Michelle Allen, CPDT-KA ~ "Mich" (pronounced like "wish")
Owner & Certified Professional Dog Trainer
Mich is certified in PetSaver® CPR, First Aid & Care and is a certified PetTech® Instructor, meaning she can certify others in the PetSaver® program.
Mich started her career at Gemini Dogs as the Office Manager back in the mid-90's and worked her way up from there... all thanks to "Dancer" (shown here), her original Gemini Dog. Mich had three separate experiences with finding lost dogs in one week, and it was a chance stop at a pet store that same weekend (to purchase a new dog bed for Dancer) that started Mich's Gemini Dogs journey; she saw a Gemini Dog Training & Daycare business card that said, "Office Help Wanted" and realized that the dogs were calling out to her! That was the beginning of the wonderful journey to where we are today!
Instructing since 2008, Mich is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) and has participated in numerous dog daycare/boarding/grooming/training seminars & workshops in the New England area and along the East Coast, including the APDT Conference, Clicker Expo, the Dogs of Course Instructor Training Course (ITC), the Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo, the Dog Gurus Summit, and seminars by Karen Pryor, Bob Bailey, Carolyn Barney, Sue Sternberg, Pia Silvani, Gary Wilkes, and more. She has also taken online training courses offered by Dr. Ian Dunbar, Victoria Stillwell, and others.
Mich is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), the International Boarding and Pet Sitting Association (IBPSA), and the Dog Gurus.
She is an AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator, as well as a Disaster Animal Rescue Team (DART) volunteer with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), RedRover formerly called the United Animal Nations (UAN), the State of Massachusetts Animal Response Team (SMART), and the Central Massachusetts Disaster Animal Response Team (CMDART). She has been deployed in several disasters, including after Hurricane Katrina, multiple deployments to the many-months-long Puppy Mill Seizure in Buxton, Maine (which is where Baxter & Tigger were rescued), and a Horse/Donkey Animal Abuse case in West Virginia. She remains on-call for both natural disasters & fires, as well as animal abuse and neglect cases on a local, regional, and national level.
Mich has competed and titled in the dog sports of Rally-O, CPE Agility, and TDAA Agility with her former dogs, Dancer & Tyler. Mich has also hosted multiple sanctioned trials for the sports of NACSW Nosework, TDAA Agility, CPE Agility, and APDT Rally-O and has acted as the Trial Secretary for those events.
Mich has a soft-spot for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, so be ready for a full-on squeal if you bring one of those cuties in the doors!
She now has three dogs at home, including a Boerbel (Solee), a Boxer (Hemi), and a Shi-Poo (Tigger), as well as a house-guest Australian Shepherd (Bear). She has already said goodbye to Tigger's littermate (Baxter), her Pittie mix (Sky), her Bichon (Tyler), and her Terrier Mix (Dancer)...they all await us at the Rainbow Bridge with all the other Gemini Dogs that have gone before and after them.
Penny Allen
Co-Owner
Penny is certified in PetSaver® CPR, First Aid & Care and is a certified PetTech® Instructor, meaning she can certify others in the PetSaver® program.
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Penny joined the Gemini Dogs family in 2005, and is well-known to all of the doggies as their primary source of love and cookies! Parents often joke with us about getting snubbed by their dogs when Penny is around...she just has something about her that the dogs absolutely love; many dogs run to Penny for love and attention over anyone else!
Penny has been involved with every aspect of the business since her beginning working as a Kennel Tech back in 2006. Penny now takes care of the day-to-day billing and accounting for Gemini Dogs, and provides un-ending support to her wife and co-owner, Michelle Allen. She of course also owns Solee, Hemi, and misses Baxter, Dancer, Sky, Tigger, and Tyler, and of course we both claim Bear, even though he is technically our son Kyle's dog!
Penny and Mich were married in 2012 on-board the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn in Boston, MA and they enjoy cruising when they have the opportunity to sneak away for a week. They have three boys, Kyle, Cory, and Cody, all of whom have worked at Gemini Dogs in the past. Kyle and Cory both joined the United States Marine Corps and were based in Camp Lejeune, NC. Kyle has since exited the USMC and is living locally, while Cory is a Captain in the USMC. Their youngest boy, Cody, lives in Lima, Ohio and just bought a house and is working and doing well for himself, too. Penny & Mich could not be prouder moms! Lucky for them, their oldest son Kyle moved back to MA after his service ended, and now has two beautiful baby boys, Kyle Jr. and Cade, so we are officially Grandma and Mamaw now! These days, you will often find Penny babysitting the baby boys for Jess & Kyle, so that Jess can be here at Gemini Dogs working!
