Our Team

Our team prides ourselves on continuing to learn and grow. We aren’t just trainers, we are owners, enthusiasts, and dog lovers. We are proud to be a force-free facility, where your dog learns to make better choices out of trust, respect, and love for you!


	Stephanie Challand, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, CNWI President & Behavior Consultant \| [email protected] Stephanie developed her passion for dog training after adopting her third dog, Lance from a local shelter. He ended up having many behavior issues, leading Stephanie down this path. She read as many books and attended as many seminars as she could about dog training and behavior in order to help him. He made such wonderful progress and went from a scared, highly reactive dog to a confident NW2 dog before ultimately losing him unexpectedly in 2017 to lymphoma. He was one of those life changing dogs. Stephanie started nose work in 2010 and was hooked from day one. She is a CNWI who recently retired her original nose work dog Logan and is now competing with her third nose work dog Leena and working on her fourth dog Livvy. Along with nose work, she is our reactivity specialist. She is always eager to learn and gain more knowledge about dogs. She is currently being trained by her adorable pups – Leena, Leevi, Livvy & Lynzi. Stephanie is a Certified Behavior Consultant Canine (CBCC-KA), Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI). She also has a Master of Science in Computer Science from Northern Illinois University.

	Rebecca “Becca” Castro Vice President & Training Consultant \| [email protected] Becca Castro, originally from Costa Rica, moved to Illinois back in 2013. She has a degree in Physical Therapy and a post graduate degree in Canine Rehabilitation. Becca also brings a rich educational background and over 20 years of experience as an educator to our team. Her passion for dog training began with her first foster dog, Bob (he wasn’t a foster for long). Over the years, Becca has fostered and trained many dogs from puppyhood until they found their forever homes. Her fostering journey ended with Rue, a puppy she raised who developed reactive behaviors, making it clear that she was at her forever home with Becca. In 2021, Becca returned to school to become a professional dog trainer, and soon after, she joined Two Paws Up. She is on track to complete her training by the end of the year, with plans to pursue a behavioral certification next. Becca’s passion for training goes hand in hand with her deep love for dogs and their behaviors. She is dedicated to helping those in need of that extra guidance. You will see her around Day Training, as well as teaching. Always smiling and ready to jump in, Becca is a valuable resource for both her team and our clients. Outside of work, Becca enjoys a fulfilling family life with her husband, daughter, and son. She loves traveling with her family, and her interests include musical theater, movies, shows, and video games.

	Mary Londo, CPDT-KA Family Paws Parent Education Educator & Training Consultant \| [email protected] Mary developed her passion for working with canines at a young age. She has worked in the animal care field since high school, where she was first introduced to the world of training as a volunteer with Two Paws Up. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a Bachelor’s in Biology and a double minor in chemistry and psychology in 2017. Upon graduating, she moved to Florida for a year and worked full time as a trainer for a positive reinforcement training company, managing the day training programs, conducting private lessons, and teaching puppy and basic manners classes at both of their training centers. While in Florida, she was introduced to Family Paws Parent Education on dog and child safety and has been a licensed Family Paws Educator & Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) since 2020. She is also a licensed presenter of the Family Paws Dogs & Storks and Dogs & Toddlers educational seminars. She is happy to be back with Two Paws Up working in their Day Training programs, teaching classes, and working with clients in their homes. When they can, Mary and Aurora enjoy participating in nose work training. Mary handles much of our Day Training scheduling along with teaching Puppy, Adolescent & Life Skills classes. She also works privately with clients both at the training center and in the home.

