Debbie Shoener MacDonald, CPDT (Owner, Dog Trainer & Behavior Consultant)

Debbie has been training dogs professionally for over 50 years. During that time, she has worked with over 20,000 dogs, both in private and group situations. She was a former competitor in the AKC obedience ring, where she earned several titles. She also participated in the sport of Schutzhund, where she earned the highly coveted Schutzhund III title with two of her dogs and competed in 2 regional championships.  She originally started her career working with local police departments and security dogs, then later started serving the general public with their family pets. Debbie is currently a Canine Search Specialist with FEMA.  Her and her German Shepherd Dogs, Zakk and Hawke, certified disaster dogs, are members of the PA-TF1 (Pennsylvania Task Force 1). Together they are one of 255 teams serving the United States in disaster situations. Debbie is also a member of NADOI (National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors). She is a certified as a “Pet Dog Trainer” by the CCPDT (Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers). She is also a professional member of the IACP (International Association of Canine Professionals). Debbie is certified in Canine CPR by the Red Cross.

Shirley Miyahara, CPDT (Dog Trainer/Agility Instructor)

Shirley has been training dogs personally for over 20 years. She has competed in the AKC obedience ring and in the sport of Schutzhund with her dogs. She has earned titles in both rings and is now competing in the Agility ring with her dog Scout. Shirley has been working at Canine Academy since 2000. She is a member of APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers). She is also certified as a “Pet Dog Trainer” by the CCPDT (Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers). Shirley is certified in Canine CPR by the Red Cross and is an American Kennel Club CGC (Canine Good Citizen) evaluatior.

Carole Davis (Groomer and Office Personnel)

Carole joined Canine Academy’s staff after retiring from the Grooming Industry after 35 years. She has owned and operated the “Grooming Shoppe” in Bensalem for 33 years. She was also involved in many rescue organizations and is a long time member of Philadelphia Sheltie Rescue and Brandywine Shetland Sheepdog Club. She is currently involved with other dog clubs and dog activities. She has been working with her own Shelties for several years in Obedience, Rally, Fly Ball, Nose work and Agility. She has attended various classes over the years in all aspects of dog related issues including health, nutrition, grooming and training. I am certified in canine CPR by the Red Cross. Now that I am retired, I am happy to have the opportunity to be working with dogs and helping out in the office at Canine Academy.

Lauren Jones (Office Manager)

Lauren  has been working here for 17 years.  She brought her first dog, Heidi here when she was in high school for training and continued onto agility. She started working for us in daycare and later went on to become a receptionist.  She now runs the daily operations of the office. She is an essential part of our Canine Academy family.  She is married and has a 5 year old daughter, Aubrey.  She enjoys hanging out with her family and playing Playstation. She really loves working at Canine Academy!

Lisa Woodard CNWI (Certified Nose Work Instructor)

Lisa has had dogs most of her life, training several of them for CGC and therapy certification as well as obedience and agility.  She attended her first scent work class at Canine Academy over three years ago and was hooked immediately. K9 Nose Work® created a bond with her dog that she had never experienced before. Learning to read and work with your dog while in their natural state of hunting and searching creates a special bond. That connection became a passion for her. Lisa enrolled in the K9 Nose Work® Instructor Certification program with the National Association of Canine Scent Work, LLC®, completing the course within a year. Receiving her CNWI certification in April 2018.

Lisa regularly attends K9 Nose Work® seminars to expand her knowledge of dogs in odor and coaching the handler to help students reach that level of connection with their dogs, whether as a fun activity with your best friend or preparing for trial competition.

Her golden retriever, Rowdy, has earned his Level 1 and Level 2 K9 Nose Work® titles in addition to several K9 Nose Work® Element titles.  Cody, another golden, has his Level I K9 Nose Work® title along with several element titles.

