Founder, President CEO, Canine Companions USA
President and Master Trainer K9 Connection

Over 30 years of experience training and handling dogs. Certified Trial and Training Decoy

Robert is experienced in all phases and disciplines of bite work, personal protection, security, law enforcement, full service dogs, S.A.R and is an expert animal behaviorist. His business, K-9 Connection, is a professional, complete dog training service operated by a master trainer with over 30 years experience.

Robert got his start with dogs at the age of 15 with Keiran Kornell, a Palm Beach County Sherrif Deputy. He soon become Kornell’s group obedience instructor at the YMCA. He’s been quoted as saying, “I’ve been addicted to training dogs ever since.”

Since then, he has had many years of training with professional trainers, law enforcement agencies, the private sector, and ring sports.

His certifications include Cert Trial and Training Decoy for 23 years. Robert was then donating the training of 3 service dogs a year to local veterans. His affinity for his brothers and sisters in uniform is why he began voluteering to help veterans. In the early 1990’s Robert enlisted in the Army for Operation Desert Storm. He was a US Army Veteran who never saw a theater of war and was diagnosed by the C.W.O with an existing injury that had become exacerbated by heavy training.

Fresh out of basic and stateside at Ft Sill Oklahoma, he could only watch as his brothers and sisters who went off to the many Middle Eastern Conflicts over the coming years. It was then he decided to use his training with dogs to help out his returning veterans with service dogs. Needless to say, the calls started coming in. In 2013, what is now Canine Companions USA was formed as a not-for-profit charity. The organization works with multiple agencies including PVA and the VA. CCUSA now provides a service dog to anyone in need, regardless of ability to pay. First priority is given to veterans and children.