Elevated K9

01/29/2024

Obsessed with these snowy, trial prep/club pics by ❄️😍🌨️❤️

01/11/2024

Judith went to her new home yesterday! She was placed in an absolutely perfect co-ownership with and is already making her new dad so happy. She went right to work for him as if he had always been her handler. It’s not easy placing a dog you’ve bred, born into your hands, raised and nurtured for almost a year. However, Brian and made it as easy as it can possibly be, as it is so clear that they will give Judith and absolutely amazing, loving home. They are so dedicated to her already, and she fit right into their home as if it had always been hers.
Brian is a member of my PSA club and has been coming to club for months without a dog, learning about the sport, learning to decoy, and being a great all around club member. Brian and Judith will continue to train for and will title in PSA together. I could not be more excited for their journey and all they will accomplish together. Above all, Judith will be a best friend, a family member, and beloved beyond words in this placement. Thank you Brian and for giving her the best home!

07/30/2023

Max 20 weeks old, first time on legs ❤️

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05/08/2023

ELEVEN PSA2!!!!!!!! My sweet and spicy lady and I passed on both Sat and Sun to close out our Level 2 title this weekend! She did it her way, with her typical fire and attitude. No one’s ears were safe 😂 I wouldn’t have her any other way though, to me she is perfect. I can’t even imagine what life would be like if I hadn’t taken her home 5 years ago; she’s been with me through so much. Our goal from day 1 was the level 3s and despite many bumps in the road and crazy s**t life threw at us, we are here!!! Finally time to do the fun stuff 😈😈😈
I cannot thank my club enough. I couldn’t do it without you guys!!! Everyone and all the club who have allowed me to visit and train over the years - thank you! Thanks for putting on a great trial, like always, and for always being there to help out Eleven and I! Thank you .lepinski for your hard work judging this weekend and your helpful critiques and input, as always! I’ll take your advice to heart as I now train for the 3s!!!
Lastly but definitely not least, thanks to all the amazing decoys who have caught El safely over the years. We absolutely couldn’t do this amazing sport, which we both love and have so much fun doing, without your hard work and dedication to our success. EJ Parker thank you all for your hard work and for catching my dog safely!!!
Closing out our 2 with this group, on this field, feels really special. We stepped onto this same field 2 years ago for our PDC, first time to ever trial in a dog sport. and the devils crew talked me down from the anxiety ledge I was on and I’ve been hooked on competing ever since. I’ve met such amazing people and so many incredible dogs, and continue to do so. I can’t wait to see where our sport journey brings us next, especially with El’s own puppies following her footsteps these days.

04/29/2023

Elevated K9s Maxine and Millie (“Judith”)- 8 weeks old. First 2 pics are Max, last 2 are Judith. These girls will be staying here for now to be fully evaluated. I’m having such a blast watching them grow and develop. Really happy with both of them so far!

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04/18/2023

And then there were 2. Green collar male (Mike) is now Thorn. Congratulations and I absolutely cannot wait to see what you guys do together 🎉❤️

04/17/2023

And then, there were 3. Dustin is now Sirius, home with to pursue their PSA dreams! Couldn’t ask for a better home for this little guy. Love you both and can’t wait to see all you accomplish together!!!

03/23/2023

Bitesports are often misunderstood. These are some of the most highly trained dogs you will ever meet!

03/05/2023

K9 Gene was raised here from 8 weeks to 8months old and is now a conservation detection dog in Zambia. K9 Gene is available for sponsorship! Be a part of their mission to save endangered wildlife 🐘 🦓 🦒

03/01/2023

Happy FIFTH birthday to this absolute queen. I’m the luckiest person in the world to have her as my partner. PSA, dock diving, service work, demo dog, behavior mod work, family pet, this girl excels at anything I throw at her, and gives 1000% of herself. She just keeps getting better and I continue to be in awe of her and so grateful. I hope we get so many more years of celebrating together. 🎉🎉🎉

02/26/2023

01/26/2023

Dogs are very subtle and if you are not completely focused on them you may miss their subtle cues of dominance, aggression and in the case of this picture, possession over a toy. This is why I always instruct my clients that if you are having a party or caring for your baby and you can’t have 100% focus it’s ok to put your dog in another room to avoid a mistake. My dogs are not my “fur babies “ that diminishes who they are; it’s like saying you are a wife or husband and not acknowledging everything else that makes you, you. Fyte is a dog, a german shepherd dog who has been trained in a protection sport; if he makes a judgement mistake because he “warned” someone and they didn’t understand his subtle cue then I let him down.

