WHY Club K9?

HELLO FELLOW FUR PARENTS

I bet you are asking yourself, why Club K9. Let us tell you... We believe all pets are part of the family and should be treated with love and understanding. We understand how important positive socialization is, with both other dogs and other humans and strive to create a happy environment for them to play. We know your dog is different, there are no two dogs the same and we are here to ensure your dog gets the best possible care and enrichment when they can not be with you.

Love and slobbery kisses from the team at

Club K9

WHY WE DO IT

Let us tell you a bit about why we work with dogs and started the daycare. Club K9 is a family business, 100% New Zealand owned and operated. We started off small a few years ago helping locals where we could with their pet needs, to help fund the expenses of a beautiful disabled dog we rescued that needed ongoing medical attention. It quickly became our dream to expand, open a doggy day-care, training facility and in time a non-profit no-kill shelter for abandoned and unwanted dogs.

Volunteer Work

We believe in giving back and over the years have developed a strong relationship with Chained Dog Awareness New Zealand, fostering relinquished dogs and helping these dogs to rehabilitate to life off the chain. Toni volunteers her time to help new forever parents with behavioral issues that can present with their new rescues. It is so rewarding to be able to help these dogs that can be so broken and show them what love is.

MEET THE TEAM

Behaviour Consultant / Owner

Toni Austin

I have always been passionate about animal welfare and enrichment - dogs have taken over my life and I love it. When I got my first dog I made all the mistakes, so I enrolled in Unitec to study Animal Management: Canine Behaviour and Training and became a qualified Dog Trainer. After my formal training, I moved into an amazing mentorship with ThinkDog. I believe it is important to continue learning and upskilling yourself which I do through The Canine School of Science, Aggressive Dog, and many more. The daycare came next. I wanted to create a safe place for dogs to enjoy positive socialization, where they would be loved and mentally stimulated, and bring on other trainers and handlers who share my passion and beliefs.

Club Manager / Pet Dog Trainer/ 2025 Unitec Canine Behaviour and Training Student

Alarna Pomare

Club K9 has become my home away from home. I have always been passionate about animals and animal welfare, I entered the industry through completing my certificate in animal care through Unitec. I then gained employment in the doggy daycare circuit while completing my Certificate in Captive Wildlife Management making me a qualified zookeeper and animal trainer. This led me to throw all my efforts into the dog world and complete a number of other dog related training including Dogs 101 and 102 through Dog Guru and Defensive Dog Handling. I'm always learning from our dogs and enjoy the challenges that the industry brings.

Canine Handler

Alyssa Cunningham

Hello! I’m Alyssa, one of many handlers at Club K9! I’ve always had a passion and love towards animals especially dogs, my dream job has always been to work with or help animals. My goal is to continue my education with dogs, learning as much as I can about them and their crazy ways, to ultimately become a qualified veterinarian. I am a dog mum to my fur baby Dakota, my rescue dog who I adopted at 7 months old. He was an abused chained dog with a rough history, he is my challenge dog for sure. His trust over the past few months attending Club K9 has improved drastically, he is a much braver and far more confident dog who can handle life much better as a whole. He’s made a few best friends over the past few months which was a huge break through for us as he was extremely terrified of other dogs at the start! We haven’t 100% conquered everything but we are both learning together at getting better! He’s doing an amazing job!

Canine Handler I 2025 Unitec Canine Behaviour and Training Student

Zach Palmer

I’ve always appreciated dogs, and life is so much better with at least one by my side. Dogs like Flynn have been such a blessing, and he’s part of the reason I struggle to see a future where I’m not working with and around dogs. I’m currently working through the Canine Behaviour and Training course at Unitec to deepen my understanding of canine behaviour and build the skills I need to better enrich the lives of these wonderful creatures.

At Club K9, I’m already picking up a lot from the great team around me—everyone really cares about dogs, which makes it a great environment to learn in. It’s rewarding being part of a place that not only cares for loved family pets, but also provides a safe home for rescues. I’m glad to be contributing positively in these dogs' lives.

Canine Handler I 2025 Unitec Canine Behaviour and Training Student

Lily Robertson

COMING SOON

Canine Handler / Off Leash Adventures

Alistair Dally

Hi, my name is Ally,

My journey began over 30 years ago back in Scotland with rescue cats and my first rescue dog Max. Since then I have been passionately involved with animal welfare in NZ.

I am part of an amazing animal rescue foundation, which has been instrumental in teaching me skills to rehabilitate abandoned puppies and dogs and being part of a fantastic fostering-to-adoption process.

Having multiple cats and dogs of my own, it made sense to turn my passion for animals into my 24/7 focus.

Club K9 has stepped in and given me that ideal opportunity to work with all manner of dogs, their welcoming and friendly approach to training and socializing really stood out to me. Their ongoing support has made stepping out of the corporate world - seamless, and the obedience and behavioral training skills I have learned over the years are constantly being enhanced by the knowledgeable staff at Club K9. I actually wake up and look forward to each working day, which is truly magical.

Trainee Canine Handler

Zen Ogiyama

Coming soon

Trainee Canine Handler I 2025 Unitec iAnimal Care Student

Elliot Palmer

Coming soon