Meet the Team!
We are delighted to introduce you to our meet the team page! Whether you are purchasing a dog from us or embarking on your training journey there are so many factors that make us great at what we do, but a major key being our fabulous team members who will go above and beyond to make sure your experience with us is delivered to the highest standard.
Mariah
Head trainer, dog handler & canine behavioural practitioner​
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Mariah first set up Mk9 protection dogs after being inspired by her parents lifelong dedication to dog training as a hobby, long before it became a trend or a fashion on social media, her family starting off first in the show world exhibiting German shepherd dogs in 1994 until the early 2000's and moving on to working dogs from then up to date, mainly participating in the sport of IGP (formerly known as Schutzhund).
Mariah's dad training with some of the worlds most elite dog trainers and representing team Great Britain at WUSV world championships a commendable 2x with his late female GSD Dajana & Mariah's mum a qualified canine nutritionist and dog groomer who has played a vital part in the conditioning and upkeep of there competition dogs over the years.
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In 2016 Mariah rescued a Bosnian import Dobermann, Saxon who further inspired Mariah to pursue her love and passion for training dogs as he had been in the United Kingdom 5 months and had been rehomed 6 times as he had a bite history and was labelled a 'danger to society' & was therefore set to be euthanised until Mariah was approached by the kennels to assist.
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Mariah fell in love with Saxon and rehabilitated him entirely to be her stooge & demo dog. Saxon passed away at the grand age of 12 in November 2025 and left a huge hole in Mariah's heart, but as a promise to him, saxons legacy will live on in everything the MK9 team achieve.
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Mariah is not only a professional dog trainer, with many accolades under her belt such as extensive training experience over the years specialising in behaviour modification, diplomas in canine psychology and veterinary medicine to name a few, but was also collectively nominated for and WON the Animal star awards, working dog of the year award in 2025 as well as being a NASDU certified security Dog handler.
James
Kennel Operations manager & Dog Handler
James career in dog handling is a fairly fresh and new one, after dedicating 9 years to the British Army specifically the royal artillery James decided he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather (a military veteran dog​ handler).
Unfortunately James found the window of opportunity very slim in the army for this position so decided to reach out to MK9 and well, the rest is history!
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James is also a security dog handler & is heavily involved in the day to day runnings here at MK9, James is also a trainee decoy & dog trainer.
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Lucas
Kennel Assistant
Meet Lucas, one of our trusty kennel assistants, without these guys we would be nothing. Lucas started off as a volunteer in the summer months in 2021 whilst in college and fast became part of our permanent team. Lucas owns a rescue dog who we have assisted in retraining as a medical alert dog, something Lucas thoroughly enjoyed participating in. He enjoys, working closely with the dogs and ensuring the comfort and wellbeing of each dog is upheld to the highest standard.
