04/18/2026
A special thanks to our guest evaluator
Nikki Gonzales is involved with Tri-State Kennel Club in 2019 after realizing my young Doberman (Raijū) and baby American Staffordshire Terrier (Orion) were ganging up on me. I quickly adopted the mentality that “Dogs need Jobs”, and set out to learn how to keep them busy working. Starting with assisting classes, I moved on to teaching and became a CGC evaluator. Orion began showing conformation in both AKC and UKC, and we all started learning about Rally. Since then, we have also competed in Weight Pull, Fast CAT, DASH, Scent Work, Agility, and Obedience.
In 2023 a rescue Boxer/Pit mix joined our pack. We named him Stitch. Stitch and I attended reactive dog training and I learned a lot about reading a dog’s body language and how to handle reactivity. Stitch has been able to earn his CGC, participate in group Fit Dog walks, and participate in group training in Scent Work and Rally.
In 2024 Orion jumped off a dog walk and injured his hip. Orion and I met a rehabilitation and sports medicine veterinarian in the area, and learned about canine physical therapy and exercises. Orion recovered well because he was already a physically fit dog, and this led me to become a supporter of the AKC Fit Dog program and the associated classes to teach canine exercises. I have recently become a Fit Dog instructor, and was involved in the kennel club becoming an AKC Fit Dog Club.
Additionally, I have served on the Board of Directors, including as President, brought the AKC Temperament Test to our annual Conformation show, and am currently working with a group to bring Weight Pull to SWMO. I also serve on the Scent Work, Conformation, Fetch, and ATT committees and assist with planning those events.
