Beth Russell, RN
Founder, President

Beth, the founder of Freedom Dogs, is a certified service dog trainer, lead trainer for Freedom Dogs, and a registered critical care nurse.

In addition to training assistance dogs, Beth’s animal training career has included the training of multiple family pets, including dogs, cats, stray wild birds, chickens, horses, and several goats. Given her love of finding new and creative ways to teach animals new skills, the transition to training assistance dogs was a natural evolution.

Peggy Poore, Executive Director, Lead Trainer

Peggy joined Freedom Dogs after attending a dog training seminar hosted by the organization. A breeder of Labradors for many years, and daughter to a WWII Air Force Captain, she saw the program as a perfect fit to combine her love of dogs and her support for the US Military and Wounded Warriors. Moved deeply by the transformation she saw in the participants because of the relationship between the dog, the Marine, and the trainers, she committed to donating puppies, serving as a trainer, and giving presentations to raise awareness and provide education regarding Freedom Dogs’ unique program. Her desire is to broaden the program's reach to include other branches of the Military and aid those in the VA.

Jeanne Behrendt

A few years after receiving her bachelor’s degree, a life-long love for animals drew Jeanne back to school to get a degree and a license in Animal Health. That led to a career in research, but she always longed to work with dogs. That, along with a love and admiration for the military, made Freedom Dogs the perfect fit for her. 

She is a certified trainer, making her a valuable part of the Freedom Dogs training team, which she has been a part of since 2012.

“I love the fact that I get to work with these amazing animals and make a difference in the lives of these Marines, who have sacrificed so much, and benefit from these four-legged heroes. It’s an honor and a privilege to be a part of the Freedom Dogs family.”

Jan Greenberg

As a child, Jan had always had an affinity towards animals. She received her BS in Psychology in 1972. 

Since 2006, she has been a member of Therapy Dog International. She has worked with several dogs doing Therapy Dog work, including being certified to having a two-dog team at a local Retirement/Assisted Living facility and a local Chemotherapy Treatment Center.

She has trained her own personal Mobility Service Dog, which helps give her a lot of practical training experience. 

Susan Miller

Before taking time to raise a family, Susan owned an HR consulting company focused on recruiting and corporate training. After adopting several dogs with behavior and training issues, she decided to educate herself on humane dog training methods to help out at a local animal shelter. 

Along with her business education, she holds certifications in dog training and behavior canine consulting from the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers. She is certified as a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, AKC CGC Evaluator, and an ADI accredited specialty service dog trainer. She is also an owner/trainer for a small dog training business. 

She has been with Freedom Dogs since 2016 and currently leads the weekly training classes for our trainers and participants.

Cathy Matson

Cathy is a Senior Trainer who is involved in all aspects of our work: raising and training puppies, training her own dog as a partner dog, training partner-for-life dogs, working with Marines during their training and after they transition to civilian life, as well as caring for our older dogs who need assistance with specific problems. Her home is always open to trainers and dogs, as well as current and former Marines and their dogs. Cathy has worked with multiple participants and transitioned several.

Tom Stanson

Tom has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, worked as a Holistic Health Practitioner, Health/Wellness Coach & Teacher for 25 years, and is currently semi-retired. His quest has always been to help people live longer and healthier lives. He also keeps busy part time as the writer/editor of a small community newsletter.

Two years ago, Tom lost his lab “Karma” to old age after 13 years. Perhaps Karma’s “karma” was to somehow lead him to be a trainer at Freedom Dogs. And perhaps working with these incredible animals will help some very deserving Wounded Warrior Marines live healthier lives.

Some hobbies he enjoys are photography, piano, guitar, reading, travel, and water sports (swimming, stand-up paddle boarding, and kayaking).

Katie Stoll

Katie has been a dog trainer for over 14 years. She is certified as a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, KPA-CTP.

She has raised and trained multiple Freedom Dogs puppies and adolescence since 2011.

Debbie Perry

Debbie has been formally training dogs for over 20 years. Her list of certifications and memberships is extensive, including being a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP) and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT).

She has raised puppies for Canine Angels, and she raised and trained one for Freedom Dogs. Her love of animals extends well beyond dogs, with her personal menagerie including pigs and horses.

Zoey Lierman

Alex Dowdall

Alex joined the freedom dogs team in 2022 when her family was stationed at Camp Pendleton. Freedom dogs was the perfect way for her to join her desire to serve the community and her passion for dog training. Since joining freedom dogs Alex has become a certified dog trainer though animal behavior college and the certification council for professional dog trainers. If she’s not training dogs you can find her in the dojo training jiujitsu, or out in nature hiking with her personal dogs Juice, a corgi, and Slushi, an Australian shepherd. 

Sue Johnson

Dogs have always been an important part of Sue’s life, from family companions to show dogs, and she has trained dogs in obedience, agility, and scent work. She grew up in Alaska, moved to Southern California as a young adult, and recently retired from a career in higher education.

 Sue began exploring opportunities to volunteer with local non-profits that work with animals. She met a Freedom Dogs volunteer whose enthusiasm and praise for their mission to support wounded military heroes was truly infectious! When Sue learned more about the program and met the genuinely empathetic, kind, and generous people who dedicate their time and skills to Freedom Dogs, she jumped at the chance to join them and began volunteering in April 2023.

Amanda McKitterick

Rosemary Sutter

Christian Webb

Christian was born and raised in San Diego, CA, and attended the University of Arizona, where he received his Bachelors in Marketing. After college, he returned to San Diego and has spent time in technical recruiting, consulting, and digital marketing roles. Christian grew up with all types of animals and has always loved dogs and helping others which made the Freedom Dogs Organization a great fit. He is certified as a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, KPA-CTP. In his free time, Christian loves to cook, relax at the beach, and play golf!