Meet the DOCOH Instructors

Stacy Santarone,
Training Director

Stacy has been a member of the Club since 1994, part of the Training Committee for over 25 years and Training Director since 2020. Stacy is also a member of the American Belgian Tervuren Club and the American Belgian Malinois Club.

After getting her first dog, Stacy took a class with the Club in September 1992 and never looked back. Through the years, Stacy has trained and competed with her Schipperkes and Belgian Tervuren in Agility, Barn Hunt, Conformation, Flyball, Obedience, Rally, Scent work and Tracking and several of her dogs have earned a variety of Trick Dog, Fit Dog and Canine Good Citizen titles. Stacy is an approved AKC evaluator for STAR Puppy, CGC and Trick Dog and enjoys teaching and helping our students learn how to work with the dog in front of them to create the best possible bond.

Alyson Casper
Agility & Fit Dog Instructor

Alyson has been a member of the Club since 2010 and is currently the President and Club Delegate to the American Kennel Club and was the Chairperson for the Club’s annual Canine Round-Up Cluster event from 2022 to 2026. Alyson is also a member of the Mid-Florida Sporting Dog Association and the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever National Club. She is the Club’s Agility instructor and also teaches STAR Puppy, Canine Good Citizen, and AKC Fit Dog classes and well as being an approved AKC evaluator for STAR Puppy, CGC, Trick Dog, Agility Course Test and FIT Dog and a Fetch Judge.

Alyson has competed in Agility, Conformation, Dock Diving, Fast CAT, Obedience, and Rally with her Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers since 2001. Now that Alyson is retired, she spends most of her time engaged in activities with her Duck Tollers. She enjoys teaching students and loves seeing the bond that develops between the dog and their human with training. She strongly believes that training out in the community is important to enrich your dog’s life and build confidence for all family members -- both four-legged and human.

Kathleen Keyte
Canine Good Citizens Instructor

Kathleen has been a member of the Club since 2006 and is currently a member of the Board of Directors. She has owned Poodles since 1965 and took her first training class with the Club in 2005 after having a close call with a puppy escaping from her car. Kathleen has trained and competed with 4 dogs in Obedience and Rally earning advanced titles and has earned a variety of Canine Good Citizen, Tricks and Fit Dog titles. She is currently training her toy Poodle in Agility and looks forward to adding Agility titles to her list of accomplishments.

Kathleen is an approved AKC evaluator for STAR Puppy, CGC and Trick Dog. She has taught a variety of classes for our Club and currently focuses on the 3 levels of Canine Good Citizens (CGC) classes. As an instructor, she enjoys watching fellow dog lovers develop the skills they need to keep their best friend safe. Kathleen believes that the time spent learning how smart your dog really is and training the skills needed to keep your best friend safe is invaluable. She also truly enjoys competition where you are surrounded with other dog lovers who enjoy working with their dog to fine tune the dog’s skills and build their confidence to earn titles which creates a very special bond.

Carol Ann Klein
Competitive Obedience Instructor

Carol Ann Klein has been involved with dogs since 1982 and has been a member of the Club since 2012. Her husband wanted a Dachshund, and Zoophy was their first one in 1982. Carol Ann started showing in Obedience in 1983. Since that time, there have been many Dachshunds in her life, and she currently has a cute Havanese mix named Sophie.

Carol Ann became an AKC Obedience judge in 1996, then added Rally and conformation judging of Dachshunds in 2005 and has been teaching Obedience and Rally classes for many years. Currently Carol Ann is teaching the competitive Obedience classes of Beginner Novice, Novice, Open and Utility for the Club. Her philosophy is to keep classes fun. The 6-week classes are broken down into manageable bits and pieces so the handlers learn at a good pace and have fun with their dogs. Carol Ann has thoroughly enjoyed her 30 years of judging and teaching and learns something new from exhibitors and students every time she judges or teaches.

Debbie Martinez
Manners Instructor

Debbie has been a member of the Club since 2023, is currently a member of the Board of Directors, participates in several Committees and joined the Training Committee in 2025.
Debbie took her first class with the Club in 2021 and now trains and competes in Agility, Obedience and Rally and has earned a variety of Trick Dog, Fit Dog Title and Canine Good Citizen titles.

Debbie enjoys teaching the Manners classes, which has allowed her to combine her love of dogs with her passion for helping owners build stronger relationships with their dogs through clear communication, confidence and positive training. Being an instructor for the Club has deepened Debbie’s interest in canine behavior and training, and she is currently pursuing the Certified Professional Dog Trainer certification. Debbie hopes to continue growing as both an instructor and trainer.