	Dresden Graff, CPDT-KA Training Consultant \| [email protected] Dresden jumped into training with his first dog and has never looked back. In his 20 years of playing with his own dogs he has dabbled in Dog Agility, Rally-O, Obedience, and tricks. In that time he’s attended AKC’s National Agility Championship in 2014, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. In those years he’s made the Challenger’s round twice and has had students running in Finals. He also loves the challenge of UKI agility and got to play with his Papillon, Harley Quinn, in the 2024 UKI North American Invitational where she won the 4″(s) Pentathlon. When he’s not playing with his own dogs, Dresden loves helping families with their training and behavior goals. He has worn many hats over the 10+ years of teaching including life skills, dog sport coaching, and behavior modification. For the past 3 years he has been specializing in working with fearful and reactive dogs. Dresden believes that life with dogs should be enjoyable and strives to help dogs and people better understand each other. IAABC ADT (accredited dog trainer) FPPE (Family Paws Parent Educator) FDM (Family Dog Mediator- Kim Brophey’s LEGS course) CTDI (Certified Trick Dog Instructor- Do More with Your Dog’s program) AKC CGC Evaluator AKC ACT Evaluator (AKC Agility Course Test) B.S. in Behavior Analysis Guest Instructor for FDSA

	Bridget Block Training Consultant \| [email protected] Bridget is a life-long lover of animals and decoding their behavior. She started working In Dog Daycare out of high school, and spent many hours observing dog behavior from dozens of different breeds and all ages. She prioritizes individualized care plans that support both behavioral and physical health for the dogs that she works with. Seeking out a place where she could put those skills to better use, she moved into the training field with her new experience in playgroup and behavior management. Two Paws Up Dog Training was Where she landed, and she has been a part of the team since 2021. At Two Paws Up, she has developed her knowledge of how to nurture the behaviors in our dogs that will contribute to the ease of their life, as well as the lives of their guardians. She strives to help dogs and their people build their enthusiasm to work together, while encouraging guardians to look deeper into their dog’s behavior to find solutions that are suitable for them both. Her goal is to reduce conflict and increase the joy In the relationship between you and your dog. She can be found in our Day Training Program 4 days a week. She also offers mini-privates for our drop-off program students. When she is not at Two Paws Up, she is almost always with her Blue Heeler, Pemma. They love hiking and enjoying the outdoors together, and learn from each other through training every day.

	Lisa Wageman Lead Trainer \| [email protected] Having close to 40 years experience in all venues of training and showing, Lisa strongly believes in having titles in front and back of her dog’s names. She has finished dogs in Conformation to Championships, Obedience to multiple Utility titles, Tracking to many TD X’s, Agility titles, Rally titles, Barn Hunt, Nose Work, and Titles of Road Dog sponsored by the Dalmatian Club of America and acknowledged by AKC. She has been professionally breeding and showing Dalmatians, and training other breeds, for many years. Years of ring experience has given her the patience and skills to educate new puppy owners, as well as the retired dog that just needs some “fine tuning”. Using positive reinforcement makes training fun, which is a must to truly enjoy your canine companion. Lisa is an AKC Certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and a S.T.A.R. Puppy Instructor. Lisa teaches all levels of agility and Rally classes. She also trains in our Day Training program during the week.

	Rebecca Simon Lead Trainer\| [email protected] Rebecca comes to Two Paws-Up after retiring from a career as a Speech-Language Pathologist. A life-long animal lover, she has been volunteering at a local animal rescue for many years. This led to her interest in learning the latest practices in dog training. Rebecca is an AKC CGC approved evaluator. She loves teaching classes and working with dog parents. She has a special interest in Trick Dog Training. Rebecca greatly enjoys helping newly adopted dogs and new puppies and their parents learn together for a happy home. When she is not at Two Paws-Up she is busy with her two rescues, Luna and Apollo and spending time with her family. Rebecca teaches our Trick Dog Classes as well as Puppy, Adolescent, Life Skills Classes. She can also be found training in our Day Training Program.

	Ronit Tal Lead Trainer \| [email protected] With two years of professional dog training experience, my passion for my work comes from my love of dogs. My journey started with my beloved Shih Tzu-Poodle mix, Shusha, who was my loyal companion for 17 wonderful years and inspired my love for dogs. Before dog training, I was a certified personal trainer for humans but decided to change subjects after the pandemic. I honed my skills and earned my certification as a dog trainer through Animal Behavior College. Working at Two Paws Up is a dream come true! Every day, I get to do what I love most—helping dogs thrive and seeing the joy on their owners’ faces.

