intellectual challenge of training skills and strategizing courses. Christina, now with two more Tollers (Sole and Presto), competes in AKC and UKI and has earned her way into Finals at multiple national competitions. She has been an agility instructor at TCOTC since 2016 and particularly enjoys working with young dogs and new handlers just discovering the joy of agility for themselves.
Elektra Wrenholt, Assistant, Obedience
Elektra first attended a basic obedience class in 2022 with her special needs rescue, Gianni the Cocker Spaniel. Together, they have taken many tier 2 classes, freestyle, rally obedience, and nose work. Elektra has been assisting in obedience classes since the fall of 2023, and loves cheering for the successes of both canine and human students.
Sara Zislin, Agility Instructor and Agility Department Head
Sara has been training and competing in agility for ten years with dachshunds and border collies. She got started in agility when her mom, who also does agility, was dog sitting for her, and started teaching her dog some foundation skills. When Sara returned to pick up her dog, her mom said the dog loved agility training, and helped her sign up for classes. Fun fact, her mom is still training and competing agility as well, and one of their favorite things to do is train, and trial together when visiting each other. Sara has won multiple regional and national podiums, and even some Canadian podiums with her dachshunds, including her Nova Lee being the 2017 number one preferred AKC dachshund, and Nova Lee also won the 2019 US Open National Finals. When not doing agility, Sara loves to hike with her dogs, take them swimming and hang with them in front of the TV. Her key belief in dog training, is that you need to learn what your personal dog needs, and train them the way they want to be trained, everything else comes together after this. Training agility is the best because it is like running in your own tiny personal wolf pack with your dog. You can find Sara training her own dog in our intermediate classes, teaching our beginner students, or at our Instructed Open Ring.
Danielle Adamek, Obedience Assistant
Carol Arthur, Agility Set-up Crew Volunteer
Sherri Besaw, Instructor, Obedience
Dennis Carlson-Rioux, Obedience Assistant
Joyce Carlson-Rioux, Obedience Assistant
Renee Foster, Instructor, Agility & Competition Bedrock
Wendy Henes, Desk Volunteer
Ted Jewell, Tracking Instructor
LeAnn Juel, Agility Course Set-up Volunteer
Jim Nally, Instructor, Agility
Rhonda Noetzelman, Assistant, Obedience & Tracking
Lorrie O’Neal, Agility Course Set-up Crew Leader
Gina Pizzo, Instructor, Agility
Mary Steinbauer, Financial Officer