12/31/2022

Today has me feeling nostalgic about all the amazing experiences we had in 2022. Earned our PSA 1 in NC, trained with some amazing people, showed in Regionals and Nationals for level 2. Having the opportunity to catch up with old friends, some I hadn’t seen since 2016 when I started this crazy lifestyle called PSA. I also met some incredible new people who I can’t imagine life without. Here’s to 2023 and all it may bring - let’s meet it with grace, energy, passion and everything we’ve got!!!

Ps my New Year’s resolution is to post my nationals pics 😝

Thank you for working my girl!!

11/01/2022

Retrieving rainbow 🌈

Thanks for having us out for some nationals prep and Halloween fun!

09/13/2022

Only 3 days left to get your Elevated K9 Gear!

https://www.customink.com/g/ehd0-00cn-9hy3?fbclid=IwAR1dN7YZ7UpPuErEq1idhoR8GSM0i5kr-639GtThLBJvV4j2EVXleiYPLN8

I'm organizing our Custom Ink order. You can pay me online. Thanks!

07/19/2022

Sometimes training is pre-planned, sometimes it’s… this 😂 when you trust the people you work with, collaboration on the fly can happen. for always being up for shenanigans, always fun but also good training at the same time.

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07/11/2022

ElevatedK9 graduate Gene working in Africa ❤️

06/14/2022

Dock diving bulldog , love it 🥰

05/13/2022

🙏 ❤️

Over the last three days I have had the honor to capture the highest level of Malinois IGP in the world at the 2022 FMBB in Karpenenisi, Greece.
Perhaps nothing has touched me more than this. Ivan Balabanov (USA-5) is a two time world champion. I have photographed him many times and always enjoy seeing the relationship he has with his dogs. He never shouts comands and his handling is smooth and in harmony with his dog. His dogs always to love their work, more, they love to work for him.
But today I saw a different side to Ivan. As Jessica and I were pulling into a tucked away restaurant in a small villiage section of Kapranesi hillside I thought I saw Ivan walking down an narrow ally way with what looked like a pizza box. I walked after him to see if I could catch up and say hello and was stunned to see him feeding kibble and raw dogfood to a starving mother dog. Ivan was clearly distraught. My heart sunk seeing the condition and circumstance of this poor creature but at the same time my heart swelled seeing Ivan's display of humanity.
The top picture is earlier today in the stadium, the bottom picture late this afternoon. The world needs more people like Ivan.

03/23/2022

Elevated K9 graduate Gene is doing so well, and I am so proud of him! Working together with his new handler, currently in Indiana learning from Lauren Wendt before he leaves for Zambia ❤️ follow his adventures on IG.

03/23/2022

Protection portion of our PSA1 2nd leg! Score- 186.5/220. We ended up getting the new scenario for our surprise and I was so happy about that! We managed to get 45/50 With Highest Distinction (some points off for the forging in heel.) Super proud of my girl, she truly gave it her all that day, like she does every day. We were both having so much fun- despite the rain, the long cold day, the waiting and the long, long drive…. All so worth it for this - 7 minutes of pure joy as we take home our PSA1 title and another 2nd place finish. 🥈❤️

03/20/2022

Obedience portion of our PSA1 2nd leg! With distinction- 89/100. One of the happiest and best days of my life, despite the absolutely torrential downpour! Luckily, we train in all weather, so we were prepared. Love this dog beyond anything that can be articulated using words. ❤️

03/16/2022

Amazing working dogs doing what they were bred to do. Congratulations!!!

03/14/2022

Crating is essential, even when you are home…

Yes to this.

03/02/2022

Happy 4th Birthday Eleven!! 🎂🎁🎉

So much to celebrate this week…. We also brought home some hardware from our trial in North Carolina (2nd place in the level 1) AND closed out our Level 1 title. I’m so proud of her performance, she was focused and happy and gave her entire heart out on that field. Our scores were obedience 89/100 (with distinction) and protection 186.5/220.

I am blessed and honored to call this fierce and feisty little lady my best friend, my partner, my whole world. She truly gives every bit of herself in literally anything I ask of her. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Eleven, but I’ll never take you for granted. Here’s to many, many more bday celebrations and (chocolate-free) towering ice cream sundaes.

02/28/2022

Yes!!