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TOTC Instructors

Mary Dick
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Mary has been teaching classes at TOTC for almost 15 years. She started out as a pet owner who wanted her Boxer, Toby, simply to have some manners. She got hooked on training and the rest is history. Toby earned his AKC Companion Dog title.

 

Her three Giant Schnauzers, Zoya, Quest, and Frankie earned their conformation championships. Zoya was a certified therapy dog through Therapet of Tyler. She also made a star appearance and performed with the Tyler Junior College Apache Belles. All three have earned AKC Utility Dog titles. Frankie has also earned numerous AKC obedience titles including UDX2.  She was the number one Obedience Giant Schnauzer in 2017. Mary and Frankie also competed at the AKC National Obedience Championship in 2019 and were also invited to compete at Westminster obedience in 2020.

Mary and her dogs have a new hobby these days. You may just find all three on a trail in Tyler with the dogs pulling a sulky and Mary in the seat.

Mary currently teaches Pet Manners, Advanced Pet and Companion Dog classes.

Annie Northcutt

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Annie Northcutt has been a member with Tyler Obedience Training Club for two years. She started dog training 15 years ago as a father-daughter activity.

 

Her first agility dog was her adopted cocker spaniel. She quickly realized her passion was in Agility, a sport she has been a part of for 14 years now.

 

Today, she has a 9-year-old blue heeler and a 4-year-old Aussie to keep her on her toes in the agility ring. Tyler Obedience Training Club is Annie’s home away from home and she’s excited to introduce others to the world of dog training!

Karen Pollard

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Karen Pollard caught the training bug as a young child, teaching the family Golden Retriever a number of tricks. Throughout her life she has enjoyed training a number of different horses and dogs. She joined TOTC in 2018 to meet other dog people who also love spending time with their four-legged friends!

Karen currently has a Smooth Collie named Teddy and an Australian Shepherd/Lab mix named Captain. Karen and Captain compete in rally and obedience and have earned a Rally Advanced title as well as a Companion Dog title. Captain has his Canine Good Citizen and also his Advanced Trick Dog title.

Karen lives in Tyler with her husband and two sons, who love to help train the dogs any chance they get.

Kayla King

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Agility is how Kayla first became involved in dog sports. She started training agility in 2007 when a friend talked her into entering a foster dog in a beginner agility class. Kayla enjoyed the class so much. The foster dog was placed, and Kayla decided she wanted to get a dog of her own to train in agility.

 

A series of coincidences led her to learn of the Hungarian herding breed called Mudi. The Mudi is a rare and versatile breed. She wound up getting one and quickly falling in love with the breed. She started training and competing in agility as well as several other dog sports. In agility, she primarily competes in AKC shows with her dog, but she has also competed in USDAA, NADAC, and UKC agility.

 

Kayla has completed various agility titles with all three of her dogs, from Starters to Masters Agility Champion. She enjoys the sport and loves to help others attain their agility goals.

Krissy Gray

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Krissy grew up with a love of animals. With a background in the vet industry and education, her life revolves around her Australian Shepherds. As a new high school ag/science teacher, she was looking for something to do in her spare time and had always been captivated by dog agility.

 

In 2010, she found Tyler Obedience Training Club and enrolled her now 10.5 year old aussie in Pet Manners and then Beginner Agility. She has since put her now 6 Australian Shepherds through Puppy, Pet Manners, some Rally, and all levels of Agility classes. Krissy currently competes with 3 of her 6 Australian Shepherds in USDAA Agility. Her oldest, Phoenix, has numerous agility titles in all levels. Spur, the crazy blue dog, is working his way up and competes in Masters and Advanced levels and has several agility titles under his belt. Wren, her 2 year old baby dog, just started competing in October of 2019 but is well on her way to being an awesome little agility dog!


She also enjoys teaching and assisting with classes at TOTC, mostly intro and beginner agility classes.

Marcie Vail

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Instructor Marcie Vail is an 8 year member of TOTC. She and her herd of Pembroke Welsh Corgis have earned AKC, UKC, and USDAA Titles in Conformation, Obedience, Rally, Agility, and most recently, the growing discipline of Nosework/Scentwork.

 

Prior to focusing on Corgis, Marcie had experience with other breeds including German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Pointers, and Malinois.

Her 30 year background in Law Enforcement, including supervision of Police Canine and Mounted Units, gives her a unique perspective on training!

Cheryl Etheridge

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Cheryl has been a member of the Tyler Obedience Training Club for over 25 years. She and her husband, Don, moved from Dallas to 5 acres near Lindale and got a dog. She wanted her dog to come when called, so she enrolled in a basic obedience class.

 

That first dog, Evie, a Sheltie/Char Pei cross, and Cheryl went on to earn an Obedience Champion Title in United Kennel Club. Cheryl researched dog breeds and decided to get a Vizsla. That was when Raleigh came to live in the Etheridge household, 16 years ago.

 

Don and Cheryl competed successfully in AKC Obedience, Rally, and
Agility earning a Rally Advanced Excellent title, Obedience Utility Dog Excellent 4, Obedience Master, and Master Agility Title. They were invited to compete in the National Obedience Invitational 6 times. Cheryl currently trains and shows Rocky, another Vizsla. He is a breed Grand Champion and has earned two rally titles. They continue to train rally and obedience as well as agility and scent work.

Katie McCullough

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I started formal dog training and trialing in the early 80's with a Doberman Pinscher.  Over the years, I've trained working dogs, hounds and retrievers. My training and trialing has included many sports including obedience, rally, agility, dock diving, lure coursing, tracking, hunt, scent work, carting, and therapy dog work.  

I currently own a Labrador and a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever that I'm training in obedience, tracking, agility, and hunt.  

I enjoy teaching classes and sharing my knowledge with others.  I hope that over the years I have inspired others to explore what they can do with their canine companions.

Tonda Curry

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Although relatively new to competitive obedience, Tonda has been training dogs for more than 20 years.  Most of the training was for the conformation ring where she is the breeder of many champions, several grand champions and one all breed best in show winner.  Currently Tonda and her smooth collie, Dayzee, are working toward more titles in both obedience and rally.  

Tonda lives on a small farm near Canton where she and her family raise St. Croix sheep, Kiko goats, chickens, turkeys, pigeons, and quail to go with her dogs.

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