ABOUT OUR TRAINERS
Meet The OLK9 Team!
Evan Carson
Evan Carson is the President and Founder of the Lehigh Valley, Scranton, and Bucks County Off Leash K9 Training locations. He also owns the Salt Lake City and Northern Utah locations, and is a trainer with Off Leash K9. Evan started as a client in 2010 with his Dogo Argentino, Capone. He has always had a profound love of dogs, and has never lived without them. He loved training and working with his own dogs, and had no problem doing so until Capone.
Capone had some pretty serious reactivity issues with other dogs, which led Evan to find Off Leash K9 Training and Nick White in 2011. Three weeks into private lessons Capone was off leash, healing him in complete control around and past other dogs. From there he completed the basic program and then started advanced training with Capone and then started with his Springer Spaniel, Penny Lane. He was hooked! The rest is history, as they say.
OLK9 literally “changed his life”. From that point on, Evan knew he wanted to work with dogs as a career. Over the next six years Evan worked tirelessly to achieve that goal and in May of 2017 his dream became a reality when he opened the Lehigh Valley OLK9 location in Allentown Pennsylvania. The Lehigh Valley location quickly expanded from one trainer to three by the end of their first year and in September he opened the Scranton location in PA. Since then Evan has grown the Lehigh Valley location as one of the most well-known, highest rated and most reviewed dog training companies in the state. Earlier last year, Evan opened up a new facility for his Scranton location in Peckville/Blakley Borough. His PA locations now employs six full time trainers, is still growing, and is currently hiring.
Evan took over the Salt Lake City and Northern Utah OLK9 locations in August of 2018. Later that year he opened the first OLK9 facility in Northern Utah in North Salt Lake and has plans to grow those locations as he has done in PA. Utah OLK9 currently employs two full time trainers.
During his downtime, Evan enjoys spending time with his family, including his two daughters, and his two dogs, a 2-year-old German Shepherd, Arya, and Lucy, a Bulldog/Rat Terrier/ Staffordshire Terrier mix. He also enjoys being outdoors, hiking, personal defense training, dog training seminars, and working with Arya and Lucy to fine tune their obedience.
Angela McCavera - Trainer
Angela is a trainer of Off Leash K9 Training, Lehigh Valley & Scranton. She offers professional training to create a well balanced, well-trained dog. Angela feels that there is no bond stronger than that of a human and an animal that have mutual respect for one another – and that is her goal when training for clients. She wants to help others achieve success and lead happy lives with their companions.
In 2015, she graduated from Bloomsburg University with a B.S. in Photography. She took that passion for photography and went into the online e-commerce world working for large companies to help run their websites. But, after about 2 years in that industry, she decided it was not where she wanted to be. She re-centered herself and decided it was time to work with animals, something she had always had a strong desire to do. In the past, Angela has worked with animals in a variety of different scenarios. She has always had multiple pets, has worked in animal-centric locations such as in a vet’s office as well as at a doggy daycare, has volunteered at animal shelters as a dog walker, has been a foster home for border collies, and has also participated in dog sports- mainly dock diving and agility. Naturally, becoming a professional dog trainer felt right. Angela loves training her own personal dogs and also loves to see the transformation between dogs through Off Leash K9’s programs.
Angela’s favorite things to do in her spare time are outdoor activities such as hiking, and camping as well as using her interest in social media to run a successful Instagram and blog for her personal dogs. She currently has a Blue Heeler/Border Collie cross named Winston, a Red Heeler named Adelaide, and a Border Collie named Decker. She lives North of the Lehigh Valley with her boyfriend and her dogs.
Missy Kiralfy- Trainer
Missy has always had dogs ever since she was a child, she was always known as the “animal lover.” Everyone believed she would grow up to be a veterinarian. Instead, she went to Kutztown University and graduated with a bachelor’s in business management. Throughout college she worked at a dog daycare and got to know and love so many different dog breeds.
After 5 years there she made it into the Veterinarian industry for 2 years and then left for the corporate world. Two years in and she found herself missing the experiences of working with dogs and knew she had to get back to her dream. Dogs are the most loving and loyal animals and truly are man’s best friend. In my spare time she enjoys doing outdoor activities with her fiancé and dogs such as hiking, camping, and visiting the beach. She currently has a Great Pyrenees mix named Thor and a Lab mix named Twix.