	Chris Rivera Lead Trainer \| [email protected] Chris’s love for animals began at a young age, sparking a true passion and sense of purpose in working with them. Over the past thirteen and a half years, Chris has worn many hats in the pet industry. While working in animal rescue, Chris developed an interest in the medical field, leading her to pursue studies as a vet tech. For over five years, she has assisted veterinarians in caring for the health of animals, building strong relationships with families along the way. Adopting her own pet, Carter, introduced Chris to Two Paws Up, where Carter worked through his challenges to become a well-behaved dog. He now enjoys adventures with Chris and has recently started agility training, sparking a new passion for Chris in the field of training. She looks forward to expanding her knowledge and skills in this area. When she’s not with Carter (which is almost never), Chris enjoys cooking, biking, camping, hiking, and photography.

	Vaughn Muehleman Lead Trainer \| [email protected] Vaughn has been an animal lover his whole life. The love and connection with his childhood dogs, Mocha and Liberty made him know he’d be spending the rest of his life around dogs, and in the last 5 years, that passion was truly sparked when he began working as a dog handler. His goal is to help every dog he comes across be the happiest and healthiest they can be, and his search for the best way to do that lead him to Two Paws Up, where he continues to learn all he can about dogs and everything he can do for them. Now he spends his time with his four dogs, Simba, Althea, Ruby, and Topaz, all with very big and very different personalities. Their unique quirks have taught him many important lessons about working with all different types of dogs. Vaughn and his dogs continue to learn all they can, always growing, and recently began agility work with two of them. Vaughn can be found Monday to Friday at Two Paws as a part of our day training program and helping with classes.

	Georgia Farley Associate Trainer Georgia has been an animal lover her entire life. As an only child, she found deep companionship in her pets. This connection with dogs deepened in 2013 when she got her dog of her own, a Pomeranian named Napoleon. He developed behavioral challenges like resource guarding, separation anxiety, and reactivity, which sparked Georgia’s interest in dog behavior and training. She attended the University of Iowa, spending much of her free time working with Napoleon and learning everything she could. After graduating with a degree in Communication Studies, she returned to Chicago to pursue a career in dog training. In 2020, she joined Call of the Wild School for Dogs, where she was mentored by Jennifer Boznos and gained hands-on experience with a wide range of dogs and behavior cases. She also learned valuable lessons by observing canine dynamics in daycare. Following the closure of Call of the Wild in 2024, Georgia found her way to Two Paws Up where she continues to grow her passion for training and strengthening communication between humans and their dogs. Georgia is currently working toward her CPDT-KA certification and she is always actively continuing her education. She enjoys teaching and playing dog sports like Rally, Obedience, Tricks, and Canine Conditioning. In 2024, she and her Pomeranian mix, Freyja, were invited to compete at Rally Nationals. In her free time you will find her hiking in the woods with her partner and her two dogs—Freyja and Napoleon, who, at 12, remains a huge part of her life and inspiration.

	Mary Beth Haar Associate Trainer Mary Beth has always adored dogs. Ever since she begged her parents for her first Orphans of the Storm rescue, Lady, to her following two Shelties, Casey and then later Toby, to her current family dogs, Izzy and Zuko, she has always felt more content with a canine close by. She and her dogs have gained essential knowledge as learners at Two Paws Up for the past few years. Through Puppy Class, Manners Class, Tricks Class, Focused Fido, Agility, and Nose Work, she and the pups have been busy learning important skills and building a solid foundation to do even more. Having her own reactive dog, she now has a special appreciation for the challenges and possibilities that come from a dog with “big feelings.” Mary Beth aspires to help her dogs earn more trick titles and maybe even compete in agility and rally.

