Meet the Team
Rob Shewmake
Manager / K9 HandlerThe love and affection that Rob shows to his dogs are beyond impressive. There is no better example of what a good clear-headed obedient sport dog is if you were to meet his beloved Ado. Rob has always had a love of dogs and this drew him into the K9 world. He is a good handler and takes the time to travel the country to attend as many seminars as he can to continue learning different techniques and current training methods to keep his dogs on their toes. Competing in Protection Competitions has become a passion for Rob and his dogs. Rob served an honorable 4 years in the Army as Military Police. following that Rob served an additional 3 years in the civilian law enforcement sector.
Adam Newby
Operations ManagerAdam is a native of Northeast Arkansas. Whether it be dogs, farm animals, or wildlife Adam knew at an early age that he and God’s creatures had a special relation.
Adam served an honorable 5 years active duty in the Marine Corps and during his time of service, Adam was able to interact, train with, and serve alongside Military K9’s. Adam’s love for K9’s grew fonder when he became a Police Officer. Adam served as an officer for 5 years and always had an interest in one day, having his own K9 to work with. Adam feels that his prior service, supervision skills, and love for animals combined make him a great fit for the Joint Forces K9 Team.
Bryan Gibby
Lead Dog TrainerBryan is a Native of Oklahoma but has spent most of his life in Northwest Arkansas. Over approximately 4years with Joint Forces K9, Bryan has worked his way through the ranks and earned the title of Team Lead / AdministrationAssistant. Bryan has over 500 trained dogs under his belt, and the number continues to grow rapidly. From high profile clients/dogs to the most basic puppy needs, Bryan always surpasses expectations on training and continuously strives to learn new innovative techniques to better his success with each dog. His determination to succeed is beyond reproach, and he tirelessly does whatever is necessary to create a happy, healthy, and long-lasting relationship between person and pet.
Anthony Blakenship
Police K9 Trainer
Mike Hayes
Lead Dog Trainer/Decoy
Michael Manere
Dog TrainerMy name is Michael Manere. I was born in Bangor, Maine, and raised in Connecticut. Growing up around many dogs I found a passion for animals early on. After high school, I joined the U.S. Marines where I would get my very own dog. While still in the marines I began fostering dogs for local shelters and shortly after finishing my service I began training privately in my hometown along with working at a local kennel. With my experience handling breeds of all shapes, sizes, and temperaments you can be confident that your dog will return a happy, healthy and obedient best friend.
Annika Boehm
Dog TrainerAnnika was born and raised in a small town in Kansas, and from a very young age it was very clear to her family and friends that her love for animals was extraordinary. She was gifted in how she related to her pets, loving them, caring for them, and training them. Raising puppies helped solidify her focus and her desire to train dogs as a career. Annika loves teaching dogs new things, and Lobo, her newest friend, has become the lucky recipient of her lifelong passion. Lobo’s eye contact with Annika as he looks to her for her next word shows that he loves the process as much as she does. Annika feels that obedience training is critical for a family to create a strong and loving bond between the family and their dog.
Annika is a certified professional dog trainer and a graduate of Tom Rose School. She specializes in training family and working dogs and is looking forward to working with families and individuals in the community to help them develop an unbreakable bond with their best friend.
Katelyn Pollock
Professional Dog TrainerKatelyn was born in Colorado and was raised in central Texas and Southern Illinois. Katelyn grew up in a family of animal lovers and learned to love animals just the same. Her love for animals is so deep she even chose St Francis of Assisi, the patron of animals, as her confirmation saint. Even as a little girl, she would rescue homeless dogs off the streets. Katelyn wanted to learn the ins-n-outs of dogs so much she took a vet class to learn the ins then went to the Kennelwood Academy for Professional Dog Trainers in Union, Missouri, to learn the outs. At the Academy, she would often visit several Kennelwood facilities to gain real-world, hands-on experience and learn varieties of dog behaviors and how to modify them so that the relationship between humans and dogs, in a family, can be a loving, caring, and rewarding one.
Katelyn is patient and determined. She was the first female graduate of Kennelwood Academy and finished among the top in her class. Katelyn has a positive, high-energy personality and always sees the best in dogs. You will notice Katelyn among the crowd because she is the one who always has a smile on her face. Katelyn is experienced in working dogs, tracking, odor detection, retrieving, basic and advanced obedience, and behavior modification. Her specialties are scent work, retrieves, and behavior modification. Her goals for her clients are to keep your dog safe and for you and your dog to have a better life together. Her dream is to travel around the country and world to help save animals following disasters. Katelyn is excited to work with you and your dog at Joint Forces K9 Group.
Brianna Bandera
Canine Behavior SpecialistBrianna Bandera was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She has had a lifelong relationship with animals, and her passion began as soon as she could walk. As a young girl she would watch the neighborhood cats play for hours, and even managed to tame some of the feral kittens to help them find homes forever. As Brianna got older and was allowed to leave the block her house was on, she began catching and bringing home the lost dogs in the neighborhood. She was fearless and determined regardless of size and breed, and quickly learned she had a talent for being able to read a dog’s body language and understand what they were trying to communicate. At 16 years old Brianna started working with many foster organizations, and would mainly foster bully breed dogs in her home from the city’s high kill shelter. Many came to her with little to no training, as well as behavioral problems, but she managed to ensure they learned proper manners to find their forever homes. She fostered and saved over 50 dogs while working with the rescue. When she didn’t have a foster to care for she worked as a dog walker and in-home dog sitter. She always knew her true calling and passion were with dogs.
Brandon Shull
Lead Kennel TechnicianHello, my name is Brandon Shull and I am 28 years old. I am a Kennel Tech here at Joint Forces K9, but look forward to growing and expanding my knowledge for all different breeds of dogs! I was born in Joplin, MO and was raised in Missouri for most of my childhood. When I was about 10 years old my family moved from Missouri to Oklahoma to work at a poultry farm. My first pet dog was introduced to me when we moved to the farm. Ever since then I have always had a love for dogs!
Nick Sisk
Kennel TechnicianMy name is Nick Sisk, I was born in Connecticut. My whole life I’ve been around animals, I had a dog growing up that I always loved to come home to. I am here to make sure your dog is thoroughly taken care of and safely watched over. I love dogs, and I’m excited to work for Joint Forces K9.
Autumn Bandera
Kennel TechnicianAutumn Bandera is from Chicago, Illinois. Her family always owned a dog growing up, as well as fostered for local rescues, so she understands the care and love that goes into keeping a dog happy. She rescued her own Australian Cattle Dog, who had some behavior issues, which led to Autumn’s interest in training. After high school, she worked as a kennel attendant at a dog training facility, which gave her experience handling dogs of all types. She came to Joint Forces K9 to expand her knowledge on dog training and behavior.
Felicia Gonzalez
Kennel TechnicianFelicia is a kennel tech at Joint Forces K9. She was born and raised in Arkansas. Felicia grew up with almost any farm animal you could think of. But she’s always had a heart for dogs. She now has her own Pitbull. She came to Joint Forces K9, not only to do what she’s always loved and work with dogs but to also be able to see and participate in the transformation of all different breeds, and training progress. She’s excited to see just how much more she can/will learn from working at such a fantastic facility.