MIKE LILLEY

OWNER, MARYVILLE TN

Training working dogs was a skill passed down from my father at an early age. This knowledge proved invaluable during my K9 handler recruitment as a Law Enforcement Officer and once again during my certification as a Police K9 trainer.

My first K9 partner, Roscoe, was a yellow Labrador we rescued from a local shelter. He put all my training to the test, but we became an unstoppable team. Roscoe showed me the potential of misunderstood dogs and sparked what would later become my driving philosophy as a pet dog trainer.

It wasn’t until my second Police K9 partner, a Belgian Malinois named Neko, that I rooted my training principles and began helping local dog owners in my area with their unruly pets. Neko and I decided to retire in 2018 after an outstanding career in law enforcement and quickly embarked on the adventure of managing a pet training business.

We strive to provide families all over Tennessee and the Southeast US with a clear communication system and ultimately keep misunderstood dogs in good homes and out of shelters.

Lizzy Ratliff:

Being part of the training team at MLK9 is incredible. Knowing that we can take any dog, any age and help them understand a specific set of rules that will help them live their best lives together with their families is an amazing feeling. My husband and I were among Mike’s first Tennessee clients and after experiencing the amazing results I just had to know how he did it! I wanted him to teach me everything he knew. 

Well, 3 years later the micro behaviors and body language of dogs as they learn in their own ways is still absolutely fascinating to me. I look forward to the challenges each new dog brings and to adding that lesson to my training toolbox. I joined the Coast Guard in Florida in 1998. I got a yellow lab and named Dallas when I was 21, he traveled with me from the east coast to the west coast and back, literally. I had an incredible career for 20 years and in 2018 it was time to retire.

Our family landed here in east Tennessee, and it has felt like home ever since. I live with my husband, Curt, our energetic 6-year-old daughter and our 2 dogs. Chaos, a 1 ½ year old German Shepard currently learning scent work for sport dogs, and Moose our now 8-year-old Labrador retriever with the best rabbit chasing recall I have ever seen thanks to Mike!