Khara owns The Doggie Spot, LLC in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and is a NACSW™ Certifying Official and Judge. Khara’s love of K9 Nose Work started in 2010 at the APDT Conference in Atlanta. She flew to California in 2011 for workshops, seminars, and to volunteer at trials, hence starting her personal and professional CNWI journey. Khara started teaching K9 Nose Work in 2011 and still teaches today.
Khara has run a variety of dogs in K9 Nose Work. Cooper, her first dog as a professional handler, got washed out of the program at the age of 18 months due to environmental sensitivity leading to reactivity. "Super Duper Cooper" became the dog who started her competing in Nose Work. In 2017 Cooper retired from competition after earning his ELT1. Over the years, Khara has run a variety of dogs in K9 Nose Work. Currently, her little pup, Winnie (ACD/Bassett, Dashund, Beagle, Rottie mix) is learning the art of following her nose and will soon start her new adventure competing in K9 Nose Work.
Khara is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge and Skills Assessed (CPDT-KSA), a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), a member of the Animal Behavior Society, and a member of the North American Police Working Dog Association (NAPWDA), National Network of Canine Detection Services, and a lifetime member of National Association for Search and Rescue.
Khara’s household includes: 6 rescue dogs, 2 human remains detection dogs, three rescue cats, one donkey, chickens, one goat, one rescue paint horse, a herd of Dorper sheep, and one VERY patient husband. Khara has a strong belief that, “Humans need to listen more to what the animals are telling us and learn to work with them not against them."