	Elia Trankolova Associate Trainer Joining Two Paws Up in January 2024, Elia brings a lifelong passion for dogs and animals to their role as a dog trainer. Elia loves their dogs, Burija their late Rottweiler, and Toby and Taro their current Yorkies. Toby has been with them since childhood and has been a supporting pillar for their life. He has recently become very deaf and Two Paws Up training has helped prepare them for this change. Taro is a new rescue that came with many learning curves, he has severe separation anxiety. He created an interest in building a deeper understanding for dogs behavior and how to help them which brought Elia to Two Paws Up. You can see them in Day Training and helping with classes!

	Tracy Reichert, ABCDT Customer Service Specialist \| [email protected] Tracy started on her journey of training out of her deep love for dogs. Born in South Carolina, she was raised in the military lifestyle, her father serving his career in the Navy. After proudly serving our country herself for 6 years in the United States Navy, including 2 deployments, she settled down with her husband Chris, who is currently still serving. After having her daughter, Sylvia, she decided to embark on her true passion, dog training, and attended Animal Behavior College. Tracy came to Two Paws Up as a mentor student, and now is part of the team. She also currently serves the whim of her adorable French Bulldog, Roxy, and Vesta, a Dalmatian, who she has begun showing in conformation. After working “in the office” for many years as our amazing admin and lead instructor in our Puppy, Adolescent and Life Skills classes, she moved to the south east with her husband. She now can be found answering your calls and emails from afar!

	Theresa Elliott Customer Service Specialist \| [email protected] Theresa joined our team in 2020. She has had dogs all her life. After a long career in retail and customer service she “retired” and joined our team. Theresa can be found up front in our facility. She is there to help you make your payments or purchase goodies for your dog! You may also chat with her when you call our phone number. She will help you and your dog get registered for classes, or direct you to a private training or our day training team! Stop by and say ‘hi’ next time you are in!

	Brenda Belmonte, CPDT-KA Founder Brenda was the founder of Two Paws Up Dog Training, Inc. She has fully retired and is now living in South Dakota. She is currently competing in agility with her Pug, Lena, and enjoying hiking and wildlife watching in her new home state.


	Stephanie Challand, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, CNWI President & Behavior Consultant \| [email protected] Stephanie developed her passion for dog training after adopting her third dog, Lance from a local shelter. He ended up having many behavior issues, leading Stephanie down this path. She read as many books and attended as many seminars as she could about dog training and behavior in order to help him. He made such wonderful progress and went from a scared, highly reactive dog to a confident NW2 dog before ultimately losing him unexpectedly in 2017 to lymphoma. He was one of those life changing dogs. Stephanie started nose work in 2010 and was hooked from day one. She is a CNWI who recently retired her original nose work dog Logan and is now competing with her third nose work dog Leena and working on her fourth dog Livvy. Along with nose work, she is our reactivity specialist. She is always eager to learn and gain more knowledge about dogs. She is currently being trained by her adorable pups – Leena, Leevi, Livvy & Lynzi. Stephanie is a Certified Behavior Consultant Canine (CBCC-KA), Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI). She also has a Master of Science in Computer Science from Northern Illinois University.

	Rebecca “Becca” Castro Vice President & Training Consultant \| [email protected] Becca Castro, originally from Costa Rica, moved to Illinois back in 2013. She has a degree in Physical Therapy and a post graduate degree in Canine Rehabilitation. Becca also brings a rich educational background and over 20 years of experience as an educator to our team. Her passion for dog training began with her first foster dog, Bob (he wasn’t a foster for long). Over the years, Becca has fostered and trained many dogs from puppyhood until they found their forever homes. Her fostering journey ended with Rue, a puppy she raised who developed reactive behaviors, making it clear that she was at her forever home with Becca. In 2021, Becca returned to school to become a professional dog trainer, and soon after, she joined Two Paws Up. She is on track to complete her training by the end of the year, with plans to pursue a behavioral certification next. Becca’s passion for training goes hand in hand with her deep love for dogs and their behaviors. She is dedicated to helping those in need of that extra guidance. You will see her around Day Training, as well as teaching. Always smiling and ready to jump in, Becca is a valuable resource for both her team and our clients. Outside of work, Becca enjoys a fulfilling family life with her husband, daughter, and son. She loves traveling with her family, and her interests include musical theater, movies, shows, and video games.