DEANNA VALDES- Trainer
Since a young age, Deanna has always had a passion for animals. After going to a vocational high school for veterinary sciences, she began her career as a veterinary technician at 17 working as a kennel assistant and veterinary assistant. She completed her BS in Zoology at Ohio Wesleyan University and went on to work for the Bergen County Zoo in New Jersey. She found herself back as a veterinary technician after graduating college, eventually moving on to becoming a lead surgery technician, assisting in emergency and orthopedic surgery. She loves studying animal behavior and being able to connect with every dog on a special level, making them feel calm and understood.
Through Deanna’s years working in veterinary practices she saw so many dogs that were scared and underconfident and many owners that struggled to control their dogs, this is what led her to want to leave that field and become a trainer so that she could work one on one with animals and their families to strengthen their bond, confidence and give their owners the control that they need to navigate everyday life.
Deanna likes to joke that her life revolves around animals because in her spare time when she’s not at work, she can usually be found pet sitting other people’s animals or snuggling up with her fur babies: Penny, miniature potbelly pig; Birdie, Australian cattle dog; and Boris, ragdoll cat.
Deanna looks forward to working with your dogs and families.
ADAM HUNTER- Trainer
Adam’s love for animals has been a lifelong passion that started at a young age. Growing up with a variety of pets, his true journey into the world of dog training began when he acquired his first dog, a sweet Pitbull named Haley, at the age of 18. It was during group training sessions with Haley that he discovered his natural talent for working with dogs, setting him on a path of extensive research and study, with a particular focus on dog training and behavior, especially in protection work.
For the past 15 years, Adam has dedicated himself to acquiring knowledge from various sources, including books, videos, formal education, discussions with fellow trainers, and hands-on experience. His thirst for learning knows no bounds.
Currently, Adam shares his life with three incredible canine companions: a three-year-old red-nosed Pitbull named Kane, an eleven-month-old Belgian Malinois named Freya, and an eight-month-old Dutch Shepherd named Ragnar. These remarkable dogs are his partners in bitework, tracking, and obedience training, as they prepare for competitive bite sports, specifically IPO.
In his free time, Adam finds solace in the great outdoors, relishing the tranquility of nature. When he’s not working, you’ll often find him training his personal dogs in the open air, enjoying the water, or exploring the woods.
Despite his affinity for powerful dogs, Adam has a soft spot for smaller and less confident canines. His true joy lies in helping these dogs and their owners build stronger, more meaningful relationships through effective communication and guidance, boosting their confidence and enhancing their overall quality of life. Adam is a dedicated advocate for dogs and their well-being, striving to create harmony and happiness for both pets and their owners. 
Evan is the owner of the OLK9 Lehigh Valley, Scranton, Salt Lake City, and Northern Utah locations. He is also a trainer with Off Leash K9. Evan started as a client in 2010 with his Dogo Argentino, Capone. He has always had a profound love of dogs, and has never lived without them. He loved training and working with his own dogs, and had no problem doing so until Capone.
Capone had some pretty serious reactivity issues with other dogs, which led Evan to find Off Leash K9 Training and Nick White in 2011. Three weeks into private lessons Capone was off leash, healing him in complete control around and past other dogs. From there he completed the basic program and then started advanced training with Capone and then started with his Springer Spaniel, Penny Lane. He was hooked! The rest is history, as they say.
OLK9 literally “changed his life”. From that point on, Evan knew he wanted to work with dogs as a career. Over the next six years Evan worked tirelessly to achieve that goal and in May of 2017 his dream became a reality when he opened the Lehigh Valley OLK9 location in Allentown Pennsylvania. The Lehigh Valley location quickly expanded from one trainer to three by the end of their first year and in September he opened the Scranton location in PA. Since then Evan has grown the Lehigh Valley location as one of the most well-known, highest rated and most reviewed dog training companies in the state. Earlier last year, Evan opened up a new facility for his Scranton location in Peckville/Blakley Borough. His PA locations now employs six full time trainers, is still growing, and is currently hiring.
Evan took over the Salt Lake City and Northern Utah OLK9 locations in August of 2018. Later that year he opened the first OLK9 facility in Northern Utah in North Salt Lake and has plans to grow those locations as he has done in PA. Utah OLK9 currently employs two full time trainers.
During his downtime, Evan enjoys spending time with his family, including his two daughters, and his two dogs, a 2-year-old German Shepherd, Arya, and Lucy, a Bulldog/Rat Terrier/ Staffordshire Terrier mix. He also enjoys being outdoors, hiking, personal defense training, dog training seminars, and working with Arya and Lucy to fine tune their obedience.
