Our Staff
Kali Mitchin: Owner & Head Trainer
Kali's passion for dog training began in childhood with her grandmother's Yorkshire Terrier, but it truly took off when she brought home her German Shepherd, Jack, with the goal of competing in various dog sports. Since then, Kali and her dogs have earned dozens of titles, awards, and placements across the country in competitive obedience, rally, scent work, Schutzhund, IGP, dock diving, Fast CAT, trick dog, and more.
As her experience and success grew, so did the vision for Top City Dogs. Today, Kali serves as the primary obedience trainer, dog sport coach, event organizer, and client communications manager, bringing years of hands-on experience and a passion for helping every dog-owner team reach their goals.
Kali shares her home with five dogs of her own: Jack (pictured), Hange, Falcon, Stitch, and Bash.
Khelsea Loh: Assistant Trainer & Kennel Technician
Khelsea's love for dog training also began in childhood, following her dad as he trained their family dogs. He taught her the importance of building a strong relationship with every dog while remaining a calm, confident, and consistent leader.
Today, she spends her days helping dogs and their owners build clear communication and stronger relationships. Whether your dog is a wild child, a professional squirrel hunter, or firmly believes "come" is just a suggestion, Khelsea loves discovering what makes them tick and creating a training plan that truly works.
Her goal has always been simple: to build confident dogs, confident handlers, and lasting relationships that continue long after classes are over.
Khelsea has two German Shepherds, Ego (pictured) and Beans.
Gavin Vavra: Assistant Trainer & Behavioral Specialist
Gavin has been training dogs for over 15 years with a focus on real-world behavior, not just obedience.
His work began with the Humane Society of Northeast Texas, where he served as a kennel technician and site coordinator. During that time he saw firsthand the consequences of loving owners being unable to stop unwanted behaviors.
Gavin’s approach to training has been shaped by his own experiences as a dog owner. His first German Shepherd, Jake, completed both basic and advanced obedience, yet developed dog aggression that multiple trainers and boarding programs were unable to resolve. Years later, when Gavin’s six-month-old Mastiff, Delta, showed aggression toward his toddler, he knew it was time to learn how to make unwanted behaviors go away.
Delta is now a safe, gentle dog and for the past four years Gavin has specialized in behavioral modification working almost exclusively with dogs who are fearful, reactive, hyper-active, or aggressive. His goal is to create dogs that are not only obedient, but well-behaved, safe, and able to live successfully in their homes and communities.
Gavin has two Mastiff mixes; Kronk and Delta (pictured)
Nichelle Palmateer: Property-mate and Tech Support
Nichelle lives on the property with us, and while she isn't an official Top City Dogs employee, she's an invaluable part of our team. You'll often find her helping at Fast CAT, CGC/SPOT testing events, or working alongside our trainers with her four dogs: Princess, Barnabus, Ozzy (pictured right), and Oasis (pictured left).
Nichelle is active in a variety of dog sports, so you'll frequently see her both competing on the field and working behind the scenes as a dedicated volunteer. Her passion for dogs and willingness to lend a hand make her a familiar face at many of our events.
Meet Our Pups
BASH
BASH
BASH
Bash is a 5 year old Bulldog who loves hanging around the house, chewing his favorite squeaky toys, and making friends with everyone he meets. His favorite thing to do at TCD is FastCAT!
Bash is often utilized as a walk-by "neutral dog" for training lessons and temperament testing exercises. Bash belongs to Kali.
JACK
BASH
BASH
Jack is a 9 year old purebred, long coated German Shepherd and is the one that started it all as Kali's first competition partner. While Jack is primarily retired from competition now, he holds titles in IGP, Rally, Dock Diving, Scentwork, FastCAT, and more. He still comes out from time to time because you can't keep this old dog down. Jack is also the father of Beans and Falcon.
OZZY
BASH
OZZY
Ozzy is a 3 year old purebred working line German Shepherd and is Nichelle's primary competition dog for FastCAT, IGP, and Barn Hunt. Ozzy is an absolute goofball and can often be found rolling around on her back in the background when things are supposed to be "serious" and is a large source of comedic relief.
EGO
BASH
OZZY
Ego is a 4 year old German Shepherd and is Khelsea's primary dog sport partner, competing in IGP, FastCAT, and Barn Hunt. Ego is our universal "big brother" dog and is wonderful with helping rambunctious young puppies learn respectful doggy-manners. If your puppy has gone through our Puppy Preschool course, they have probably spent some time with Ego.
PRINCESS
PRINCESS
PRINCESS
Princess is Nichelle's 10 year old couch potato who we estimate as some sort of husky/sighthound mix. She is calm and quiet and adores meeting new people. Princess is often utilized as a walk-by neutral dog for training sessions and loves sitting in peoples' laps - even though she barely fits and has stinky 'ole lady breath. We love her anyways.
BEANS
PRINCESS
PRINCESS
Beans is...Beans. She is Khelsea's 1 year old purebred German Shepherd, despite her ear never fully standing up. She is our resident wild-child and is as rambunctious as one can be while still having a heart of gold. Ego is her best friend and they are often seen running around the fields here together stomping in mud puddles and rolling in who knows what. Whatever it is, it was Beans' idea.
FALCON
PRINCESS
FALCON
Falcon is Bean's littermate brother and is the sweetest most perfect angel baby who can do no wrong (says Kali - he's her dog). Falcon is her up-and-coming sport partner for IGP, Scentwork, and Rally. Falcon has never met a stranger and loves being pet and loved on by everyone he meets. He is a big "leaner" and will sit right on your feet and try to melt with your body as you pet him.
DELTA
PRINCESS
FALCON
4 year old Delta is our biggest canine crewmember and is Gavin's primary demo dog for his training students. She is a gentle giant Mastiff Mix and is currently working towards her Therapy Dog certification. Delta is often used as a neutral dog for students to practice neutrality and is an excellent living example of Gavin's training abilities.
BARNABUS
BARNABUS
BARNABUS
5 year old Barney is a French Bulldog and another one of Nichelle's house critters. He is sweet as pie, but his two braincells are often fighting for third place. We love Barney and he makes an excellent neutral dog because he literally just doesn't...do...anything. He also works a part time job as a doorstop.
OASIS
BARNABUS
BARNABUS
Oasis is a 5 year old purebred German Shepherd and is one of our more shy resident dogs. She loves competing in Disc and Barn Hunt with her owner Nichelle, but is primarily retired from sports and just serves as her companion and household protector.
HANGE
BARNABUS
HANGE
Hange (pronounced Hahn-jee) is a purebred German Shepherd and is Kali's current sporting partner and competes in IGP (tracking, obedience, and protection). She is a smart and spirited girl who is incredibly fun to work with on the field. Hange is also the mother of Falcon and Beans, and the current breeding female for Domus Invictus German Shepherds.
KRONK
BARNABUS
HANGE
Kronk is a stunning 3 year old Bandogg who has been in training with his owner Gavin for competition obedience and area search detection work. He is a loveable big guy, but can be a bit shy and sensitive around new people. Kronk is primarily retired from sport work due to a persistent leg injury, but is still Gavin's beloved companion.