The Specialty Dog Training™ Pack

Graham Bloem

Graham is the Founder, CEO and Training Director of Specialty Dog Training™. He is the proud recipient of the 10News Leadership Award, Waggy Award for Animal Welfare, American Red Cross Real Heroes Award, Honeywell Life Safety Award presented by Larry King and CBS8 News Change It Up Award for community leadership. Graham has 19+ years of dog training experience throughout the West Coast;  from running rescue organizations to managing and directing pet resorts, helping dogs and their owners better understand one another and rehabilitating dogs that otherwise did not have a chance. Graham specializes in all levels of obedience training, as well as dog behavior, aggression cases, service dog training, consulting and public speaking. Graham, his wife Kyrie and fellow dog lover and friend, Krys Holc, founded Shelter to Soldier, a CA 501c3 nonprofit that supports our veterans suffering from combat-related PTSD by placing service trained rescue dogs at no charge.

Kyrié Bloem

Kyrie is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Specialty Dog Training™ and Shelter to Soldier. She has a Bachelors Degree in Biology and Spanish, and a Masters Degree in Nutritional Sciences. Kyrié is a passionate dog rescue and veteran advocate who works behind the scenes helping run the business. Kyrié is constantly in motion working in all facets of our organizations, with a key focus on community partnerships and development. She is someone that wears many hats well and is an asset.

Nicky Moore

Director of Dog Training & Operations

Nicky is our Director of Operations and a graduate of Animal Behavior College’s Professional Dog Training Certification program. Originally from Cincinnati, OH, Nicky has a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Management. After years of training her own dogs, pet-sitting, and working with animals at a veterinary hospital, she decided to transition her lifelong love of dogs, and over 10 years of customer service experience into a dog training and leadership career.  Nicky is a talented dog trainer and excellent leader with a wealth of knowledge in this field. When she’s not leading this pack, she loves training and hiking with her Dutch Shepherd, Bodhi and Pocket Pittie, Swayze.

Cassie Bostrom                          

Kennel Supervisor & Dog Trainer

Cassie has worked in the animal care industry for 5 years, and has been with SDT for over 3 years, starting with us as an Animal Care Technician. She now manages the animal care team in the daily essential care for each dog at our facility, and she always takes the time to give extra TLC to our pups. Cassie is very knowledgeable about dog health and wellness, grooming and behavior, which makes her an excellent resource for our care team. When she’s not managing the care of the dogs at our facility, Cassie loves spending time with her family, including her two dogs, a dachshund named Athena, and a mixed breed rescue pup named Harley.

Krystyna Holc

Krys is the Vice President and CFO of Goodsell and Company CPA firm, Co-Founder of CA 501c3 nonprofit Shelter to Soldier and an asset on our financial advisory team for Specialty Dog Training™.

Krys has a 45 pound rescue German Shepherd mix named Tumble that she adores.  Her elite financial services help our companies stay on task, follow budgeting guidelines and assist us in reaching our financial goals.

Graham Bloem

Graham is the Founder, CEO and Training Director of Specialty Dog Training™. He is the proud recipient of the 10News Leadership Award, Waggy Award for Animal Welfare, American Red Cross Real Heroes Award, Honeywell Life Safety Award presented by Larry King and CBS8 News Change It Up Award for community leadership. Graham has 19+ years of dog training experience throughout the West Coast;  from running rescue organizations to managing and directing pet resorts, helping dogs and their owners better understand one another and rehabilitating dogs that otherwise did not have a chance. Graham specializes in all levels of obedience training, as well as dog behavior, aggression cases, service dog training, consulting and public speaking. Graham, his wife Kyrie and fellow dog lover and friend, Krys Holc, founded Shelter to Soldier, a CA 501c3 nonprofit that supports our veterans suffering from combat-related PTSD by placing service trained rescue dogs at no charge.

Nicky Moore

Director of Dog Training & Operations

Nicky is our Director of Operations and a graduate of Animal Behavior College’s Professional Dog Training Certification program. Originally from Cincinnati, OH, Nicky has a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Management. After years of training her own dogs, pet-sitting, and working with animals at a veterinary hospital, she decided to transition her lifelong love of dogs, and over 10 years of customer service experience into a dog training and leadership career.  Nicky is a talented dog trainer and excellent leader with a wealth of knowledge in this field. When she’s not leading this pack, she loves training and hiking with her Dutch Shepherd, Bodhi and Pocket Pittie, Swayze.

Vince Martell

Vince started in the dog industry in 2014 after moving to San Diego from Philadelphia, PA. Starting off as an animal care attendant, he quickly advanced to the role of doggie daycare supervisor. Vince then transitioned the knowledge of dog behavior that he gained in the kennel, to a career in dog training. He has worked with police K9’s, pet dog obedience training, behavioral programs and training assistance dogs with our non-profit organization, Shelter to Soldier. Vince is a graduate of Animal Behavior College’s Professional Dog Training Certification program. Vince has a deep passion for dogs and this industry and that shows every day in his work.

• Vince is experienced in handling, decoying and caring for working K9s, pet dogs and service dogs.

Rebekah Manning

Bekah is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where she was a Military Police Officer, and a Military Working Dog Handler.  As a Military Working Dog handler and trainer, Bekah specialized in narcotic and explosive detection, advanced obedience, protection and apprehension. While working as a MWD handler, she worked with local law enforcement and government agencies such as the Secret Service.  Bekah has brought her experience and passion to our team and has a knack for reading dogs and is an asset in our obedience, behavioral, service and working dog programs. In her time off, Bekah enjoys fitness training, and spending time with her husband and their two German Shepherds, Bailey and Callie.