	Mary Londo, CPDT-KA Family Paws Parent Education Educator & Training Consultant \| [email protected] Mary developed her passion for working with canines at a young age. She has worked in the animal care field since high school, where she was first introduced to the world of training as a volunteer with Two Paws Up. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a Bachelor’s in Biology and a double minor in chemistry and psychology in 2017. Upon graduating, she moved to Florida for a year and worked full time as a trainer for a positive reinforcement training company, managing the day training programs, conducting private lessons, and teaching puppy and basic manners classes at both of their training centers. While in Florida, she was introduced to Family Paws Parent Education on dog and child safety and has been a licensed Family Paws Educator & Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) since 2020. She is also a licensed presenter of the Family Paws Dogs & Storks and Dogs & Toddlers educational seminars. She is happy to be back with Two Paws Up working in their Day Training programs, teaching classes, and working with clients in their homes. When they can, Mary and Aurora enjoy participating in nose work training. Mary handles much of our Day Training scheduling along with teaching Puppy, Adolescent & Life Skills classes. She also works privately with clients both at the training center and in the home.

	Dresden Graff, CPDT-KA Training Consultant \| [email protected] Dresden jumped into training with his first dog and has never looked back. In his 20 years of playing with his own dogs he has dabbled in Dog Agility, Rally-O, Obedience, and tricks. In that time he’s attended AKC’s National Agility Championship in 2014, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. In those years he’s made the Challenger’s round twice and has had students running in Finals. He also loves the challenge of UKI agility and got to play with his Papillon, Harley Quinn, in the 2024 UKI North American Invitational where she won the 4″(s) Pentathlon. When he’s not playing with his own dogs, Dresden loves helping families with their training and behavior goals. He has worn many hats over the 10+ years of teaching including life skills, dog sport coaching, and behavior modification. For the past 3 years he has been specializing in working with fearful and reactive dogs. Dresden believes that life with dogs should be enjoyable and strives to help dogs and people better understand each other. IAABC ADT (accredited dog trainer) FPPE (Family Paws Parent Educator) FDM (Family Dog Mediator- Kim Brophey’s LEGS course) CTDI (Certified Trick Dog Instructor- Do More with Your Dog’s program) AKC CGC Evaluator AKC ACT Evaluator (AKC Agility Course Test) B.S. in Behavior Analysis Guest Instructor for FDSA

	Bridget Block Training Consultant \| [email protected] Bridget is a life-long lover of animals and decoding their behavior. She started working In Dog Daycare out of high school, and spent many hours observing dog behavior from dozens of different breeds and all ages. She prioritizes individualized care plans that support both behavioral and physical health for the dogs that she works with. Seeking out a place where she could put those skills to better use, she moved into the training field with her new experience in playgroup and behavior management. Two Paws Up Dog Training was Where she landed, and she has been a part of the team since 2021. At Two Paws Up, she has developed her knowledge of how to nurture the behaviors in our dogs that will contribute to the ease of their life, as well as the lives of their guardians. She strives to help dogs and their people build their enthusiasm to work together, while encouraging guardians to look deeper into their dog’s behavior to find solutions that are suitable for them both. Her goal is to reduce conflict and increase the joy In the relationship between you and your dog. She can be found in our Day Training Program 4 days a week. She also offers mini-privates for our drop-off program students. When she is not at Two Paws Up, she is almost always with her Blue Heeler, Pemma. They love hiking and enjoying the outdoors together, and learn from each other through training every day.

	Lisa Wageman Lead Trainer \| [email protected] Having close to 40 years experience in all venues of training and showing, Lisa strongly believes in having titles in front and back of her dog’s names. She has finished dogs in Conformation to Championships, Obedience to multiple Utility titles, Tracking to many TD X’s, Agility titles, Rally titles, Barn Hunt, Nose Work, and Titles of Road Dog sponsored by the Dalmatian Club of America and acknowledged by AKC. She has been professionally breeding and showing Dalmatians, and training other breeds, for many years. Years of ring experience has given her the patience and skills to educate new puppy owners, as well as the retired dog that just needs some “fine tuning”. Using positive reinforcement makes training fun, which is a must to truly enjoy your canine companion. Lisa is an AKC Certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and a S.T.A.R. Puppy Instructor. Lisa teaches all levels of agility and Rally classes. She also trains in our Day Training program during the week.

