Meet Our Pack
Our team of expert dog trainers are passionate about helping human companions teach their furry friends.
Shawn Thompson
Owner
Shawn founded Top Dog in 2004. He has over 20 years of canine training experience.
Cheri Ray, Business Manager
Cheri is Top Dog’s primary customer representative and she manages our front office. She has over twenty years of experience in hospitality and management. Like many of our employees, she was a client at Top Dog before joining our team. She easily relates to pet owners and addresses common questions and concerns new clients might have when exploring their training options. Cheri is a die-hard Schutzhund enthusiast, in which she trains her German Shepherd Baron.
Edgar Gonzalez, General Manager & Trainer
Edgar is a certified dog trainer and the general manager of Top Dog. He graduated from the Tom Rose School for Dog trainers and completed both the Professional and Master level courses. Edgar also is a US Army Veteran serving from 2011 to 2017. Edgar is passionate about working with therapy dogs and clients who truly want to progress their dogs to their highest potential. He enjoys watching dogs and clients build confidence with proper timing, consistency, and communication. His “best friend”, who we all call Maverick, is a certified Canine Good Citizen, therapy dog, and AKC novice with the Tom Rose School.
Elle Stradling, Trainer
Elle is a professional trainer who started her training journey within the Top Dog AZ apprenticeship program. Elle quickly excelled as she worked underneath multiple trainers to master her ability in applying our unique Top Dog training methods. Elle’s favorite part of being a trainer is facilitating change for a dog and then helping each family work together towards reaching their goals. Elle owns a 3 year old Giant Schnauzer named Sesshomaru and a 1 year old Border Collie named Chise. She enjoys working on obedience, tricks, dock diving, and scent work.
Angela King, Trainer
Angela is a graduate of the National K-9 School for Dog Trainers, located in Columbus, OH. She loves working with a wide variety of dogs and enjoys addressing the multitude of different issues and behavioral challenges her clientele faces. She is most passionate about working with service animals because of the satisfaction she receives from helping others in need. Angela owns a 2.5 year old Belgian Malinois named Yazzi and a 2 year old Golden Retriever named Evie. Angela competes in both AKC obedience and the fast-paced sport of Flyball.
Jeremy Kelley, Lead Kennel Technician & Assistant Trainer
Jeremy is Top Dog’s lead kennel technician and assistant trainer. Before coming to Top Dog Jermey spent time working at a rescue that specialized in housing puppies. Jeremy owns a 2.5 year old Border Collie/Cattle Dog mix named Makea. Makea is a certified Canine Good Citizen and is hoping to title in AKC Obedience by the end of this year.
Michael Carpenter, Kennel Technician
Michael is a Kennel Technician with a growing interest in canine training. He is currently learning all about the Top Dog training methods and is looking to go to school to become a professional trainer. His favorite part of being a kennel tech is getting to watch dogs progress through the training process
Jordan Thompson, Kennel Technician
Jordan is a kennel technician and a graduate from the Top Dog Apprenticeship program. Jordan’s favorite part of being a kennel tech is seeing the dogs adapt and grow into their new environment and watching them build confidence over time. Jordan owns an Australian Cattle Dog named Boujee. Jordan is currently a student at Arizona State University studying business economics.
Joseph Hodge, Trainer
Joseph is a certified dog trainer and certified K9 handler/trainer. He graduated from Animal Behavior College in Santa Clarita, CA and American K9 Interdiction in Franklin, VA. He also served in the US Army from 2012 to 2016. His favorite part of being a professional trainer at Top Dog is helping pet owners understand their dog more and teaching them how to communicate clearly with each other. Joe owns a 7 year old Labradoodle named Tucker and a 5 year old Plott Hound mix named Porter. Both dogs are certified Canine Good Citizens. Joe and Porter compete in AKC obedience and scent work and are hoping to title in both this year.
Mikayleigh Breese, Kennel Technician
Mikayleigh is a Kennel Technician and talented artist. She has always been drawn to dogs since she was a child. She came to Top Dog with a desire to increase her skills of working with dogs and to explore future career opportunities. Her favorite part of being a kennel tech is interacting with the dogs during let outs and playtimes. She has a 6-month-old German Shepherd/Husky mix named Willow who will be starting Agility soon.
Sarah Krause, Kennel Technician
Sarah is a Kennel Technician with certifications in Fear Free and the Purina Nutrition 101 course. She is currently studying to become a Veterinary Technician at East Valley Institute of Technology and Mesa Community College. Her favorite part of being a kennel tech is being around dogs every day and bringing her studies and real-life work experience together. Sarah owns a 10-year-old Pitbull named Bel.
Rory McCloskey, Kennel Technician
Rory is a kennel technician and an aspiring dog trainer. He is currently looking at education options and hopes to enroll in Animal Behavior College’s Vet Tech program soon. Recently Rory brought home a new Pitbull puppy named Luna. Together they enjoy going hiking and working on general obedience skills.
Jason Brunette, Kennel Technician
Jason is a kennel technician and absolute dog lover. He has been working with dogs his entire life; starting with assisting his mom at a vet’s office to eventually volunteering at a local kennel in Santa Cruz, CA. Jason’s goal is to learn more about training and grooming at Top Dog so that one day he can open a canine facility of his own. Jason has six dogs at home: Gordita, Hobo, Kenai, Baby Dog, Noodle, and Hiccup. Jason’s newest addition, his 12-week old puppy Hiccup, is hoping to complete the Canine Good Citizen certification when he gets a little bit older.
Julie Fitzsimmons, Kennel Technician
Julie is a kennel technician and foster mom to one of our future Top Dog service dogs named Berry Sage, the Golden Retriever. Julie has a passion for service and therapy dogs because she has seen first hand the impact a service animal can have on a family. After Julie’s daughter experienced a traumatic brain injury, her family brought home an emotional support German Shepherd that changed her daughter’s life. Julie loves interacting with dogs and watching how their training transformation can impact other people’s households too.
Sam Kaufman, Kennel Technician
Sam is a kennel technician who holds a certification in Contemporary Animal Services from SUU. She is an experienced kennel tech with a big heart for rescue dogs. Her favorite part of being a kennel tech is watching dogs who are initially scared or nervous to learn self-confidence so that they can come out of their shell. This passion is leading Sam towards the ultimate goal of opening her own no-kill shelter that helps rehabilitate dogs in need.