Darrel Hager (Head Trainer):

Darrel Hager is the Owner and Head Trainer of our Sit Means Sit Chicago Location.  It all started out at a small Animal Shelter on the East Coast of Maine where Darrel met a little Pitbull named Nikita.  Nikita and Darrel bonded instantly as they began their quest to find greater freedom and joy through Training.  Now Darrel can be found helping dog owners all around Chicago, Instructing Sit Means Sit Trainer Seminars, Regional Seminars, and Demo Performances for Police K9 Conferences.  Darrel enjoys staying physically active, eating healthy, lounging by the campfire to wind-down for the evening, and hanging out with his pups Bravo and Nikita.

Amy Hager (Operations Manager/ Trainer):

Amy is the Sit Means Sit Chicago’s Operations Manager and Trainer.
Amy’s love of animals started at an early age where she had the
pleasure to raise rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, snakes and two
beautiful golden retrievers, Luke & Sara.  Today Amy’s office
companions are Mr. Bear and Sophie Bell, a German Shepherd/Husky mix
and a Lab/Hound dog mix.  These two dogs are the reason why Amy &
Darrel met at the WiggleyField Dog Park and soon enough Sit Means Sit
Dog Training was born.  Amy is grateful everyday that she gets to work
with animals and her lovely husband Darrel.  ”It’s fascinating how
quickly a dog can learn with love, care and training.”  Amy is also a
Chicago On-Camera, Theater & Voice-Over actress (www.amyhager.com).

Mark Hartman (Trainer):

After serving four years with the United States Marine Corps, Mark began my career as a personal fitness trainer/wellness coach.  It was an amazing experience that led him to another eight years later; dog training with Sit Means Sit!  He enjoys the bond he has with his dog Stanley, and finds it very rewarding to help other dog owners achieve the same success. It is a pleasure for Mark to help people and dogs become the best version of themselves! When not busy with a client and their dog, you can find him behind the drums of Chicago based band City At Sea or more then likely chasing down his next personal fitness goal (www.hartmanfitness.com)!

Kevin Stangler (Trainer):

Kevin is a dog trainer at Sit Means Sit Chicago and is thrilled to be working with his long time friends, the Hagers.  Being an animal lover and pet owner, Kevin feels privileged to work with ‘mans best friend.’  Dog training is a passion for him because he enjoys being able to help people better manage and enjoy their dogs more, if that’s even possible!

Also, Kevin is a professional actor, who has been seen performing all over the Chicagoland area and across the country (www.kevinstangler.com).

Bryn (Office Manager):

Bryn is the Chicago Sit Means Sit office manager. After spending a ton of time cultivating credentials to support his corporate career, including a Kellogg MBA and a U of I Mechanical Engineering degree, he decided to pursue performing arts full-time, including On-Camera work, Voice-Over and Theatre. It was through these pursuits that Bryn met Amy and Darrel, who needed a hand on the the operations side of the business. He’s having a blast learning learning about dog behavior and playing with the pups!

Mercedes is from the tiny town of Illiopolis (not to be confused with Indianapolis) in Central Illinois. She grew up on a horse farm with her family and from a young age she was showing and training horses and giving western riding lessons.

Looking for a new adventure, Mercedes moved to the Windy City. Before her move to Chicago, she visited Homeward Bound Pet Shelter in Decatur, IL and fell in love with a sweet but abused and misunderstood German Shepherd, Izzy. The city life was hard on Izzy, she was fearful and occasionally aggressive towards strangers and other dogs passing on the sidewalks. Mercedes sought to find a training program that would help manage Izzy’s fear aggression and build her confidence. In March (2012), Izzy participated in Sit Means Sit’s Board and Train Program where she has made tremendous progress, so much that it made Mercedes want to become a part of Sit Means Sit and partake in their internship program in hopes to help other dogs like Izzy and their owners.

Mercedes received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication/Public Relations from Millikin University. She enjoys being outdoors, and in her free time, can be found biking, hiking, or camping every chance she gets.