About BonaFide Dog Academy 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 M.P.A, J.D., CPDT-KA 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 Cocker Spaniels, 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-grond, and open terrier trial competitions. She has taken dogs of several breed to multiple high-in-trial obedience trial wins, 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 fifteen 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 Professional Dog Trainer, Dawn is also an AKC and APDT Rally Obedience judge, an AKC and CDSP Obedience judge, a TDAA agility judge, an IWPA weight pull judge, a Delta Society Pet Partner evaluator, an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, and a training seminar junkie. She is a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and is certified in Pet First Aid. She has been interviewed on Dogcast Radio and has been published in a variety of magazines, including the Dalmatian Quarterly, the AKC Gazette, and Pet Enthusiast. Recently her training tips have been selected for inclusion in Top Tips from Top Trainers, published by TFH. 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; she currently focuses her limited private legal practice on small business organizations and pet estate planning. She and her husband Jeff are currently owned by three Jack Russell Terriers, a Border Collie, and two cats. Dawn's combination of knowledge, skills and experiences brings a unique perspective to dog training that focuses on the need for real-life skills for both pets and their owners. She enjoys helping owners find ways to incorporate their pets safely and enjoyably into everyday activities. (Pictured with Dawn from left to right: Jinx, Lizzie B., & Gabe. Photo courtesy of Dancing Dog Photography.) Cam Bexten M.M., CPDT-KA As a Certified Professional 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 networks 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). Along with being a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), she is a judge and representative for APDT rally obedience, a representative for CDSP Obedience, a judge for TDAA agility and a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) evaluator. Cam began her competitive journey with her Bulldog, Rugby, earning titles in agility and rally obedience, as well as serving as a Delta Society Pet Partner for a number of years. We miss you, Rugby! Always pushing the envelope of what "certain breeds" can and cannot do, Cam is currently training and competing with her Bulldog Cricket (ARCHX URO1 Bexten's Flat-Track Bully WDS RE RL1X RL2X RL3 CD-H TG1) in competitive obedience, rally, agility, sled dog sports, weight pull, and carting. Cricket is the first Bulldog to receive a UKC Rally title or a CDSP obedience title. She is also the first Bulldog to compete in ISDRA dryland racing! Cricket is a registered animal-assisted therapy dog as well, and loves to donate her time being loved. The newest member of the Bexten pack is Sprout (Bexten's Get a Little Green RA RL2 TG2), a rescued Brussels Griffon who proudly earned her Canine Good Citizen award and went on to become an animal-assited therapy dog in 2009. She's also enjoying several canine activities - including weight pull! Cam 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. (Pictured with Cam from left to right: Cricket & Sprout. Photo courtesy of Dancing Dog Photography.) Stephanie Tornquist M.S., CPDT-KA Stephanie comes to us with experience in a wide range of training venues. She has lent her talents to training in the shelter environment as well as teaching group and private sessions for pet dog owners across the metro area on topics that range from basic obedience to modifying problem behaviors. Stephanie graduated with honors from the Animal Behavior College as a certified dog trainer and became certified through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) in 2007. She is a prefessional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and is also a member of the the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). An avid volunteer, she donates her time and expertise to help select, train, and handle service dogs. She also serves as a mentor for future dog trainers through the Animal Behavior College and volunteers for various local rescue orgtanizations. Her other credits include a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology, as well as an M.S. in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in both Public Administration and Counseling. Stephanie is currently pursuing an M.S. Degree in counseling focusing on animal-assisted therapy. Along with teaching group and private training at BonaFide, Stephanie heads up our PAWSitive Outcomes training program at the Nebraska Youth Correctional Facility. She volunteers her time, instructing basic manners classes where inmates work to train rescue dogs and prepare them for their forever homes. (Pictured with Stephanie from left to right: Kaia, Duke & Angel. Photo courtesy of Dancing Dog Photography.) Cheryl Wilson CPDT-KA Cheryl has been training dogs for the past six years and is a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Evaluator. Her passion is working on solving behavioral issues so owners can keep their dog as a happy well-adjusted member of the family. She loves working with very shy and also reactive dogs and feels success when they can confidently take walks with their owners and are part of a well-balanced family. She enjoys continually studying behavioral science and attending workshops geared towards the rehabilitaion of fearful and reactive dogs. Cheryl is proud to have founded Nebraska Dachshund Rescue and served as the organization's President. She has also served as Vice President of Golden Retriever Rescue in Nebraska (GRRIN). Currently, she serves on the board of the Omaha Dog Park. Cheryl has three dogs: Zack (Golden Retriever), Eli (rescued Dachshund), and Sammy (rescued Dachshund). She also usually has a couple of difficult foster cases she's working with to rehabilitate and prepare them for adoption! Cheryl's Golden, Zack, was finally able to receive his CGC certification after much difficulty in previous attempts, due to his fearfulness of sudden sounds. Zack was so calm during his test that he actually tried to go take a nap in the middle of it! Zack, Eli and Sammy are great sports about working with reactive and shy dogs as long as they get good treats. Beyond Cheryl's four-legged family, she has three grown children and two cute grandsons (Kaeden and Jaxson). Professionally, she previously trained humans in leadership skills and customer service. She recently made the plunge into working with BonaFide full time and is enjoying furthering