Jackie Powell
Rally, Tricks, STAR Puppy Instructor

Jackie has been a member of the Club and Training Committee since 2023 and has been involved in dog sports for over 20 years. She is a rescue dog advocate who was part of the Doberman Rescue League training group for over 15 years and currently fosters for Mid-Florida Sheltie Rescue.

Jackie competes in Agility, Obedience and Rally with her dogs and has earned multiple titles in those venues. She is very proud that many of those competition titles were earned 0with many rescue dogs, including a Rally Championship title with Dixie, a Shetland Sheepdog. Jackie is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) and is an approved AKC evaluator for STAR Puppy, Canine Good Citizen, Trick Dog, Agility Course Test and FIT Dog as well as a Fetch Judge. Jackie’s training philosophy is “All dogs can be trained when you ma

Nicole Roma
Manners Instructor

Nicole has been a member of the Club since 2023 and joined the Training Committee shortly after. Nicole rescued a dog in 2020, completed the AKC Star Puppy program with him and then took the Club’s Manners I class in 2022. That experience inspired her to continue training, and she has gone on to compete and earn titles in Agility, Obedience and Rally as well as train and earn a variety of CGC, Tricks and Fit Dog titles.

Nicole’s journey in the pet industry began in 1999 while attending grooming school and working in a veterinary office. Nicole is known for her commitment to educating pet owners in all aspects of caring for their pets, including teaching proper grooming, skin and coat health tips, improving household manners and helping owners become more confident and responsible.

Nicole is an approved AKC evaluator for STAR Puppy, CGC and Trick Dog and has taught or assisted in the Club’s STAR Puppy, CGC and Manners classes. At the heart of everything Nicole does is her love for teaching – whether it be mentoring new groomers, guiding pet owners, or helping families build stronger relationships with their dogs. Her goal is simple: to make life better for both pets and the people who love them.

Lil Sayre
Manners Instructor

Lil’s love of dogs started at a young age in New Jersey, where she spent hours playing with and training her English Springer Spaniel. In her teenage years, Lil read many books about Collies written by Albert Payson Terhune and vowed to raise Collies when she grew up. After her Spaniel passed away, Lil and her mother Inga purchased a male Collie puppy from Bellhaven Collies and began Holmhaven Collies in 1962, which is still active. Lil and Inga started training and showing in Obedience and to date, Holmhaven Collies have earned nearly 200 Obedience and Rally titles.

Lil started teaching obedience training classes in the 1970’s in New Jersey. After moving to South Florida, she joined the Club in 1999 and has enjoyed teaching the Manners I class for many years. Lil gets great satisfaction in helping dogs and their owners develop into a happy team.

Diane Sedberry

Diane has been a member of the Club and Training Committee since 2023 and has been involved in dog sports for nearly 50 years, starting with a Doberman in 1977. Diane began assisting in the Doberman Rescue League’s training classes in 1979, teaching a variety of classes through the years until the group stopped offering classes in 2020.

Diane has trained and competed with two Dobermans and four Shelties in Obedience and Rally through the years, earning advanced titles, including a Rally Championship with her current dog.

Diane loves to train her own dogs and help others train their dogs and she is currently the Club’s Obedience Skills/Drill class instructor.

Helene Shillington
STAR Puppy & Manners Instructor

Helene has been a member of the Club since 2017 and began her dog training journey with her first Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever in competitive obedience classes. Helene’s passion for training quickly expanded into a variety of canine sports, including Conformation, Obedience, Rally, Agility, Dock Diving, and Fast CAT.

Helene is an approved AKC evaluator for STAR Puppy, CGC and Trick Dog and currently teaches STAR Puppy, Manners I and Manners II for the Club. She enjoys helping dogs and their owners build strong foundations through positive, effective training so that the teams develop confidence and lasting partnerships.

Michelle Stengel
STAR Puppy, Manners & Canine Good Citizen Instructor

Michelle has been a member of the Club since 2022 and currently serves as an Officer. Her involvement with the Club began in 2021 when she registered for a STAR Puppy class with her Golden Retriever and she’s never looked back. Michelle grew up with a wonderful variety of dog breeds, including German Shepherds, Great Danes, Poodles, Dobermans, Yorkshire Terriers and Shetland Sheepdogs, giving her an appreciation for dogs of every shape, size and personality.

Michelle has served as an Assistant Trainer, working with students and their dogs in STAR Puppy, Manners I and Canine Good Citizen classes. She enjoys helping pet owners build confidence in working with their dogs through positive reinforcement and seeing the progress they make together along the way. Beyond training, Michelle has a passion for canine nutrition, wellness, and longevity and is currently expanding her knowledge in this area while working toward her Certified Holistic Pet Health Coach (CHPHC) certification.