Meet the Team

Bryan 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.

My name is Ben Savu. I was born in Paragould, Arkansas, and raised in Jonesboro, Arkansas. I finished schooling in Utah where I fell in love with dog training and started to learn more about bird dogs. After finishing school, I came back to Arkansas and started training dogs for duck hunting and pet obedience. I wanted to continue my education in training so I attended and graduated from The Tom Rose School. I graduated from the Professional and Masters course where I learned how to train Pet dogs, Working dogs, Service dogs, and Police/Military dogs. After I graduated, I was accepted into the Rose Scholar program and started working as the Training Director for the Dog House. I am very excited to be part of the Joint Force K9 team where we help create Happy, Obedient, Family Dogs.

      Katelyn 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.

Felicia was born in a small town in Oklahoma and raised on a farm.  Growing up she was always surrounded by horses and many other different animals.  She learned to appreciate all of the animals that God brought into this world.  This is where her love of animals came from and what brought her to JFK9.  She hopes to one day instill the same love she has for animals in her children.  She is very excited about the new adventure and opportunities she has at JFK9.

Hello, 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!

Destinee is a kennel tech at Joint Forces K9. She was born and raised in a small town in Northwest Arkansas. Destinee has always had a love for dogs as well as her family. Her family has rescued and adopted a few dogs, and she now has her own Golden Retriever. She came to Joint Forces hoping to expand her knowledge of dogs and better understand a dog’s ability to learn commands.

Autumn 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.

McKayla Kelley is from Tahlequah, Oklahoma & I’m 21 years old. I grew up around dogs my entire life so being able to work with them almost every day is a dream come true. I’ve always had an interest in becoming a Duck Dog trainer so working at Joint Forces will allow me to gain more knowledge, and hopefully one day I can bring that sort of training to the facility!

Augustus Blankenship is from Tahlequah, Oklahoma. I’m 20 years old with a heart filled with love and passion for animals. Growing up my family adopted all types of animals, from dogs to horses, so I understand the delicacy and patience of taking care of animals. I am interested in training animals as I see the overall improvement it provides not only for the dog but for the owner and their family.