Our Team
Stephanie Bennett
CPDT-KSA
Owner
Stephanie Bennett, CPDT-KSA, is considered one of Houston’s top dog trainers and behavioral experts, as well as one of the city’s most innovative dog education and enrichment entrepreneurs, helping to create balance between mind, body, and spirit.
Megan Gerfen
CPDT - KA
Senior Trainer
Megan always had a love for animals growing up. She would come home with toads, and turtles that she would find around her home in rural Illinois. Her love for animals grew with the cats and dogs that her family had throughout her childhood.
Alyssa Renteria
Puppy Day School Manager
Since a young age, Alyssa has always had a passion for both animals and teaching. Growing up she spent most of her time caring for her family pets which included an array of animals such as your average household pets, to farm animals, and exotics.
Joanna Covington
Operations Manager
Joanna was one of Believe in Dog Training’s first clients when the company was still a concept in Stephanie Bennett’s head. She feels incredibly lucky to have joined the Believe in Dog client family so early with her reactive dog, River.
D'Ondra McGee
Assistant Manager
D’Ondra, a Houston native, brings her big love for dogs and years of leadership experience to the BIDT team. Her journey began over a decade ago, when she and her Australian Shepherd, Kala, attended a series of puppy classes with Stephanie Bennett.
Roxanna Taylor
Office Manager
Roxanna is thrilled to be a part of the Believe in Dog Training team. She is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a BFA in Theatre Studies. She joined the pet care industry in 2018 while finishing her degree and loved the animals and the people.
Valerie Morales, CPDT-KA
Puppy Day School Teacher/Trainer
Valerie’s appreciation for dog training started her freshman year of high school when she started volunteering with Guide Dogs for the Blind. She raised and took care of puppies from the time they were 8 weeks old until they were around 15 months, providing them with socialization experiences and teaching them good manners while at home and in public.
Jessica Valadez
Puppy Day School Teacher/Receptionist
Jessica grew up with pets and volunteered at shelters in high school for fun. She always knew she wanted to work with animals in some way. When she got her first dog on her own, Juliet, an adorable pug, she watched positive reinforcement training videos online to teach basic obedience.
Kate Janse van Rensburg
CPDT-KA
Trainer / Puppy Day School Teacher
Kate Janse van Rensburg hails from Houston, TX and has had a deep love of animals her whole life. From a very young age, she was the one who trained all the family pets in everything from basic obedience and potty training to swimming pool safety!
Sam Scivally
Puppy Day School Teacher
Sam's love for dogs inspired her to become a dog trainer, a career she has excelled at for four years. Her passion for training deepened after observing dog communication and body language in doggie daycare. This experience sparked her curiosity about how dogs communicate with humans and their environment.
Maya Cano
Puppy Day School Teacher
Bio Coming Soon!
Morgan Bayard
Puppy Day School Teacher/Trainer
Morgan, a Northern California native, recently relocated to Houston, bringing with her a lifelong passion for animals. Growing up in California, she knew early on that her future would revolve around working with animals.
Marlena Escalante
Puppy Day School Teacher
Marlena’s journey with animals began in 2018, when she started fostering puppies on euthanasia lists. Her dedication to rescuing and rehabilitating animals followed her across continents, even as her husband’s military service brought them to South Korea.
Pedram Shariatmadari CPDT-KA
Puppy Day School Teacher
Coming from a place where dogs aren’t treated with the same level of care as in the U.S., Pedram’s passion for working with animals took root quickly after moving to America. In 2020, his cousin invited him to join him at a pet resort, sparking his career in the pet industry as an activity counselor.
Katelyn Bleiweiss
Trainer
Katelyn is a native Houstonian and lifelong dog-lover. Though she works in mental health full time, her passion is dog training (there’s a lot of overlap in mental health and dog training philosophies)!
Ashley Jozwiak
CPDT-KA
Trainer
Like other employees, Ashley was a client before coming to work with the Believe in Dog team. After a private training session and a group class, she was a believer. She is forever grateful for the way the Believe in Dog team helped Monte, her rescue, come out of his shell and build his confidence. As a foster and volunteer with K-9 Angels Rescue, she has experience working with dogs from a variety of backgrounds.
Wendy Pedraza
Social Media Specialist
Wendy is a devoted dog mom who loves creating and capturing memories as she road-trips all over the United States with her husband and dogs. She believes that it's up to you to show your pups the world and expose them to different environments as long as they're comfortable, healthy, and happy. She stumbled upon Believe in Dog Training after extensive research, trying to find training that aligned with her belief in positive practices while strengthening the bond with her pups.
Savannah Miller
Retail Specialist
Savannah grew up in North Carolina and developed a love for dogs early in life. Surrounded by animals as a child, she has always been passionate about them. Two years ago, she relocated to Houston, Texas, where she found her new home. Before joining Believe in Dog, Savannah worked remotely as a marketing assistant but was seeking a career change. When she discovered the opportunity at Believe in Dog, she knew it was the perfect fit!
Barbara Petty
Caretaker
Born in Germany, Barbara grew up surrounded by animals, which became an integral part of her upbringing. From dogs and cats to a beloved parakeet named Mucki, who often perched on her shoulder, her childhood was filled with companionship and joy.
Kate Gordon
CPDT-KA
Receptionist/Trainer
Kate was an early client of Believe In Dog after rescuing an anxious puppy off the street. Already the owner of a leash reactive standard poodle, Peaches, her interest and drive to learn about canine behavior and training is strong!