Lisa currently resides in Yardley, PA with her husband Matthew, also a nose work fan, and their two rescued Golden Retrievers- Rowdy and Cody. Both dogs have their CGC Titles (Canine Good Citizen) and are certified therapy dogs with Therapy Dogs International in addition to their nose work titles. She has two grown sons – one on the west coast and one on the east coast.  In addition to teaching K9 Nose Work® Lisa works full time as Director of Creative Services for Lenox Inc. and she enjoys hiking with her dogs. 

Bob Wharton (Dog Trainer)

Bob is a retired corporate controller and has a B.B.A. degree in accounting from Temple University. After retiring, he started a new chapter in his life of working with dogs. Today, Bob teaches basic and advanced dog obedience, AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program, Canine Good Citizen, therapy dog, and trick classes. He is also an American Kennel Club Approved Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, where he tests clients and their dogs for S.T.A.R. Puppy, Canine Good Citizen and Trick Dog awards and titles. Bob earned a certificate from Outstanding Pet Care Learning Center and has attended many dog training classes and seminars. He is a Professional Member of The International Association of Canine Professionals. His passion for training dogs came from a lifetime of training family dogs. Bob and his previous dog, Jackson had worked together as a therapy dog/handler team with Therapy Dogs International and Angel On A Leash. They had amassed over 1500 volunteer therapy dog visits to date. In 2015, he founded Therapy Dogs International Chapter #294 in Bucks County, PA and held the Office of Chapter Director. In 2019, Bob resigned from Therapy Dogs International and reestablished Angel On A Leash “America’s Therapy Dogs” and has held the office of President and is currently Emeritus Director. Bob currently has a Golden Retriever, Cooper, who is in training to become a therapy dog. Bob enjoys traveling with his wife and dog.

Nancy Andreas (Agility Instructor)

Nancy started out training and competing in several equestrian venues before she became involved in dog sports. She has had 30+ years of dog training experience and has attended many workshops and seminars over the years. Nancy has earned multiple titles in Obedience, Rally and Agility. She also has trained dogs in tracking and Nose work. Three of her dogs earned multiple international Canine Ninja titles (similar to today’s Parkour titles) and some have gone on to become Therapy Dogs, serving the Community. She was a member of Therapy Dogs International and is currently involved with Angels On A Leash. Nancy is a member of the National Brussels Griffon Club and she has fostered for them as well. She finds her job at Canine Academy very rewarding. She loves seeing what our dogs will do for us when trained with patience and love.

Matt Woodard CNWI (Certified Nose Work Instructor)

Matt started his Nose Work experience in 2016 training and trialing his Golden Retriever, Cody. Several years after retiring from a career in landscape and nursery contracting, he made nose work his full-time hobby, starting Gunner, another Golden, and getting his instructor certification (CNWI). Cody achieved his NACSW Elite Championship in 2023 and Gunner, at five years old, is just a few trials short of the same title. Matt and wife, Lisa also a CNWI are both very involved with hosting, organizing and officiating nose work trials. Matt believes that the sport of Nose Work is an exceptional way to develop a strong bond with your dog while challenging them mentally and building confidence. The opportunity to share this exciting dog sport with other canine handler teams through instruction is a very rewarding experience

Raegan M. Ruiz ANWI (Associate Nose Work Instructor)

Raegan has always had a love of working with dogs. Her earliest job was at puppy store providing care, feeding and general hygiene to puppies until they went to their forever homes. She has been involved in Nose work since 2019 when she began taking classes. Since then, the Nose Work bug bit her and she is currently trialing with her first Nose Work dog at the Elite level. She recently embarked on another Nose Work journey with her family’s newest rescue,,Kagan! While Raegan is new to the dog sport world and Nose Work instruction, she is no stranger to education. She has been teaching public school for over 20 years. Her background is music education, specializing in vocal music, with degrees from The College of New Jersey and Teachers College, Columbia University. Additionally, Raegan is a classically trained singer and works as a freelance professional singer in the Greater Philadelphia area. Raegan lives in Langhorne, PA with her wife, Susan (who also enjoys NW), their daughter and three favorite herders, Sonia and Bador (Australian Shepherds) and Kagan (Pembroke Corgi).