About BonaFide Dog Academy LLC BonaFide Dog Academy LLC is owned and managed by Dawn Antoniak-Mitchell, Esq. and Cam Bexten. The business grew out of hours of training discussions on the road traveling together to shows and seminars as well as teaching obedience and agility classes together for a local dog training club. Both Dawn and Cam wanted to teach classes using positive training methods that would address the needs of the typical pet owner while providing a solid foundation for people wanting to someday compete with their pets. They also wanted to explore training beyond the cookie-cutter puppy kindergarten and basic obedience classes. The need for a physically comfortable training facility offering progressive, unique, safe, dog-friendly training opportunities existed and Cam and Dawn decided to take the plunge and fill that void. They have developed practical courses that take into account the busy lives pet owners lead by offering traditional skill training in two different scheduling formats. Their lecture classes cover a wide range of topics such as pet estate planning and child/dog safety. They have also been networking around the globe to bring unique dog activities to the area. BonaFide Dog Academy LLC is truly a one-of-a-kind training facility where owners learn not only how to teach their dogs to sit, but also how to strengthen the bond they have with their pets in a positive way. Mission Statement We believe the bond between a person and a dog is a special bond that has value and should be treated at all times with respect. We are dedicated to providing only the highest-quality services, products and information that enhance all facets of that bond in a positive manner. We are committed to creativity, leadership and excellence in everything we are and everything we do. We will constantly strive to improve our personal knowledge, skills and abilities so that we can be the best instructors possible. We will seek professional certifications and skill recognition in our field. We will engage our clients in a friendly, ethical and moral manner at all times and respect the uniqueness of each and every relationship. We will always respect and value the bonds we have with each other, our own families and our own pets. We recognize our corporate responsibility to the community to aid other efforts to protect and preserve the bond between people and animals. Dawn Antoniak-Mitchell, Esq. CPDT Dawn is a life-long dog lover and has been training dogs for nearly 25 years. During that time, she has successfully trained several breeds of dogs, including Dalmatians, Curly-Coated Retrievers, Jack Russell Terriers and a Border Collie in multiple venues to class wins and titles, including conformation, obedience, tracking, rally obedience, agility, go-to-ground, and open terrier trial competitions. She has taken dogs of several breeds to national rankings in obedience and agility and also trained the first Non-Sporting breed and first Dalmatian to earn a VCD title at any level, the first Curly-Coated Retriever to earn an AKC rally title as well as the first to earn all three rally obedience titles, and the first Parson (Jack) Russell Terrier to earn a rally obedience title. Dawn has taught group classes for over ten years in a variety of settings and enjoys helping dog owners understand, appreciate and communicate more effectively with their dogs. Her real passion is training dogs to do therapy work. Her Jack Russell Terrier Lizzie B. is a Delta Society therapy dog and a Reading Education Assistance Dog. Together they have worked with pediatric oncology patients, children with reading disabilities, children survivors of domestic abuse and economically-disadvantaged children. In addition to being a CCPDT Certified Pet Dog Trainer, Dawn is also an AKC and APDT Rally Obedience judge, an AKC and CDSP Obedience judge, a Delta Society Pet Partner evaluator and a training seminar junkie. She is a member of the American Canine Sports Medicine Association, and a professional member of the International Association of Canine Professionals. Her non-canine passions are her hubby, knitting and photography. She has won several photo competitions and has a photo featured in the 2008 Jack Russell Terrier calendar produced by JRT Rescue. Dawn is an attorney licensed in both Nevada and Nebraska, focusing her limited practice on small business creations and pet estate planning. She and her husband Jeff are currently owned by a Curly-Coated Retriever, two Jack Russell Terriers, a Border Collie, two cats and assorted Bettas. Dawn's combination of knowledge, skills and experiences bring a unique perspective to dog training that focuses on the need for real-life skills for both pets and their owners as well as helping owners find ways to incorporate their pets safely and enjoyably into everyday activities. Cam Bexten CPDT As a Certified Pet Dog Trainer, Cam Bexten enjoys working with breeds of all shapes and sizes and encourages owners to find activities that they and their pet can enjoy together. As an advocate for a healthy, active lifestyle that includes the family dog, she is networking with trainers around the globe to bring new dog-powered sports to the Midwest. Cam is a member of the International Sled Dog Racing Association (ISDRA) and both a member and judge for the International Weight Pull Association (IWPA). She is the first Nebraskan to be nationally-ranked in ISDRA dryland standings (1-Dog Women’s Canicross, 1-Dog Women’s Scooter, 2-Dog Scooter). Her training affiliations include professional memberships in both the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP). Cam also serves as an official instructor and evaluator for Delta Society, an international organization that provides programs in animal-assisted therapy work. Cam currently trains and competes in several dog sport venue with her Bulldog, Rugby. Rugby is one of a handful of Bulldogs in the nation to have agility and rally obedience titles. He is a Delta Society therapy dog and