K-9 handler and trainer Doug Wannemacher boasts more than 3,500 total hours in dog training and nine years law enforcement. He has been involved in K-9 since early 2001 and has been a K-9 trainer for local law enforcement since 2006. He and his K-9, Roscoe, have been working as a team since 2002. Doug is also a basic instructor through the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and he is a member of the North American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA). In his free time he enjoys fishing, scuba diving and of course – playing with dogs.
Patrick Cheatham
Patrick has been training dogs for the past 15 years. He is a Search & Rescue K-9 Handler for two German Shepherds, Chelsea and Shandi. He has certified dogs in tracking, trailing, and obedience. Patrick has been teaching basic obedience and evaluating working K-9's for the past 4 years. He has attended numerous seminars with some of the top working dog trainers in the country. He is also a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator for the American Kennel Club.
Patrick Cheatham is a current member of North American Police Work Dog Association, American Working Dog Association, National Association for Search and Rescue, and AKC. He and his K-9 partners currently have certifications from NASAR, AWDA, and AKC. He is a member of the Michelin Emergency Response team.
Dave Milan
Bio coming soon.
Chris McBee
Chris is a thirteen-year veteran of local law enforcement and has handled Police Service Dogs with his agency since 2003. Chris has been involved in over 2000 hours of training involving Police Service Dogs that encompasses obedience, narcotics odor detection, agility, tracking and other patrol dog functions. Chris is also a specific skills instructor through the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy and has attended numerous seminars and outside training courses specifically addressing maintenance training and advanced deployments of Police Service Dogs. Chris is a member of The North American Police Work Dog Association and is continually involved in the training and deployment of his K-9 partner “Barry”. Chris’ wife and three children are actively involved with their pet German Shepherd “Neiko” and his continuing obedience training. Chris is excited to be a part of Astro Kennels and for the opportunity to provide balanced, well-trained dogs to The Upstate.
Jim Leathers
Jim's lifelong love of dogs began when he got a picture book about dogs at age 2 (he still has it). Now a full time law enforcement K9 handler of a dual purpose police dog, Jim's love of dogs has become a vocation. Jim has been a member of the North American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA) since 2005 and received over 1,000 hours of dog training.
Paula Rellihan
After loving and training Poodles for 40 years, Paula and her current Poodle partner, Skye, began their AKC Rally career in 2005. Proof that positive training works lies in the success the team has experienced in the show ring. Skye was nationally ranked in 2006 as the #1 Poodle (all varieties) in Rally Novice. Owner trained and shown, Skye was the 2007 #1 Non Sporting Dog in Novice Obedience. In 2008, Skye earned an elusive High In Trial from the Obedience Ring. Paula’s experience as an AKC Judge for all Rally Classes contributes to her knowledge of the Rally sport. Whether preparing Student Teams for Rally or obedience, Paula is a firm believer in positive training and the importance of subtle canine/human communications. After all, both Dogs and Owners just want to have fun!
More trainer info is on the way! Keep checking back to see the updated bios on our unique staff.