	Rebecca Simon Lead Trainer\| [email protected] Rebecca comes to Two Paws-Up after retiring from a career as a Speech-Language Pathologist. A life-long animal lover, she has been volunteering at a local animal rescue for many years. This led to her interest in learning the latest practices in dog training. Rebecca is an AKC CGC approved evaluator. She loves teaching classes and working with dog parents. She has a special interest in Trick Dog Training. Rebecca greatly enjoys helping newly adopted dogs and new puppies and their parents learn together for a happy home. When she is not at Two Paws-Up she is busy with her two rescues, Luna and Apollo and spending time with her family. Rebecca teaches our Trick Dog Classes as well as Puppy, Adolescent, Life Skills Classes. She can also be found training in our Day Training Program.

	Ronit Tal Lead Trainer \| [email protected] With two years of professional dog training experience, my passion for my work comes from my love of dogs. My journey started with my beloved Shih Tzu-Poodle mix, Shusha, who was my loyal companion for 17 wonderful years and inspired my love for dogs. Before dog training, I was a certified personal trainer for humans but decided to change subjects after the pandemic. I honed my skills and earned my certification as a dog trainer through Animal Behavior College. Working at Two Paws Up is a dream come true! Every day, I get to do what I love most—helping dogs thrive and seeing the joy on their owners’ faces.

	Chris Rivera Lead Trainer \| [email protected] Chris’s love for animals began at a young age, sparking a true passion and sense of purpose in working with them. Over the past thirteen and a half years, Chris has worn many hats in the pet industry. While working in animal rescue, Chris developed an interest in the medical field, leading her to pursue studies as a vet tech. For over five years, she has assisted veterinarians in caring for the health of animals, building strong relationships with families along the way. Adopting her own pet, Carter, introduced Chris to Two Paws Up, where Carter worked through his challenges to become a well-behaved dog. He now enjoys adventures with Chris and has recently started agility training, sparking a new passion for Chris in the field of training. She looks forward to expanding her knowledge and skills in this area. When she’s not with Carter (which is almost never), Chris enjoys cooking, biking, camping, hiking, and photography.

	Vaughn Muehleman Lead Trainer \| [email protected] Vaughn has been an animal lover his whole life. The love and connection with his childhood dogs, Mocha and Liberty made him know he’d be spending the rest of his life around dogs, and in the last 5 years, that passion was truly sparked when he began working as a dog handler. His goal is to help every dog he comes across be the happiest and healthiest they can be, and his search for the best way to do that lead him to Two Paws Up, where he continues to learn all he can about dogs and everything he can do for them. Now he spends his time with his four dogs, Simba, Althea, Ruby, and Topaz, all with very big and very different personalities. Their unique quirks have taught him many important lessons about working with all different types of dogs. Vaughn and his dogs continue to learn all they can, always growing, and recently began agility work with two of them. Vaughn can be found Monday to Friday at Two Paws as a part of our day training program and helping with classes.

