Kelly helps people with dogs who have behavior and aggression issues, and has even provided training and analysis of dogs who are court ordered to seek training because of their behavior.  Kelly is passionate about giving every dog a chance and ensuring through use of proper training tools, rewards and training.

Kelly has helped many people obtain the title of therapy dog, and she has helped service dogs have a foundation to pursue service dog and search and rescue.  Additionally, Kelly has provided private lessons to special needs individuals for wheelchair and  other disability training of their dogs.  Proficient training in tasks that assist special needs is offered by Kelly and her team.  Behavior modification to assist with emotional support dogs being well trained and having excellent manners and behavior as well as confidence is public is offered at K9cation.

As a young child, Kelly, at two years old, had practically learned to walk in the Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA) show ring traveling to dog shows across the Nation, entering her first show when she was only two years old with her puppy, Frosty.  Kelly traveled to dog shows with her mom, Margaret, and was a named partner in their ASCA registered and foundation registered Kennel, Mar-Kel.  Kelly began her conformation show career showing in junior handling, puppy, and regular conformation classes throughout her early years of life..  Kelly put her first conformation champion on her dog, Cinnamon Frost of Mar-Kel which was out of the Hall of Fame Kennel Las Rocosa in the early 90s.  She and her mom raised performance puppies and Kelly helped to socialize and ensure each puppy got a quality foundation before going to their new home.  Kelly also showed in 4-H starting at the young age of eight and was regularly awarded Grand Champion at the Colorado State Fair and Boulder County Fair in both obedience and showmanship, Grand Champion overall.  Kelly titled many of her dogs in obedience with the highest level completed being in Open which included off leash, retrieving, out of sight stays, broad and high jump, earning the title of Companion Dog Excellent.  She also completed numerous stock dog titles on several of her dogs including her first Working Trial Champion in the mid 90s with her dog, Trostel’s Elvis.  Kelly completed her first herding champion while still in High School and began offering lessons to clients.

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In the early 90s Kelly got her start in dog training when she and her mom began co instructing dog obedience classes, and 4-H classes to students of all ages sharing their passion for dogs, knowledge and experience.  They provided conformation, obedience, trick dog, and puppy socials, agility and more to their students who brought all breeds of dogs to them for their expert help.  In the mid 90s and not even 18 years old, Kelly began offering private lessons including stock dog herding lessons to her very own clients. 

Kelly set a record as the top National Junior Handler three times in a row, competing in versatility with her dogs, conformation, obedience, and stock dog herding with cattle, sheep, and ducks.  Kelly was featured on the cover of the International magazine “The Aussie Times” with a special full page write up three times during her junior handling career.  Kelly led her family’s Aussies in versatility for her handling career. At age 18 Kelly aged out of 4-H and junior handling and earned three full ride academic scholarships to pursue her interest of business, multi media and marketing.  Kelly loaded up her dog, Sassy and went to College on a full scholarship from 1998-2002 earning her degree in Communication with emphasis in business and marketing at the University of Colorado Springs.  Kelly began working for the State of Colorado in the early 90s as an elementary teacher aid and during college worked as an administrative assistant for the Budget Office of the Department of Public Safety. Kelly retired from the Colorado State Patrol after 24 years of State Service as the Director of Strategic Communication & Director of  Strategic Engagement and Brand Management.

Kelly took some time off from showing dogs, but always had a dog at her side, and continued training and enjoying dogs as her natural talent and passion and abilities allowed.  In 2013 Kelly, her husband, Steve and daughter, Haley purchased their dream acreage in Hudson, CO with a second house for her mom, Margaret and her husband Dan.   Kelly and her family worked their property, farming hay and operating a 35+ horse boarding facility specializing in reining and cutting horses and raising cattle and sheep.  Kelly’s last of her show Aussies, Sassy who was with her for the start of college, college graduation, the start of her professional career, marriage, and birth of her daughter Haley passed away in 2013.  Kelly was devastated.  Steve brought home a young pup for Kelly that was a working dog.  Kelly trained the dog and the subsequent pups to help on their ranch.  Training the dogs and herding from horseback inspired Kelly to once again return to her love of showing and training dogs and she began offering dog training at her Ranch with the help of her family.  Haley, Kelly’s daughter showed in her very first show in Junior Handling, obedience and conformation and barn hunt at just five years old continuing in her mom’s foot steps.

Kelly began offering dog classes to help dogs and their owners better communicate in 2015 at her family ranch in Hudson.  She specialized in offering dog sports for fun to help owners of dogs better understand and communicate with their dogs.  Kelly is a balanced trainer, who has developed her own training methodology, which is based on natural dog behavior and communication with a deep bond between dog and handler and a strong foundation of obedience with added dog sports, and so was born K9cation.