Reading Education Assistance Dog as well, and Cam enjoys escorting him to regular therapy visits throughout the metro area. Coming up the ranks is Cricket, Cam’s newest canine companion, whose favorite activity at the moment is mushing (and yes, she’s a bulldog!) Along with participating in and coordinating BonaFide’s therapy program, Cam is also an Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) rally obedience representative. She continues her education by attending national and regional seminars on dog sports, canine behavioral psychology and business development. A pianist and former instructor for the UNO Department of Music, Cam still enjoys making music at the piano and finding other outlets for her creativity. When she’s not hard at play with the dogs, you can usually find her hanging out with her husband Adam or training for her next big athletic endeavor. Jami Campisi Jami Campisi has been training dogs for 13 years and teaching training classes for over 10 years. She has titled dogs in obedience, flyball, and agility, with agility taking over as her obsession disguised as her hobby. Her dogs include Jc's Bairn Sebastian, CD, AX, MXJ, AD, TT, FDCH (Sebastian) (1993-2006), MACH Baker's Missee Meena Bean, MAD, NJC, NGC (Meena), her current agility star and Imaj Denali Extreem (Deni), her agility-star-in-training. Jami is an avid agility competitor, enjoying traveling all over the country to shows and has attended many agility seminars by some of the country's top agility handlers. She enjoys the chance to learn new methods and techniques, and in addition to her years of training/teaching/competing experience, she also completed a diploma in dog training in 2004 and will be seeking CPDT certification in 2007. Jami has competed in the USDAA Cynosports World Games since 2003 and was a finalist in the Grand Prix in 2004. In 2005 Jami also went to the AKC Agility Nationals and won the 16" jumpers class, and placed 1st in the 16" jumpers class at the USDAA World Cynosports Games that same year. Jami is a stay-at-home mother to 6 year old daughter Gaby and 13 month old son Angelo, who keep her very busy. Her wonderful husband, Tim, is very supportive of her agility habit! Before parenting, Jami worked as a vet assistant/receptionist for five years and in between children worked as a dog groomer for three years. Dianne Krantz Dianne comes with over 20 years of dog training experience. She has taught obedience and showmanship classes for 4-H; and obedience and agility classes for various clubs and organizations in the area. Dianne is a former training partner of “Praised Paws Puppy Kindergarten” which has since dissolved. She has attended many seminars and conferences by nationally accredited individuals on the subject of dog behavior, obedience, rally and agility. Dianne’s accomplishments include UD in obedience, MX and MXJ in agility, RA in Rally, HSAs in herding, and finished breed Championships on dogs for the Herding group, Hound group and Terrier group in AKC; and FM in flyball. Dianne and her husband, Jeff, are currently owned by Shelties and a Bull Terrier. During the day, Dianne is the Purchasing Coordinator for a pharmaceutical and medical supply distributor in the Omaha area. In her spare time in the warm months she rides her motorcycle with Jeff. Karen Blessing Karen has been training dogs for 15 years and has taught for various clubs around the country. She has trained, competed and titled in conformation, obedience, tracking, field and agility. She has been “in” irish water spaniels for 11 years and currently owns 3 irish water spaniels: CH Madcap’s Tyger Burning Bright VCD2 UD RE JH AX AXJ WCX, CH TygerLily’s Good As Gold CD JH MX MXJ WC, and Madcap Azalea’s A Tru TygerLily. Karen strives towards dogs having versatility. Two of her dogs hold AKC all around titles (breed champion with both obedience and hunting titles). In conformation, she has had several breed champions, multiple group placements, a national specialty best in sweepstakes winner, and a nationally ranked top 5 irish water spaniel (owner handled). With her current dogs, she has obtained a UD and has had the #1 obedience irish water spaniel. Additionally, she has trained one of only a handful of irish water spaniels to hold the VCD2 title and is working towards the VCD3. She currently is focusing on agility, conformation and tracking and has earned her AX (soon to be MX) and MXJ titles. She has traveled to several parts of the country in the past few years attending obedience and agility seminars with more seminars planned for next year. Cheryl Wilson Cheryl has been training dogs for the past six years. Her passion is working with owners to solve behavioral issues so they can keep their dogs as happy, well-adjusted members of the family instead of surrendering them to a shelter or rescue organization. She has served as vice-president of Golden Retriever Rescue in Nebraska (GRRIN) and founded Nebraska Dachshund Rescue (NDR). She is currently president of NDR. Her free time is often spent rehabilitating dogs and adopting them into forever homes or helping families successfully address canine behavioral issues. Cheryl has studied methods used by Trish King and Nicole Wilde to apply when working with fearful and agressive/reactive dogs and continues to explore the art and science of dog training while preparing for her CPDT certification exam. In addition to her own three dogs (Golden Retriver Zack, rescue Dachshund Eli, and rescue Golden/Beagle blend Zoey), Cheryl's family includes Tabitha the cat, three grown children and one grandchild (and another on the way!). Cheryl also often has a foster dog or two in the house until they can get into foster care elsewhere. Cheryl's entire animal pack (including Tabitha who walks along like she's a dog!) loves going on long walks around the lake or park and helping Cheryl around the yard. Zack and Eli are also put to work helping Cheryl work with reactive dogs.

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