	Georgia Farley Associate Trainer Georgia has been an animal lover her entire life. As an only child, she found deep companionship in her pets. This connection with dogs deepened in 2013 when she got her dog of her own, a Pomeranian named Napoleon. He developed behavioral challenges like resource guarding, separation anxiety, and reactivity, which sparked Georgia’s interest in dog behavior and training. She attended the University of Iowa, spending much of her free time working with Napoleon and learning everything she could. After graduating with a degree in Communication Studies, she returned to Chicago to pursue a career in dog training. In 2020, she joined Call of the Wild School for Dogs, where she was mentored by Jennifer Boznos and gained hands-on experience with a wide range of dogs and behavior cases. She also learned valuable lessons by observing canine dynamics in daycare. Following the closure of Call of the Wild in 2024, Georgia found her way to Two Paws Up where she continues to grow her passion for training and strengthening communication between humans and their dogs. Georgia is currently working toward her CPDT-KA certification and she is always actively continuing her education. She enjoys teaching and playing dog sports like Rally, Obedience, Tricks, and Canine Conditioning. In 2024, she and her Pomeranian mix, Freyja, were invited to compete at Rally Nationals. In her free time you will find her hiking in the woods with her partner and her two dogs—Freyja and Napoleon, who, at 12, remains a huge part of her life and inspiration.

	Mary Beth Haar Associate Trainer Mary Beth has always adored dogs. Ever since she begged her parents for her first Orphans of the Storm rescue, Lady, to her following two Shelties, Casey and then later Toby, to her current family dogs, Izzy and Zuko, she has always felt more content with a canine close by. She and her dogs have gained essential knowledge as learners at Two Paws Up for the past few years. Through Puppy Class, Manners Class, Tricks Class, Focused Fido, Agility, and Nose Work, she and the pups have been busy learning important skills and building a solid foundation to do even more. Having her own reactive dog, she now has a special appreciation for the challenges and possibilities that come from a dog with “big feelings.” Mary Beth aspires to help her dogs earn more trick titles and maybe even compete in agility and rally.

	Elia Trankolova Associate Trainer Joining Two Paws Up in January 2024, Elia brings a lifelong passion for dogs and animals to their role as a dog trainer. Elia loves their dogs, Burija their late Rottweiler, and Toby and Taro their current Yorkies. Toby has been with them since childhood and has been a supporting pillar for their life. He has recently become very deaf and Two Paws Up training has helped prepare them for this change. Taro is a new rescue that came with many learning curves, he has severe separation anxiety. He created an interest in building a deeper understanding for dogs behavior and how to help them which brought Elia to Two Paws Up. You can see them in Day Training and helping with classes!

	Tracy Reichert, ABCDT Customer Service Specialist \| [email protected] Tracy started on her journey of training out of her deep love for dogs. Born in South Carolina, she was raised in the military lifestyle, her father serving his career in the Navy. After proudly serving our country herself for 6 years in the United States Navy, including 2 deployments, she settled down with her husband Chris, who is currently still serving. After having her daughter, Sylvia, she decided to embark on her true passion, dog training, and attended Animal Behavior College. Tracy came to Two Paws Up as a mentor student, and now is part of the team. She also currently serves the whim of her adorable French Bulldog, Roxy, and Vesta, a Dalmatian, who she has begun showing in conformation. After working “in the office” for many years as our amazing admin and lead instructor in our Puppy, Adolescent and Life Skills classes, she moved to the south east with her husband. She now can be found answering your calls and emails from afar!

	Theresa Elliott Customer Service Specialist \| [email protected] Theresa joined our team in 2020. She has had dogs all her life. After a long career in retail and customer service she “retired” and joined our team. Theresa can be found up front in our facility. She is there to help you make your payments or purchase goodies for your dog! You may also chat with her when you call our phone number. She will help you and your dog get registered for classes, or direct you to a private training or our day training team! Stop by and say ‘hi’ next time you are in!

	Brenda Belmonte, CPDT-KA Founder Brenda was the founder of Two Paws Up Dog Training, Inc. She has fully retired and is now living in South Dakota. She is currently competing in agility with her Pug, Lena, and enjoying hiking and wildlife watching in her new home state.

Our Team

Stephanie Challand, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, CNWI

Rebecca “Becca” Castro

Mary Londo, CPDT-KA

Dresden Graff, CPDT-KA

Bridget Block

Lisa Wageman

Rebecca Simon

Ronit Tal

Chris Rivera

Vaughn Muehleman

Georgia Farley

Mary Beth Haar

Elia Trankolova

Tracy Reichert, ABCDT

Theresa Elliott

Brenda Belmonte, CPDT-KA