Our Staff

SUZANNE JOHNSON
Owner and Founder

Suzanne opened The DOG Club in October 2014 and is passionate about providing the best dog care in the industry. She is also adamant about providing excellent customer service and the highest level of care and integrity for her customers and employees. Becoming an active member of The International Boarding and Pet Services Association (IBPSA) in 2016, Suzanne ensures that she and her staff have the best training,and strives to always be on the cutting edge of dog services.

Suzanne has trained under Dave Swanson, Montana Dog Psychology; is a Certified Canine Pet Care Provider; a Certified Canine Pet Care Specialist; and has a Canine Infectious Disease Certification.

Suzanne's sweet little dogs, Gracie and Maverick, are one of the main reasons for opening the Club.

ANDREW DENNIS

General Manager

Andrew joined the Club in the Spring of 2017 and brings professionalism, stability, and the best tech support ever to our Club. Andrew is an incredible instructor and passionate about dogs and the Club and he goes above and beyond to get to know, teach, love and play with each and every dog. Andrew's training skills give the dogs confidence to have the perfect play atmosphere.

Andrew has trained under Dave Swanson, Montana Dog Psychology, is a Certified Canine Pet Care Provider, and a Certified Canine Pet Care Specialist.

The dogs love and respect Andrew, and so do we. We are so thankful to have him!

KELLY ZAVALNEY

Daycare Manager/Trainer

Kelly Zavalney is The Dog Club’s lead trainer and has over 13 years of experience training dogs of all ages. Kelly has rehabilitated over 20 “difficult” dogs that went on to be adopted by forever homes. Kelly’s knowledge of training dogs enables him to help people get the results and relationship they desire with their dogs. Kelly also specializes in rehabilitating reactive, fearful, and aggressive dogs, and has trained four service dogs specifically to be paired with wheelchair-bound people.

As lead trainer, Kelly provides canine training to all staff as well as canine safety, overall canine well-being, and canine enrichment, aiming to maintain and improve The Club’s workspace and safety. We are blessed to have Kelly as part of The Dog Club team!

ROBBI CHRISTOPHERSON
Admin Manager

Robbi brings beauty, class, kindness, fun, and tons of administrative experience to The DOG Club! Originally from Milan, Italy, Robbi came to the United States in 2001, and is married to Suzanne's brother, Shane. A surrogate dog mom to many little fluffernutters at the Club, Robbi essentially runs everything administrative. Her second forte is her ability to make things beautiful, and she keeps the Club super clean and gorgeous (just like her)! Robbi is also responsible for the incredible attitude that you can always look and dress beautifully while picking up poop and pee! Robbi shares the attitude that the Club must be the very best dog facility anywhere!

DEANNA SHEPARD

Boarding Manager

Deanna has been a HUGE part of The Dog Club for the last four years now. She is our boarding manager, and lead puppy spoiler! She is our yes girl, always swooping in when the doggies need a human snuggler! On special weekends Deanna sometimes makes pancakes for the babies staying overnight, because she believes they deserve to be treated to a nice breakfast too sometimes! Deanna has two doggies of her own, Miss Ruby and Miss Dilly who are both fun sized and filled with sass!

SAMANTHA SOLUM

Trainer

Samantha Solum joined The Dog Club in 2021 and is a busy mom of five children, two cats and four dogs! Sam’s passion for dog training has given her a love of learning everything possible about training dogs and she is constantly furthering her training education. Sam’s repertoire of education includes the following:

From Fetchfind Dog Training Company:

Dog Training for Pet Pros
Canine Development
Canine Health and Wellness
Dog Breeds 101
Equipment 101
Daycare and Boarding Basics
Safe Handling
Hemp and CBD 101
Bite Prevention
Canine Behavior and Communication

From Instinct Dog Behavior and Training:

The Patient and Polite Dog Course
Dog Enrichment
The Leash Reactive Dog Course

From IBPSA (International Boarding and Pet Services Association):

Pet Care Provider
Pet Care Specialist

Sam is motivated to be one of the best trainers in the Flathead Valley! Her passion is helping dogs and their humans have a healthy, happy life together! We are so fortunate to have Sam as part of The Dog Club family!