Roxie is a border collie that was rescued by Paul through Haven for Pets in Akron, OH.  Roxie had been returned to the rescue by two previous owners when Paul adopted her.  Since Paul adopted her, she now gets to go to work with him everyday so that she can burn up her endless energy!  She looks forward to going to work with him, where she assists in training and meets new people everyday.  She loves jumping high for frisbees and chasing just about anything that moves fast!   Her favorite toy is her Flippy Flopper. Roxie does not “walk”.  She has 2 speeds – FULL SPEED and STOP!  She has received her American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen certificate and is a registered Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dog.  In addition, Roxie, aka our “Rockstar,” has become a local celebrity with appearances on the Fox 8 Morning Show and Kickin’ it with Kenny, had feature articles written about her in the West Side Leader and the Akron Beacon Journal and featured on Ohio.com.

Simba – Assistant Trainer

Simba is a Belgian Malinois, Dutch Shepherd, German Shepherd mix.  He joined us in the Spring of 2010.  He came from a litter of pups Pharoh had (Ashton Fitzgerald’s dog from Sit Means Sit in Las Vegas).  Simba is a true “working dog” whose athletic ability makes him perfect for agility, scent detention work, protection work, and dock diving.  In fact, when Simba was just 8 months old he jumped 22 ft 2 inches at his 2nd dock diving contest ever! At only a year old, Simba has received his American Kennel Club “Canine Good Citizen” certificate and is a registered Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dog.  You may have seen him on his appearance on WKYC-TV 3’s Good Company!

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Mike Joseph – Trainer

Mike has been a Cleveland area trainer for Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron since 2009.  After working with computers in various industries for over 15 years, he realized his true passion was working with dogs.  Currently, Mike is a part-time trainer with goals to become full time in the near future.  During the time that Mike has been with Sit Means Sit, he has proven himself as a successful, knowledgeable, and caring dog trainer.  His passion for helping owners obtain more control of their animal and have happy lives together is the driving force to his success.  When he is not training dogs, Mike is keeping computers running for a major local hospital in the Cleveland area.  His fiancée, Cindy, is very supportive of Mike’s long working hours having two jobs.  Whether Mike is fixing someone’s computer, or instilling obedience in their dog, the smile he gets when this issue is solved is what brings him the most enjoyment.  Mike has attended the Sit Means Sit Regional Seminar and Main Event and completed several seminars, including “Protection Training” and “Working with Aggressive Dogs.”

Zeus aka “Gooser” – Assistant Trainer

Mike’s dog Zeus is a true example of what Sit Means Sit can do for a dog.  His obedience and consistency is so surreal that sometimes it is forgotten that he is a dog and not a member of the family.  Mike got Zeus from a breeder in Ohio, when he was three months old.  After training him using the Sit Means Sit training method, Zeus has the pleasure of being off leash and is very well behaved.  Some of his favorite tricks include “Spread ‘em,” “Beg,” and the “Leg Weave.”

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Chris Madden – Trainer

I started working with dogs when I was 5 yrs old with 4H,  a positive youth development organization.  It was then that I found my passion for dogs.  On my 7^th birthday, I got a VHS titled “How to train Your Dog Like Lassie.” That , of course, went poorly.  At 14, I started volunteering  at  Puyallup Animal Rescue in Puyallup, Washington, working with abused and aggressive dogs.  When I moved to Ohio in 2008,  I quickly began volunteering with Paws & Prayers Animal Rescue.  I have seen hundreds of trainers using every dog training method out there, including food training, clicker training, choke chains, pinch collars, remote  collars, all without achieving the results they had hoped for… Until I met Paul with Sit Means Sit.  At the time, I was not an advocate of remote collar training because I had witnessed non-Sit Means Sit trainers use them without success.  I had heard about Sit Means Sit Dog Training from some clients that had been through the Sit Means Sit program and were very pleased with the outcome.  It sparked my curiousity, so I called Paul, and he invited me to a group class.  For 12 years, I have worked with animal rescues, dealing with all types of breeds and personalities, from timid to aggressive to high energy dogs that needs structure.  Once I saw how the collars were being used, and had the opportunity to feel one for myself, I knew that I needed to learn the Sit Means Sit training method.  A year later, I have been successfully training dogs using the Sit Means Sit program.  During that time, I have attended the Regional Seminar in Michigan, the Sit Means Sit Main Event in Las Vegas, and specialized seminars that focus on advanced training techniques.

Kiya – Assistant Trainer

Kiya was a rescue from Paws with Pride Animal Rescue.  She was adopted out as a puppy and abused by the family’s children.  Eight months later, she was returned to Paws with Pride with serious dog aggression, fear, and could not be pet by strangers.  Kiya was scheduled to get euthanised because of her aggression when Chris adopted her.  After he picked her up, they were able to correct her aggression issues, build her confidence, and socialize her with dogs and people using the Sit Means Sit program.  Kiya works with Chris everyday at Sit Means Sit.  She has received her American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen certificate and is a registered Bright & Beautiful  Therapy Dog.

