OUR TRAINER
Joe Szakacs
Joe began working with dogs professionally in the Spring of 2006, when he was selected to join the K9 Section of the Syracuse Police Department. Partnered with K9 "Rony", a German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix (or as Joe referred to him his "Rotten Shepherd"), the two successfully completed New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services courses in Patrol/Tracking (obedience / agility / tracking / building searches / reasonable force apprehension / protection work) and Narcotics Detection, obtaining New York certifications in these disciplines.
Over the course of several years, Joe became a New York State Certified Examiner for Patrol/Tracking, Narcotics Detection, and Explosives Detection Police K9 Teams. In 2011, Joe became a New York State Certified Trainer for Police Patrol/Tracking and Narcotics Detection K9 teams. In 2013, K9 "Rony" was approved for his well-deserved retirement from the department and was given to Joe as his personal dog.
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To succeed K9 "Rony", Joe selected K9 "Nik" (though several people think K9 "Nik" selected Joe) as his new partner and they successfully completed New York State D.C.J.S. courses in Patrol/Tracking and Explosives Detection, earning NYS certifications in these disciplines. It was during the 2013 Explosives Detection Course that Joe became a New York State Certified Trainer for Police Explosives Detection K9 Teams. Joe and K9 "Nik" remained partners for the rest of their careers.
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From 2011 until his retirement from the Syracuse Police Department in the Fall of 2019, Joe trained K9 Teams from 24 police agencies across New York State (numerous teams from most agencies). Joe retired as the Commanding Officer and Lead K9 Trainer for the Syracuse Police Department's K9 Section.
OUR OWNER-OPERATOR
Liz Szakacs
Liz has a BS in Environmental and Forest Biology from SUNY ESF, a background in animal husbandry, and a passion for German Shepherd Dogs. After raising the family's first 2 GSD's alongside the couple's 2 energetic boys and mischievous Siberian Husky, Liz decided to put her experience running a small business and love of dogs together with her husband's K9 training expertise and understanding of dog behavior to open Camillus K9.
Liz purchased her first GSD, Scout, from a local breeder, in 2005. Sadly, Scout was found to have a genetic defect which caused her to pass away within her first year of life. It was this heartbreaking experience that taught Liz and Joe the importance of proper breeding practices and planted the seed for Liz to begin her own breeding program.