her education in the field of canine behavior and training. (Pictured with Cheryl from left to right: Zack, Sammy & Eli. Photo courtesy of Dancing Dog Photography.) Rose Strasser, Ph.D. Rose Strasser got involved in dog training about 10 years ago when her first foster dog from a shelter, a basenji mix (Chi Chi) that was in 6 different homes by the time she was 6 months, came to live with Rose and her husband. After Chi Chi basically flunked her first obedience class and Rose was told she would never be a “normal dog”, Rose found agility. Agility was the perfect outlet for Chi Chi's energy. Rose had so much fun that she started training her Japanese Chin (Tia) in agility and obedience. Chi Chi now has over 20 agility titles in NADAC, UKC, and she is close to finishing her CPE Agility Trial Championship (C-ATCH). Tia was the first Japanese Chin to earn a Master Agility Title (MX) and the second to earn a Master Excellent Jumpers w/Weaves title (MXJ) in the breed’s history. She has over 30 agility titles and was the top Japanese Chin in AKC agility, as recognized by the breed club, from 2001-2005 and has been invited to the AKC National Agility Championship Invitational every year since 2005. This last year at age 13, Tia finished her CPE Specialist Agility Trial Championship (CS-ATCH). Tia also completed in AKC obedience and Rally Obedience. She finished her AKC Rally Excellent title (RE) and was the top obedience Japanese Chin in 2006. Rose has also been involved with dog rescue for 10 years, has trained her Shepherd mix, Buddha, in agility and is currently training her Japanese Chin rescue, Satori, in agility and obedience. Although competing in agility is fun for everyone in Rose's pack, her primary interest is in building a bond with her dogs and giving them the skills they need to be confident, well-behaved companions. With her rescue dogs, Rose finds agility & obedience training to be a wonderful way to give a shy dog confidence and an active dog an outlet. She has a special affection for those breeds that are considered “difficult” to train or rescue dogs that come with “issues” from their previous life experiences. She uses positive techniques based on learning principles for training. Professionally, Rose has a Ph.D. in Psychology with an emphasis in animal learning and behavior. She finds that she is able to use principles from each of her passions to inform the other. (Pictured with Rose from left to right: Tia & Chi Chi. Photo courtesy of Deyo's Photography.) Cheryl Morris, Ph.D. Cheryl began training dogs in 2003 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. While Cheryl and her Rat Terrier, Sparky, were becoming registered as Pet Partners (Animal-Assisted Therapy) through Delta Society, Cheryl was encouraged to also try flyball and agility with him. Having only seen agility on TV, Cheryl was positive Sparky was not like THOSE dogs. That was the beginning of an agility addiction that has led Cheryl and her fur kids to competitions throughout the US. Sparky completed 9 agility titles before retiring to position of Chief Sofa-Monitoring Officer. Cheryl is currently competing nationally with her tiny superstar, 6.5 Lb Toy Fox Terrier, Keegan. After having fractured his right front leg as a 9- month old puppy, Cheryl was certain their agility dreams were over. However, to date, Keegan has completed 22 agility titles in AKC, NADAC, and CPE and is currently one of the top five ranked Toy Fox Terriers in AKC agility. Keegan and Cheryl will be competing for the second time in 2009 at the AKC/Eukanuba Agility Invitational in Long Beach, CA. Cheryl’s 2-year old rescued Border Collie, Karma, has already excelled in the agility ring and is quickly catching Keegan with 15 agility titles. Cheryl’s passion is training a variety of dogs, and assisting owners to find and highlight their dog’s natural talents and abilities. Cheryl holds a Ph.D in Animal Nutrition and is the Director of Comparative Nutrition, Training & Enrichment at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. (Pictured with Cheryl from left to right: Keegan, Minnie, Trinkit, Sparky & Karma.) Jami Campisi Jami Campisi has been training dogs for since 1992 and teaching training classes since 1996. 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,AF, MAD, NJC, NGC (Meena), her current agility star; Imaj Denali Extreme, NA, NAJ, OF, AD (Deni), her up and coming agility star; Imaj Eden The Spice O'Life, NA, OAJ, NF (Eve) her daughter Gaby's agility/ 4-H dog; and Imaj Bandit's Miracle Bean (Mira [Meena's puppy]) Jami's agility star in training. Jami is an avid agility competitor, enjoying traveling all over the country to shows and has attended numerous agility seminars conducted 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 2010. 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 daughter Gaby and sons Angelo and Andrew, who all 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. (Pictured with Jami from left to right: Mira, Deni, Eve & Meena. Photo courtesy of Dancing Dog Photography.) Dianne Krantz Dianne comes to us with over 20 years of dog training experience. She has taught obedience and showmanship classes for 4-H and has judged at the county and state levels in both venues. Dianne has also instructed obedience and agility classes for various clubs and organizations in the Omaha area. She has attended many seminars and conferences by nationally-accredited individuals on the subjects of dog behavior, obedience, rally and agility and continues to attend seminars to learn new techniques. Dianne’s accomplishments include UD in obedience, MX and MXJ in agility, RA in Rally, HSAs in herding, FM in flyball, and finished breed Championships on dogs for the Herding group, Hound group and Terrier group in AKC. She has also owned registered therapy dogs and volunteered in the community with them. During the day, Dianne is the Purchasing Coordinator for a national pharmaceutical and medical supply distributor in the Omaha area. Prior to that, she worked for about 15 years in the pet industry in different aspects of selling and purchasing pet supplies. Dianne is currently the National Agility Chairman for the American Shetland Sheepdog Association and Vice President of the local Sheltie club, Midlands Shetland Sheepdog Club. She also serves as an evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program. Her goal is for dogs to be well-mannered and owners to have a special bond with their dogs and enjoy doing things together as a team. (Pictured with Dianne from left to right: Devon, Tammy & Rain. Photo courtesy of Deyo's Photography.) 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. (Pictured with Karen: Nugget.)

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