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Adventure Trails Dog Camp is operated by a team of dedicated and experienced pet professionals.  We combine knowledgeable, experience, passion, and our love for animals to ensure that every pet has the best experience at camp!


Our camp counselors understand each dog is different and every day is not routine. We ensure all dogs are having a great time at camp while either playing or soaking up the sun.
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(Scroll down to meet our staff!)

Meet The Adventure Trails Dog Camp Team:

Kristy Mathenia
Camp Owner & Certified Dog Trainer

​Kristy has been a life long dog owner and is fully dedicated with a very large heart to love all the dogs who come to check out camp.
 
She is an educated, positive and compassionate trainer, a honors graduate of Animal Behavior College where she earned certification as an ABC Certified Dog Trainer. Animal Behavior College (ABC) is approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education and is an internationally recognized school. This program provided Kristy with a formal education in canine obedience training and an understanding animal behavior and motives. Certification, continual education and experience has given her the skills required to effectively and humanely train.   She is a member of the Pet Professional Guild and is a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator. She believes that your relationship with your dog is key.  She continues to study dog behavior through reading, professional subscriptions and seminars. 
 
Kristy is well-versed in the most current techniques that will enable you and your dog to form and perfect a cooperative relationship that will deepen your bond.   Her philosophy is that training is a means to communicate, which promotes trust and builds a good relationship.  Kristy is dedicated to improving the lives of dogs and is an advocate for them.

She is a graduate of Calif State University of Chico with a BA in Anthropology and a minor in International Relations.  Her studies in behavior, cultural perspectives and linguistics have
  helped her with working with dogs and people in particular in helping them understand how to see the canine worldview.   


Her work in the Peace Corps in Uruguay was a big influence on Kristy too.  She worked with a cooperative of women, a rural school and a dairy farm as well.  

Sabreena Stone
General Manager
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Sabreena has spent most of her adult life owning and training her dogs. She has a passion for bulldogs and can spend all day talking about them. Sabreena has owned small, medium, and large breeds in her lifetime. Although she did not have pets while she was growing up, she spent much of her time at her aunt’s, who was a professional dog trainer and groomer. Through the time spent with her aunt, Sabreena grew to appreciate the way training strengthens the bond between a canine and it’s human. Sabreena has experience in marketing and management in other industries and is now excited to be a part of the Adventure Trails Dog Camp team. When not at work, Sabreena enjoys baking, photography, and spending time with her family, including English Bulldogs, Copper & Dozer.

​Bryan Gilbert 
Supervisor & Certified Dog Trainer

Bryan has a lot of training experience from working in a large board and training facility, work with shelter dogs and group training.  He knows how to work with puppies to reactive dogs.  He never misses an opportunity to work with any and all dogs and loves all the shapes, colors and sizes a dog comes.  Bryan works with Kristy in group classes and contributes a lot to the knowledge and skills we teach. 

Eve Forward
Camp Counselor
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Eve is a graduate of the Exotic Animal Training and Management program at ATZ. She has been walking dogs and pet sitting on Whidbey Island since 2006. She has written three successful novels and is working on a fourth. She has a Carolina Dog mix named Grue.

Michelle "Missey" Cox
Camp Counselor

Missey retired from the United States Marine Corps of 22 years, and received her Bachelor Degree in Sociology. She decided to follow her passion of working with animals. She is a certified Veterinarian Assistant and has many years of experience owning and working around dogs. She enjoys working with all sizes and breeds and thinks each dog has a unique personality. She aspires to build on her skills by learning behavior training. Working with the Adventure Trails team has been rewarding and she always looks forward to coming to work every day!

Larry Tjoelker
Camp Counselor

As a boy growing up on a dairy farm, Larry had no shortage of animals in his life. Of all these animals, it was the dogs that won his heart. They were his best buddies, his confidants, his companions in adventure and, sometimes, his comic relief. Dogs have remained all these things for him throughout his adult life as he and his wife raised a family together and then discovered that there was no such thing as an empty nest when dogs are in the family. Thus, after retiring from a long, fulfilling career in biomedical research, Larry was thrilled with the opportunity to return to his canine roots and join the Adventure Trails Dog Camp team. He finds the dynamics of dog society fascinating, and marvels at how much the dogs can teach us. Best of all, he finds it hard to have a bad day in a yard filled with dogs playing, exploring, snoozing, sometimes squabbling, and always offering affection without limit.

Hailee Sampson
Camp Counselor

Hailee is a dedicated animal lover and experienced dog trainer who has been making tails wag for over a decade. From a young age, Hailee knew that her passion for animals would be a major part of her life. At the age of 12, she started her own dog walking business and quickly developed a reputation for being a responsible and trustworthy caretaker. After working as a veterinary assistant and honing her skills, Hailee decided to pursue formal education in animal behavior. She attended Animal Behavior College and Pack Method Prep School for Dogs, gaining invaluable knowledge and expertise in dog training techniques.
For the past eight years, Hailee has been providing private training services to dogs and their owners. Her personalized approach to training is tailored to the unique needs and personalities of each dog, helping them to reach their full potential. With her positive reinforcement methods and gentle touch, Hailee has helped countless dogs overcome behavior challenges and build strong relationships with their owners. When Hailee isn't working with her clients' furry friends, she can often be found spending time with her own three dogs, who are her constant companions and inspiration. With her passion, experience, and unwavering dedication to animal welfare, Hailee Sampson is a true asset to the animal care community.

Kiana Ronne
Camp Counselor

Kiana is a freshly graduated biology student out of Skagit Valley, aspiring to learn everything there is to know about canine behavior and communication. After adopting her first dog at 5 years old (who she still has now!), she’s always been intrigued by the unmatched bond between us and our beloved dogs. As most people in this field, she began dog walking and dog sitting at a young age and has always dreamed of working with dogs professionally. She spends her free time teaching her three dogs new tricks and behaviors, as well as taking them on new adventures across the PNW. After transferring to Washington State University under their Pre-Veterinary program, she quickly realized that her heart desires to pursue a career exclusively training guide dogs for the blind and/or assistance dogs for veterans in need. Now back on Whidbey Island, Kiana enjoys spending her days at Adventure Trails where she can interact with all different breeds, shapes, and personalities.

Whitney Grindland
Camp Counselor

Whitney is originally from Minnesota. She has lived all over and recently moved to Whidbey Island. Whitney grew up with dogs and enjoys spending time with them. She has previous experience with pups in a daycare environment and knew that when she moved to the island she had to look for the opportunity to work with dogs again!

Dorothy Walker
Camp Counselor

Dorothy has owned dogs her whole life. She enjoys their companionship and friendship. She also has plenty of experience in the equestrian world, which has given her a great foundation in understanding how to work with animals. Dorothy is currently working towards getting her Nursing degree but also wants to expand her knowledge and experience in working with canines. In her time off, she enjoys spending time with her Weimaraner, Kailani.