Caring K9 Trainers

 Allesha has always had a deep love for animals and a passion for animal rescue and giving back to her community.

She is a Therapy Dog, Trick, Obedience, and Puppy Trainer, as well as a Dog Bite Prevention Educator and Be a Tree Presenter through Doggone Safe. Over the years, Allesha has also volunteered with various animal shelters and community organizations, sharing her knowledge and helping animals and the people who care for them.

In 2015, Allesha and her family rescued Piper, a German Shepherd/Husky mix, from a rural northern Manitoba community. Piper’s love of life and children, combined with Allesha’s passion for animals, naturally led them to Therapy Dog training.

Allesha has always believed in the incredible calming and healing abilities of dogs. Through training and education, she enjoys helping dogs and their handlers develop the skills and confidence to share those abilities with others.

“I have always known that dogs have a calming, healing ability. Being able to train and encourage dogs and their owners to showcase this ability helps teach others that dogs, and all animals, are not possessions but lives that should be cherished.”

Allesha brings compassion, experience, and a strong commitment to animal welfare to everything she does, helping dogs and their people build positive relationships based on trust, understanding, and respect.

 Birgit serves the Robson Valley, including the McBride and Valemount areas, and is passionate about helping dogs and their handlers develop strong, successful partnerships.

Birgit began her journey with Caring K9 Institute, where she completed her Therapy Dog Program with her loyal sidekick, Skidboot. With the support and guidance of Caring K9, Birgit went on to train Skidboot as her Service Dog. Together, Birgit and Skidboot have successfully completed the BC Guide Dog and Service Dog Assessment three times and are certified as a Service Dog Team by the Province of British Columbia.

Birgit is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers (CAPDT) and serves as the Chair of the CAPDT Service Dog Committee.

Beyond her passion for dogs, Birgit has been a lifelong horse enthusiast and has worked as a professional horse trainer since 2006. She is an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified Trainer, bringing extensive experience in training, communication, and relationship-based animal handling to her work with dogs.

Birgit owns and operates Falling Star Ranch in Dunster, BC, where she offers private dog training, group classes, and Service Dog training. She also travels throughout the Robson Valley and, upon request, to Jasper to provide dog training services.

Birgit brings together her extensive experience with both horses and dogs, along with her own journey as a Service Dog handler, to provide compassionate, knowledgeable, and practical training for dogs and their people.

 Kristina’s journey with Caring K9 began with her Shepherd/Husky mix, Charlotte. Through training Charlotte first as a Therapy Dog and later as a Service Dog, Kristina discovered a passion for helping dogs and their handlers build strong, confident, and successful partnerships.

Her firsthand experience as a working dog handler has played an important role in shaping the trainer she is today. Kristina understands that every dog and handler is unique, and she focuses on positive, force-free, relationship-based training that builds practical skills while strengthening the connection between dog and handler.

Today, Kristina leads Caring K9’s Working Dog Program, works one-on-one with Service Dog and Therapy Dog teams, and supports handlers both in class and out in the community. She continues to expand her knowledge through ongoing education, hands-on experience, and working with a wide variety of dogs and handlers.

Sadly, Charlotte passed away this past year, leaving behind an incredible legacy. Her influence continues to be a meaningful part of Kristina’s approach to training. Patience, connection, positivity, and compassion are at the heart of the work she does with every team she supports.

Charlotte may no longer be by her side, but the lessons she taught Kristina continue to live on through every working dog team Kristina has the privilege of training.

 Gail’s journey with Caring K9 began when she rescued her beautiful girl, Pipa. Pipa quickly became an important part of Gail’s life and went on to become a dedicated Therapy Dog, bringing joy and comfort to others for several years. Today, Pipa is a beloved part of the Caring K9 legacy. 

Since then, Gail has completed numerous Caring K9 programs with all three of her dogs, including Tricks, Basic Obedience, and the C.L.A.S.S. program. Through training her own dogs, Gail developed a passion for building strong relationships through positive, supportive training and wanted to share that experience with others.

Gail especially enjoys helping people develop meaningful partnerships with their dogs while building the skills and confidence they need to succeed together. She brings a wealth of knowledge, patience, and compassion to the teams she works with.

We are so grateful to have Gail continuing her journey with Caring K9 as an Apprentice Trainer and sharing her passion for dogs and training with our community!

 Emma’s journey with Caring K9 began at a young age, when she first volunteered simply to pet dogs and be a distraction during training classes. Today, she has grown into an incredible asset to our team!

Emma’s knowledge, patience, understanding, and genuine love for dogs have been amazing to watch develop over the years. She has become a wealth of knowledge and brings so much enthusiasm and compassion to our training team.

Emma has also successfully guided her beautiful dog, Austyn Rein, through the first three levels of our working dog program. Together, they continue to make a positive impact in our community, and we couldn’t be more proud of the team they have become.

We are incredibly grateful to have Emma as part of the Caring K9 family! 

Krista is a subject matter expert on Crisis K9’s and has several years’ experience as a professional dog handler,  therapy and service dog trainer. She is a CLASS evaluator through the Association for Professional Dog Trainers, a certified Therapy Dog Trainer through the International College of Canine Studies, a Certified Trick Dog Instructor through Do More With Your Dog! and a guest speaker across Canada on various topics including Therapy Dog Program Implementation and Utilizing Dogs in Child Interviews.

She was the policy creator for the RCMP’s Victim Services Therapy Dog Program in Prince George and has provided consultation to several other victim serving agencies, school districts and community programs. In 2017 Krista was awarded the BC Community Achievement Award for her work with dogs by the Lieutenant Governor of BC.