• Bekah brings years of experience handling and training Military Working Dogs (MWDs) for the US Marine Corps 
• Worked with the Secret Service, Law Enforcement, and DoD

Garick Stenseth

Garick is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where he was a Military Police Officer, and a Military Working Dog Handler. As a Military Working Dog handler and trainer, Garick specialized in narcotic and explosive detection, combat tracking, advanced obedience, and protection/apprehension work. While working as a MWD handler, Garick has worked with local/foreign law enforcement and government agencies such as the Secret Service. When not training pups, Garick spends his time in the outdoors, in the gym, and working towards becoming a professional pilot.

• Garick brings years of experience handling and training Military Working Dogs (MWDs) for the US Marine Corps in both combat tracking and Explosive detection.
• And has worked with the Secret Service, both Local and foreign Law Enforcement, and the DoD.

Cassie Bostrom                          

Kennel Supervisor & Dog Trainer

Cassie has worked in the animal care industry for 5 years, and has been with SDT for over 3 years, starting with us as an Animal Care Technician. She now manages the animal care team in the daily essential care for each dog at our facility, and she always takes the time to give extra TLC to our pups. Cassie is very knowledgeable about dog health and wellness, grooming and behavior, which makes her an excellent resource for our care team. When she’s not managing the care of the dogs at our facility, Cassie loves spending time with her family, including her two dogs, a dachshund named Athena, and a mixed breed rescue pup named Harley.

Krystal Graves

Krystal began her dog training journey shortly after graduating from Virginia Military Institute with an English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic studies degree in 2020. Originally from a smalltown in New Mexico, Krystal fell in love with working dogs by interning at a local kennel one summer. During the fall of 2020, Krystal decided to further her education in dog training at Tarheel Canine Inc. in North Carolina, where she received a Professional Trainer Certificate. At Tarheel, Krystal focused her studies on detection, tracking, and apprehension canines, taking a special interest in personal protection and police K9s. This also gave Krystal a strong foundation in obedience, in part due to the rigorous training structure and the opportunity to be exposed to upwards of 50 dogs during her time there. When not training, Krystal enjoys working out, the outdoors, and any activity involving her two dogs, Hektor (the Malinois) and Tyr (the German Shepherd). 

Hunter “Rex” O’Brien

Rex is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where he was a Military Police Officer, and a Military Working Dog Handler. As a Military Working Dog handler and trainer, Rex specialized in narcotic and explosive detection, advanced obedience, and protection/apprehension work. While working as a MWD handler, Rex has worked with local/foreign law enforcement and government agencies such as the Secret Service. When not training pups, Rex spends his free time surfing, and in the gym.

Rex brings the experience of Decoying for protection and apprehension work with DOD, Local and State Police Agencies, and Federal agencies.

Zach Devaney

Zachary is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where he worked as both a Military Police Office and Military Working Dog Handler/Trainer. As a Military Working Dog Trainer, Zachary specialized in explosive and narcotics detection, advanced obedience and special law enforcement tactics, and protection/suspect apprehension. While working as an MWD Handler, Zachary has accumulated countless hours of utilization and training for his MWD, as well as provided support for local law enforcement and other agencies including the United States Secret Service. When not training dogs, Zachary enjoys his free time surfing, skateboarding, powerlifting, and further expanding his knowledge of the K9 psyche.

• Zachary brings years of experience handling and training Military Working Dogs (MWDs) for the US Marine Corps in both suspect apprehension, VIP protection, and Explosive detection.
• And has worked with the United States Secret Service, Local Law Enforcement, and the DoD

Callie Espinoza

Enrollment Advisor & Client Care Specialist

Callie began her employment with Specialty Dog Training as a front desk receptionist with a passion for dogs, but very little knowledge of their behavior. Through study, mentorship and hands on training, she has developed a wealth of understanding of dogs and uses this knowledge to consult with clients to help them in the first steps of establishing a training plan for their dog. Outside of work Callie enjoys caring for her plants and spending time with her Cavalier King Charles named Lady.

Ashley Settles

Animal Care Technician

Ashley has been working with dogs professionally since May of 2018. However, she has always had dogs in her life, and helped her parents breed and raise cattle dogs growing up. She has one dog of her own, a rescued mixed breed named Scout. In her free time, Ashley attends college and plays soccer at Holy Names University.

Andres Orozco

Lead Animal Care Technician

Andres has been caring for dogs for over 2 years with Specialty Dog Training. He loves spending time with the dogs and watching how curious they are about life and their surroundings. In his free time he enjoys skateboarding. Dogs and skating mean the world to him.

Sydney Frye

Lead Animal Care Technician

Sydney has a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science which she uses in overseeing the daily health and wellness of all the dogs in our care. She has worked in the animal care industry for over 4 years, and enjoys the companionship and love that comes from caring for animals. Sydney has 3 rescue dogs of her own at home, including her personal service dog Presley. When she’s not providing excellent care for our dogs in training, you can find Sydney spending time with her husband, Blake, an active duty US Marine and their dogs!

Hector Delgado

Lead Animal Care Technician

Lead Animal Care Technician:  Hector is a lifelong animal lover, personally owning and caring for dogs, bunnies, fish and other animals.  He has transferred this love of animals into caring for each of the dogs in our facility as if they were one of his own.  When he’s not on-site ensuring the wellbeing of our pups, you can find him giving just as much care and attention to his other love in life.. his truck.

Eva Stimson

Eva is a very welcomed addition to our pack! Eva is the Public Relations Director for Shelter to Soldier and Specialty Dog Training™. Eva specializes in strategic partnerships and helps share the mission of each of our corporate sponsors with local and national media outlets.

Eva Stimson is an award winning marketing communications specialist and is President of EMS Marketing Consulting, Inc., headquartered in Rancho Santa Fe, California.