Steve started his dog training career over 25 years ago, and since then, he’s worked with some of the best dog trainers in the world. He was given the honor to join the famous Miami-Dade County Urban Search and Rescue team FLTF1 in 1998, and he served on that team for 19 years as a canine specialist until his retirement.  During that time, he was deployed all over the world to unimaginable disasters, such as the Turkey earthquake in 1999 and the Haiti earthquake in 2010.  Steve also spent over 10 years as a FEMA evaluator, evaluating some of the best urban search and rescue dogs in the country. For two years he was the lead instructor for the canine specialist course for the state of Florida. He served with a team of veterinarians as a subject matter expert in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, advising on procedures to rescue animals left behind in disasters. His passion is working dogs, especially puppies, where he concentrates on establishing a good foundation, primarily utilizing marker training. He has worked with sport dogs, odor detection dogs (including diabetic alert dogs), and many USAR dogs. He is experienced in every aspect of animal training, from working with household pets to the highest level of working dogs. He has trained with agencies all over the country, including fire departments, law enforcement, military, and federal urban search and rescue teams. After 27 years working for Palm Beach County Fire Rescue as a firefighter/paramedic, he retired and moved just outside of Montgomery, where he continues to train dogs.