Penny is a Disaster Animal Rescue Team (DART) volunteer with the Central Massachusetts Disaster Animal Response Team (CMDART). She has been deployed on multiple deployments to the many-months-long Puppy Mill Seizure in Buxton, Maine (which is where Baxter & Tigger were rescued). She remains on-call for both natural disasters & fires, as well as animal abuse and neglect cases on a local and regional level.
Penny has also co-hosted multiple sanctioned trials for the sports of NACSW Nosework, TDAA Agility, CPE Agility, and APDT Rally-O and has worked in every volunteer capacity for those events.
Macklin (Mac) Maguire
Daycare & Boarding Manager
Mac is certified in PetSaver® CPR, First Aid & Care.
Mac started at Gemini in July of 2017. He quickly became our AM Shift Leader, and was most recently promoted to Daycare & Boarding Manager in September of 2021. He jumped in to lead the team during COVID and filled the gap when former manager Brianna became a groomer.
Mac is our go-to-guy on the forming of our doggie playgroups; among other things, he manages the playlist each day, determining which dogs play in which groups, and keeping track of all the little intricacies of forming safe and fun playgroups.
Mac has a mixed breed pup named Elliott and a Greyhound named Hawkins. He, of course, loves dogs and he would like to become an Animal Behaviorist eventually.
Outside of Gemini Dogs, Mac does a lot of hiking with his dogs and doing animal behavioral work with dogs, to gain experience.
He says his favorite things about working at Gemini Dogs are the dogs and the holiday snacks the parents bring in for the busy staff!
Raechyle Sedlisky
Business Manager
Selina Wilder
Office Manager
Olivia Mitchell
Daycare & Boarding Supervisor
Olivia is certified in PetSaver® CPR, First Aid & Care.
Olivia started at Gemini in April of 2018. She is now our Daycare & Boarding Supervisor, meaning she is in-charge when Mac is not available. She has a bunny, a cat, and a German Shepherd/Great Pyrenees mix named Finn.
She loves working at Gemini and says the people and dogs are all amazing. She especially loves spending time with the Huskies, her favorite breed.
Outside of work, Olivia likes to draw and play video games.
James Keefe
Daycare & Boarding Supervisor
Annie Roberts
Senior Kennel Technician & Dog Training Apprentice
Annie is certified in PetSaver® CPR, First Aid & Care.
Annie joined the Gemini Dogs team in September of 2019. She has spent over 6 years working with dogs in various capacities.
When she isn’t at Gemini Dogs, she likes to spend time hiking with her dogs and drawing. She even does a doodle of the “Gemini Dog of the Week” on the staff whiteboard each week.
Annie goes to many dog events and reads, reads, reads; she is a wealth of knowledge about all things dog-related!
Annie was raised in a family that fostered Greyhounds, so she has been around dogs her whole life. Her family was given a Labrador Retriever when Annie was in sixth grade, and about the same time, a neighbor moved in who was a Police K9 Handler; Annie began her serious interest in dogs by training her Lab to do tricks. When she later moved to Alabama, she promptly got a job at the Greyhound Racetrack and a Doggie Daycare & Board-N-Train facility, where she worked for 3 years. Annie also began working at a Wolfdog Rescue while in Alabama. When she moved to Florida, she worked in a Doggie Daycare as well.
Annie has two dogs – a Czechoslovakian Vlcak named Leica and a Karelian Bear Dog mix named Ren. Vlcaks are her favorite breed.
Annie has done cross-country dog transport of Sighthounds, including multiple trips from Birmingham, Alabama to Nove Scotia. She has also dabbled in wildlife rehabilitation.
Annie is a member of the Czechoslovakian Vlcak Club of America (CSVCA). She has taken an Animal Behavior & Welfare course through Cornell University, among others.
Annie also apprenticed in a taxidermy shop for three years as a result of her interest in learning about animals. She is also the most likely staff member to stop everything and rescue a random animal of any species and ensure it gets the care it needs and is safely released back into the wild.
Jacob Koivula
Senior Kennel Tech & Dog Training Apprentice
Jacob has been with us since October 2021 and quickly impressed us with his skills and eagerness to learn. He was quickly promoted to shift supervisor and is now working with our University trainers as a training apprentice. He has a German Short Haired Pointer named Dutch.
Annika Herbert
Kennel Tech
Elena Dean
Kennel Tech
Emily Goson
Kennel Tech
Kristi Albert
Kennel Tech
Kyrah Drake
Office Assistant
Lily Morey
Kennel Tech
Madi Reeves
Kennel Tech
Rosie Wedel
Kennel Tech
Sam Perkins
Kennel Tech
Michelle Doucette, CPDT-KA
Certified Professional Dog Trainer & Training Manager
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Michelle is certified in PetSaver® CPR, First Aid & Care.
