Darin O. Saw-Bellisario

Darin began his career as a scientist, receiving his Ph.D. from MIT in Chemical Physics, before becoming a Management Consultant with McKinsey & Co. There, he worked with a broad array of enterprise clients, specializing in Organizational Psychology and Customer Experience. In 2021, however, he left that career behind to pursue his dream full-time: to try to address, in a systematic way, the endemic gaps in the dog owner education. Like so many handlers, trainers, rescue workers, and breeders, he was saddened and frustrated by the avoidable suffering of dogs, on a staggering scale, caused by often well-intentioned but misinformed owners. Drawing from his experience in other industries, the idea for Good Owners was born. First coming up with the concept in 2019, Darin spent the subsequent years studying, researching, writing, and enlisting the help of trainers, breeders, and rescues to make this project a reality.

Raja Rajcic

Raja was a software engineer by training, graduating from MIT with dual degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. He then went into consulting, joining Accenture’s global Security practice, focused on clients in Financial Services and Private Equity. There, he helped many of the world’s largest financial institutions manage a growing portfolio of cybersecurity risks. He has also worked at several tech startups that span hardware, software, and machine learning, including EMBR Labs, Hosta Labs, and Purlwise. His affinity for dogs began as a child, growing up with an ‘odd couple’ – the rambunctious MinPin Jenna and placid mix Sandy.

Paul Deschamps

Paul has been a professional trainer for 20 years. Prior to that, he started his career in rescue, extracting and rehabilitating dogs from dog-fight rings around Boston. As a trainer he’s served in numerous roles, including treating severe reactivity and aggression, consulting for law enforcement, training therapy and service dogs, and coaching national and international sport competitors in PSA, Ringsport, IGP, Competition Obedience, and more. He is a teacher and advocate of science-based training, drawing from themes of ethology, neuroscience, and learning theory, with an emphasis on using play as a motivator. He continues to teach dozens of seminars and workshops each year nationally. His passion is owner education, believing the path to better outcomes for dogs is through a more informed and thoughtful owner. His training philosophy is to understand, respect and work within your dog’s biological needs and imperatives while always considering emotions, motivation, and clarity.

Corinne Leary

Corinne is the owner of Nine-To-Five-Canines in Boston, MA, where she has trained hundreds of dogs for more than 8 years, with an emphasis on helping companion dog owners manage behavioral challenges, particularly in urban settings. Corinne started her training career at WVU, where she received her BA in Animal Science & Nutrition. Afterwards she joined the Hearts of Gold program, starting by training service dogs for mobility assistance and PTSD and eventually rising to become a Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT) instructor. In addition to client training, she is passionate about broader owner education, running a social media effort to address common challenges and concerns for pet dog owners, helping them better understand – one tip at a time – how to look at their dog. Her motto is “train, communicate, bond” – three essential, interlocking elements of a mutually healthy and rewarding life for you and your dog.

Mia Speciale

Mia is a professional show handler, companion dog trainer, dog photographer, and conservation breeder, and has been working with dogs since she started doing Conformation Shows with 4H at 7 years old. After receiving her BS in Animal Science at the University of Rhode Island, Mia continued in professional handling, and has shown well over 100 different dogs at over 300 shows nationally, including her own 2022 #3 nationally ranked Ibizan hound and over 20 grand champions. She has shown and placed in groups at some of the nation’s most prestigious shows, including Westminster, the AKC National Championship, the National Dog Show, and breed-specific specialties. Mia has also been professionally training companion dogs for 4 years at K9 Connection, a facility in Rhode Island; is developing an Ibizan Hound conservation breeding program; and runs a dog photography business on the side (including taking many of the photos on this site!).

Jan Ritter

Jan has nearly 20 years of professional training experience, specializing in sports (obedience, nose work, and protection sports) and companion dog training. She co-founded the German Shepherd Rescue of New England – the first GSD rescue in the region – acting as its first president, establishing its standards and procedures, and directing the GSNRE Foster program for over a decade. In her career, Jan has taught hundreds of classes in companion obedience and dog sports. She competes both with her own dogs and others’, and has earned every top title and competed nationally in Obedience (AKC and CDSP), Nose Work (AKC, PSD, USCSS, and NACSW), Shutzhund and French Ring. She is currently a staff trainer with the MSPCA, one the nation’s oldest Humane societies.

Steve Basson

With over two decades of experience and accomplishment at the highest levels of competitive Agility and Obedience, Steve is an exceptionally accomplished trainer and handler. He was the 2023 National Champion in AKC Agility (24”) and the 2024 Westminster Agility Champion (24″), capping off a long list of other Championships, Titles, and accomplishments, including top wins at nearly every major national show and invitational. Steve is also an active leader and volunteer in the community, acting as Treasurer of Talcott Mountain Agility, Treasurer of the Yankee Weimaraner Club, and Chair of dozens of Agility trials, including the 2023 Thanksgiving Cluster.

Bob Vetere

After a prolific career in corporate law, including stints in Director and General Counsel positions at several large enterprises, Bob spent over 16 years as President and CEO of the APPA (American Pet Product Association), the largest trade association in the pet world representing over 1200 individual brands and manufacturers. Under his stewardship the APPA grew to become not only the standard source of insight and collaboration in the industry, but also one of the leading generators of research into our ever-evolving relationship with our pets.

Sarah Edwards

Sarah Edwards is a CDTK-certified (a CCPDT-derived program) dog trainer and founder of a successful dog walking & training company in the seacoast, NH area. Professionally training since 2015, she now splits her time between working with dogs directly and coaching other professionals in starting and running dog businesses. Her training philosophy emphasizes a positive dog/handler relationship, with a focus on confidence, self-regulation, and relaxation training to help dogs thrive in our very human world. You can learn more about her work on her blog, Happy Howl.

Donna D. Savoie

Donna has been a professional trainer for nearly 20 years, founding, owning, and running the Pack of Paws training facility in Charlton, MA, where she and her team have helped hundreds of owners and dogs. Passionate about not only teaching but learning, Donna has been active in exploring and shaping the community’s discourse on ethical training practices: she was a board member of the IAABC, in addition to holding current and former certifications from CPDT, ACDBC, APDT, BATI (Behavior Adjustment Therapy Instruction), and others. She is also highly active in dog sports, competing in Obedience, Agility, and Canine Freestyle.

Katie Shea

A trainer out of Boston, MA, Katie started in the world of dogs as a 16 yr old working in a grooming salon, where her love for animals was sparked. She went on to get her B.S. in Veterinary Technology, where she observed many owners coming to the vet office struggling to understand, voice, and manage their dogs’ behavioral challenges. That led her to build her own practice serving companion dog owners, with emphases on helping clients manage reactivity sustainably and on keeping dogs in healthy physical shape, in addition to teaching foundations like leash skills, puppy classes, and the use of play. She is passionate about bully breeds and is active in the GRC dog sport community where Katie competes with her 11 year old dogs Zeus and Vito. She believes in and teaches the power of play and how it can create and strengthen relationships between owners and their dogs, while also biologically fulfilling their dog through play-based training techniques.