MEET OUR TEAM
Karah Wilkes, CPDT-KA, CGC Evaluator, Fear Free Certified Professional
OWNER/ TRAINER
Born and raised in DFW, Karah has been an animal lover all of her life. She has worked professionally with animals since 2006, as a veterinary assistant, pet sitter, dog walker, daycare attendant, and most importantly, a trainer.
She began training at a local pet store in 2015, and just 2 years later became certified through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. She then left the pet store and started Diamond Dogs. She also interned and worked with MADE in Texas Assistance Dogs until they closed in 2019.
After MADE, Karah focused solely on Diamond Dogs and learning more about behavior modification. She continued training service dogs for awhile, but soon realized that working with pet dogs was her love and forte.
Karah has a passion for learning, especially about dog behavior, and knows that continued education is extremely important in this field. She attends various seminars, workshops, and conferences every year, and also loves reading training and behavior books when she can.
Lindsay Feliu, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Certified Professional, Family Paws Educator
TRAINER
Lindsay began her training journey by earning a BS in Biology at the University of Louisiana. This led to volunteering at the local zoo in Monroe, Louisiana, where she found out she had a knack for zoo keeping. She was later offered a job there, and spent 3 years working with a wide variety of species of mammals, birds, and reptiles.
In 2019 she had the privilege of working with a fellow exotic animal trainer at an aquarium that noticed her natural training talent and began to mentor her. Because the animals they worked with were all naturally bite risks, behavior modification was necessary in order for them to learn to be handled for vet exams or interactions safely. This led to her huge love of behavior modification.
After leaving the aquarium due to COVID, she did what many of us did and got a dog. Being a trainer at heart with plenty of time on her hands, she went all out with puppy training. That puppy ended up having some trouble with resource guarding. Fortunately, she still had her mentor around to help her modify Tina’s behavior.
She soon began assisting at service dog training outings with Diamond Dogs and realized she loved training dogs more than otters or primates. Since then, she has become certified with the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, and is now a full time trainer with Diamond Dogs. She continues to learn through literature, workshops and seminars, conferences, and from other trainers.
Hannah Alsup, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Certified Professional, CGC Evaluator
TRAINER
Hannah went to school for and earned degrees in animal behavior and psychology in 2018, at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She always knew she wanted to work with animals, but didn't know in what way. Early on, she worked at a doggy daycare and boarding facility, did pet sitting, and worked at zoo and marine life facility camps. But, it wasn't until her internship at the local humane society, in college, that she fell in love with dog training.
She received a dog training position in Texas before school was over, so she rushed back home to start work. There she learned the basics of training group classes, and working on puppy and adult dog basic and advanced manners.
She also started getting into some sports training, such as nosework, agility, and rally, while working at the facility. She went on to work at a few other facilities in the area, gaining more knowledge and skills at each one, eventually earning her CPDT-KA in 2020.
She now spends her time doing pet sitting and working with Diamond Dogs, gaining more knowledge through fellow trainers, continued education, and earning new certifications. She especially loves helping fearful dogs become more confident and working on reactivity, and has focused much of her continuing education on these subjects.
Rebecca Crump
PET SITTER/DOG WALKER
Rebecca has been a life-long lover of dogs and cats, She even brought her cat back to the states with her from Italy, after a three-year tour with her military husband. She spend 40 years living on three acres in central Texas with her family, and a varied collection of pets, including rabbits, cats, and many dogs - five at one point!
Recently, Rebecca has moved to Arlington with her daughter, to be closer to her two sons and their families, which also include 3 dogs. She enjoys helping her family out by doing drop-in visits to play with their puppy while everyone is at work and school.
Rebecca and her daughter adopted 2 dogs from local shelters, and they enjoy showering them with love. Rebecca even spent a year working with Diamond Dogs, to help her reactive dog become more calm on walks.
Rebecca loves being outdoors and exploring her new city. She takes her dog, Leila, on daily walks around the neighborhood and in new parks when she can.