Michelle is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) and has been a part of the Gemini family since July 2011. She is also an AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator.
She has a Pit Bull named Liberty and a mini Dalmatian named Panda BN RI ACT1 BCAT CGCA TKI TG2 TBAD. She also lives with a three-legged Husky named Juniper. Her dogs participate in Agility, Nose Work, Rally, Obedience, FastCAT, and Dock Diving. She has attended numerous seminars and training courses and likes to continuously acquire new dog training knowledge. She has also fostered, trained, and placed nearly 100 dogs into forever homes.
She graduated with a B.A. in Human Ecology with a focus in Animal Behavior. She also spent a year-and-a-half overseas, teaching English in South Korea and Vietnam. She takes her experience and love of teaching into the training classroom.
Her favorite breeds are Pit Bulls, Papillons, and Boston Terriers. She says we couldn’t get rid of her even if we tried, because Gemini Dogs is truly her second family! (And believe me, we never would let her go anyway!)
She is the coordinator for all training operations at Gemini Dogs.
Cara Armour, KPA-CTP
Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner
Cara has been working with dogs professionally since 2003 in many capacities. From dog walker to groomer to holistic pet supply store owner to professional dog trainer.
Having competed in conformation, rally, barn hunt, nose work, fast CAT, CAT and agility Cara finds herself mosty immersed in the world of agility. She loves the complexity of the sport while at the same time watching people build connections with their dogs that they just wouldn’t in the “real world”. She spends 50 weekends a year trialing, many times hosting trials or volunteering with the numerous clubs she belongs to. She has attended 100’s of seminars on various training and pet care related topics as well as having instructed a few herself.
Cara started training her first Boxer in agility back in 2011 and while she tried trialing, trial stress got the better of her dog Artie. In 2013 she acquired a female Boxer to help improve the health issues with her breed and while working on her conformation championship, she started to train her in agility just like Artie. Only Debbie thought agility was amazing and being in the ring excited her. From the start Cara and Debbie were unstoppable.
Here are some of their accomplishments:
- First Boxer ever to earn the agility grand championship and still remains the only one to this day
- Highest Prefered Master Agility Champion Boxer in history
- First Boxer to earn any premier class titles
- #3 AKC Top Preferred Dog Overall for 2021
- #1 AKC Preferred Working Group Dog 2020 & 2021
- #1 AKC Preferred Agility Boxer for 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021
- 2019 Finalist for AKC Agility Invitationals, placed 8th
- 2020 Finalist for AKC Agility Invitationals, placed 2nd
- Westminster Master Agility Competitor for 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022 (2022 show happens on June 18, 2022 at the Lyndhurst Mansion in NY)
- National Agility Champion Qualified Competitor for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022
- 2021 AKC Agility Premier Cup Competitor and qualifier
- #1 Preferred Working Group Dog 2020 & 2021
- #2 2020 Working Group for AKC Invitationals
- Placed several times at conformation specialties
Together they have written history. Debbie has also produced 2 litters with many titled offspring including 2 that Cara kept who have 7 Master Agility Championships between them. With all her dogs Cara has earned 17 Master Agility Championships, a conformation championship and over 200 titles on her dogs in various competitions as well as tricks and canine good citizen.
Cara’s passions are working with puppies, trial stress and agility prospects. From the recreational agility team to the competitive exhibitors, she loves to share the great sport and all the facets of training with each and every team.
She shares her life with 4 Boxers ranging in age from 9 years old to just one year old and a 15 year old cat who rules the house.
Sam King, KPA-CTP
Head University Instructor
Sam is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP) and an AKC CGC evaluator. She has worked with dogs for over a decade in a variety of roles including teaching group classes, private lessons, day training, and working in a boarding kennel. Sam has several Australian Shepherds and enjoys competing and hiking with them in her free time. Her dogs train and compete in agility, herding, scent-work, and disc.
Jen Boxell, CPDT-KA
University Instructor
Alicia Kerr
Agility Instructor
Andy Winther
Agility Instructor
Sarah Power, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA
Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner
Certified Professional Dog Trainer
Teacup Dog Agility Association Regional Master Judge
Agility Instructor
Sarah is an accomplished dog agility competitor (Neptune has earned his C-ATE2, C-ATCH4, & TACH4, Penny TACH and is now retired, Pearl TACH and C-ATCH and is now retired) and is a TDAA Regional Master Judge.
