our mission

Meet Taylor! Taylor lives in McHenry, IL and works full time as an Unleashed K9 Training Specialist.

You could say Taylor’s love for animals is “in her blood” as she grew up on a farm in West Branch, Michigan, working with goats and horses in 4H as a kid! 

However, her passion for dog training began when she was just 14 years old with her first mini Aussie, Dax. Taylor trained and competed with Dax in TDAA, until she purchased her first border collie two years later, opening the doors to the sport dog world! 

Taylor hit the ground running with her border collie and began training and competing in Frisbee and Dock Diving. Her training skills grew just as fast as her pack did, and Taylor became more and more passionate about dog training. She began traveling states with her pack to compete in disc, securing several first and second place titles with the UPDOG organization. 

In addition to her personal accomplishments, Taylor has worked professionally training dogs for goose hazing, bed bug detection, personal protection, general obedience and more! She is also certified by the American Kennel Club as a: Canine Good Citizen Evaluator (CGC) and Canine Conditioning Coach (CCC). 

With her spare time, Taylor enjoys hiking with her pack, attending seminars and training her Tortoises, Flo and Rico. 

Her positive attitude and open mindset paired with her extensive knowledge of dogs make it easy for clients to learn and connect!

Meet Macee!

Macee lives in McHenry, Illinois and works full time as a UK9 Training Specialist. 

Originally from Jackson, Michigan, Macee got into the world of dog training in 2017. Her interest in training started after watching performance dog trainer on Americas Got Talent. 

The hobby quickly turned to a career as Macee’s talent with dogs took off. 

Despite her young age, Macee holds many unmatched titles and achievements including being a HFH 2023 Overall Pro Champion, an AWI 2022 World qualifier, 2022 Overall Novice Champion. 

In addition to her personal accomplishments, Macee has held several jobs with her dogs including obedience training, lessons, half time dog performance shows.

Macee’s hobbies when she’s not working with dogs include throwing disc for her dogs, learning new tricks and training methods and traveling. 

Her connection with animals and passion for training is truly remarkable and we are so glad to have her as part of the UK9 team! 

Meet Rachel! Rachel lives in Streamwood, IL and works part time as a Training Specialist for Unleashed K9 Academy.

Rachel’s passion for dog training started when she was a kid with her German Shepherd mix, Gracie! 

Her and Gracie were a skilled team, working primarily in trick training as well as some fun backyard agility matches. 

Shortly thereafter, Rachel started working with a large rescue organization as a dog training intern. However, she switched gears slightly after purchasing her poodle, and falling in love with the world of dog grooming. 

Rachel began pairing her dog training knowledge with her skills as a groomer and started taking on troublesome grooming cases. She made it her mission to help fearful and/or aggressive overcome their grooming aversion when other groomers had turned them away. 

Rachel’s success stories have stacked up and she has spent the last year continuing to expand her knowledge in animal behavior and force free grooming with an emphasis in cooperative care. 

She has completed several grooming courses nationwide and is recognized as a certified groomer through AKC. Additionally, Rachel and her pack have trained and competed in a variety of dog sports, earning many titles.

Rachel loves encouraging others to do more with their dogs and loved watching handlers and dogs build a “team mindset” and positive relationship through training. 

With her free time, Rachel enjoys painting, technical theatre designing, photography, being outside and pushing her limits through learning new things.