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Jody Kobak – Trainer/Facility Manager

Jody has been involved with animals her whole life.  She has been rescuing animals in need for as long as she can remember, including turtles, ducks, cats, dogs, and donkeys!  She attended Ashland University, which is only about an hour away from her home so that she could stay close to her animals.  After college, Jody went on to work at a Cadillac dealer, starting in the parts department, then switchboard, to accounting, and finally as a sales manager. Jody enjoyed her work at the dealership, but always knew her true passion was to work with animals.  Jody and her husband and two daughters are heavily involved in the horse show circuit, active in the Greyhound Rescue, and for years have participated in fundraising walks such as those against human and animal abuse and the Heart Walk which fights to cure heart disease.  Jody joined Sit Means Sit in the Spring of 2011 as a Group Class trainer.  In the Fall of 2011, Jody opened Kobak Kennels at her Medina residence.  With the partnership established with Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron, the facility currently offers training and boarding, and will soon offer grooming and doggy daycare. Jody’s dogs, Suzie & Oscar, have graduated from the Sit Means Sit training program and both have earned their AKC Canine Good Citizen certificates.  Most recently, Jody attended the Sit Means Sit Regional Training seminar in Toledo and will go one to attend the Sit Means Sit Main Event in Las Vegas next spring.

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Shawn Erb – Trainer

Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron is excited to welcome the newest member of our team, Shawn Erb.  Shawn has had a lifelong passion for dogs and has always wanted to be a successful dog trainer.  He has spent the previous four years being a dedicated employee of Dockdogs.  During his employment, Shawn was an announcer for three years and was recently awarded the People’s Choice Announcer of the Year award.  Shawn also had the privilege of being a Dockdogs certified judge during his first year of employment.  He thoroughly enjoyed working for Dockdogs and all its affiliated members nationwide.  He has had the opportunity to meet a lot great people during his time with Dockdogs and is now looking forward to his new life challenge as a Sit Means Sit dog trainer.  As many of you already know, many Sit Means Sit trainers enjoy participating in Dockdog competitions, and Shawn has had the opportunity to befriend many of them.  This March, Shawn will join Sit Means Sit trainers from around the world to participate in the annual Sit Means Sit Main Event conference in Las Vegas.

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Jennifer Yost – Trainer

I have loved animals since I was little and I knew right away I wanted to be a Vet. I am currently in school to become an Equine and Exotic Veterinarian. I have a passion for all animals large and small. I have worked at the zoo, completed several internships at local veterinary clinics and volunteered at various rescue organizations. I currently work as a Wildlife Rehabilitator for sick and orphaned wildlife. I have done everything from wrestling birds of prey with broken wings to bottle feeding various orphaned babies such as skunks, squirrels, raccoons and rabbits. All of my animals are rescues, including my dogs, cats, horses, birds, rabbit, hedgehog and ferret. I have been working with abused and neglected exotic birds for the last 7 years, I run a bird rescue where myself and my volunteer work diligently to rescue, rehabilitate and find homes for birds with behavioral problems due to their past mistreatment. I completed my Sit Means Sit training on one of my 3 dogs, Dizzy. He is a German Shepherd/Lab mix who had severe dog aggression, now he goes everywhere with me, as I am now confident that he is not a danger to other dogs and people. I was very impressed with Dizzy, he is a whole new dogs and our bond is so much stronger. Paul offered me a wonderful opportunity to help other families with  dogs like Dizzy to enjoy their companions without constant worry and to develop a healthy relationship with their dogs. As a Sit Means Sit trainer it is so rewarding to me to watch a dog develop and work through different challenges they face through the training process and at the end they are able to do things that their owners may have never thought possible. Thank you to everyone I enjoy being part of the Sit Means Sit team!

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Jennette Cox – Groomer/Videographer

Jennette Cox (Jeni) is a full time Practice Administrator for a group of Internal Medicine Physicians.  When not at her “day job”, she loves to play and work with her dogs, take photographs and teach pottery class one night a week, and works with horses at her friend’s barn.

In the dog world, Jeni  is a Pet Tech Certified First Aid Instructor;  Canine Good Citizen Evaluator; Pet Photographer, Videographer for the Sit Means Sit videos seen on You Tube; Certified as a Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dog Evaluator and a Certified Dog Groomer.  When there is time, she also writes a blog for the Pet Section of the Akron Beacon Journal.  Two of her dogs, Cady and Zack are Canine  Good Citizens and Certified Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs.

Her biggest wish is that there could be about 4 extra hours in the day that didn’t require sleeping in order to get even MORE done!