She graduated from Karen Pryor Academy in 2010 and completed the KPA Puppy Start Right course for instructors in 2015.
She is an experienced Dachshund breeder and raises her puppies using Puppy Culture, a special program of age-appropriate exercises, neurological stimulation, and training designed to maximize each puppy’s potential. Her puppies are not only outstanding family pets, but have gone on to achieve success in the performance ring and some have even become service dogs.
In addition to training and competition Sarah also enjoys going hiking with her dogs.
Sarah first took classes at Gemini Dogs with her mixed breed girl in the late 90's. She then adopted Jellybean and Penny in 2005, and they started in puppy class and basic obedience, then tried Earth Dog. That’s when Penny discovered agility. By 2006, Sarah was taking agility classes with the former owner of Gemini, Carolyn Barney. She later began substitute-instructing for Carolyn's classes. Sarah also began working in the doggie daycare before July of 2007.
Sarah completed her KPA class in 2010 with Carolyn as well. She then worked for Jean McCord and Kathy Austin at Dogs! in Hudson, and later taught pet dog classes at the Fuzzy Dog in NH for a short time. She then worked for Crossbones Academy in Rhode Island teaching private lessons until January of 2020.
Sarah is a former Volunteer Firefighter has been a 911 dispatcher for over 20 years.
Maureen McLatchy
Agility Instructor
Maureen McLatchy has been actively training and showing dogs since 1988. She originally started in obedience trials and later added conformation shows, hunting tests, field trials and rally with her multi generations of homebred Gordon Setters. She has put over 275 titles on her own dogs as well as over 100 on other people’s dogs.
In 2000 she began trialing in agility and that has been the main focus since as the dogs really loved the sport. She has put 18 Agility Championships in AKC and USDAA (MACH,PACH,ADCH,PDCH) on her Gordons Setters, Beaucerons, and a Papillon. Her dogs have also been multi-time finalists at the AKC Agility Invitational and Westminster and have many individual placements in rounds at AKC Nationals, Invitational and Westminster.
Maureen enjoys teaching agility and is very proud of her students and all of their accomplishments.
Brianna Rich
Groomer
Brianna has been working with dogs for the last 7 years and couldn’t imagine life any other way. She’s been grooming for the last 3 1/2 years. She apprenticed under our former groomer Jess as well as completed grooming academy.
Her favorite breeds are Schnauzers and Great Danes, although she doesn’t currently have any dogs of her own. She has a cat named Drumstick and spends her free time seeing live music and visiting new places!
Rachel Legree
Groomer
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Rachel Legree has six years of experience in the grooming industry, and she loves working with pet parents to create the best grooming experience possible for their pets. She is Pet First Aid and CPR Certified as well.
Rachel has spent her grooming caeer working in private salons, gaining hands-on experience in bathing, prep work for grooms, and trim work. Her hands-on training provides the additional benefit of having worked with a variety of grooming professionals to learn best practices and techniques for grooming.
Rachel has two amazing cockapoos at home, named Alf and Jasper, who she says, "Have taught me so much."
Skylar Kuczwara
Overnight Supervisor & Bather/Brusher
Skylar is certified in PetSaver® CPR, First Aid & Care.
Skylar first worked at Gemini Dogs back in 2009 as a Kennel Tech. She also assisted Mich and Penny with scoring at their CPE Sanctioned Agility trials.
She moved away to attend college at BCC where she earned her Associates degree in General Health Sciences. She found a new job at Petco working as a bather/brusher for 2 years, where she was trained to do baths, brushing, nail trims, ear cleaning, ear plucking, and anal gland expression.
She returned to Gemini Dogs in 2014 as the Assistant Manager and Groomer. She attended the annual Daycare and Boarding Expo in Hartford, CT where she studied dog behavior and proper playgroup etiquette.
After she started her own family in 2015, she became a stay-at-home mom for a short time, then returned to work and is now in charge of the overnight staffing of the facility. We put a lot of trust in Skylar's ability to manage a medical emergency, which is why we trust her to stay here with the pups on the overnight shift!
Skylar recently began working on an Associates degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting, so she started assisting Mich & Penny with the billing tasks at Gemini Dogs, and has become invaluable yet again, as an employee. Skylar will be taking over the majority of our Accounting tasks going forward, to help free up Mich & Penny to come up with new and exciting ways to make Gemini Dogs even better!
Skylar has two little (human) girls, a Plott Hound named Danni and a Boxer mix named Priya. She enjoys spending time with her family and reading whenever she gets a quiet moment. Her favorite breed is anything in the Hound family.