Our Dedicated Team

Aschley Kezeske
Owner & Head Trainer
Aschley opened the doors to Ruffgers in 2012 as a training complex. Her passion for dogs began when she was 15, and she began competing in dog agility with the family dog, Bear. It was by the requests and insistence of her clients that she expanded her services in 2016 to include day care and boarding. She was adamant during this expansion that things be done a very specific way, and through this philosophy of comfort combined with structure, Ruffgers evolved into what it is today.

Breanna Dalton
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Breanna moved to Fort Myers from Orlando to attend FGCU. Bre joined Ruffgers in June of 2019 with the intention of picking up part-time work, but quickly became a much larger asset to the team. After demonstrating her passion for dogs, clients, and team members, as well as a mastery over the operations of our facilities, she has assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer. Bre ensures all Ruffgers’ campuses are operating according to our protocols and procedures, and that all our guests receive the highest levels of care. Aside from Ruffgers, Bre loves to spend time scuba diving with her husband, Jed, or hanging out with their pup, Vandy!

Katie Novella
General Manager Ruffgers Naples
Katie is originally from Maine but moved down to Florida to attend FGCU! After graduating, she wanted to work with dogs and learn more about them, thus finding Ruffgers. She has always had a deep love for dogs as she grew up with them! Like many others, Katie started as a dog caretaker and worked her way up to management after demonstrating great skill! Outside of Ruffgers, she enjoys water activities like boating, jet skiing, and parasailing!

Dora Shedden
Assistant Manager - Ruffgers Naples
Dora was born and raised in Naples, FL! She has had dogs her whole life and has a huge appreciation for them due to their intelligence, sensitivity, and social nature! She truly considers them to be “Man’s Best Friend”! Dora has been with Ruffgers since 2022 and has been an amazing team member; we have been asking her about growing with us for a while! Once she completed her schooling, she gladly took the role and we are fortunate to have her! Outside of Ruffgers, Dora loves all things science fiction and spends her free time writing fictional stories! She loves to get out in nature and enjoy the beautiful weather here in Florida!

Reece Seyler
General Manager Ruffgers Bonita
Reece was born and raised in Naples! Growing up, Reece was always surrounded by dogs and other pets. She has a deep love for animal care and has volunteered at shelters many times! Reece knew that she was passionate about dogs and followed her career path which landed her at Ruffgers! She started as a dog caretaker, but her love for the pups and their care led her to be our Assistant Manager. Outside of Ruffgers, Reece enjoys all things beach and boating!

Brianna Clifton
Assistant Manager Ruffgers Bonita
Bri was born in Sarasota, FL, but then moved to Costa Rica where she learned Spanish and expanded on her education. Bri grew up on a farm where she owned dogs, horses, cats and more! Although Bri loves all animals, dogs had a special place in her heart due to their wide range of personality, loyalty, and companionship. While looking for a job, Bri landed on Ruffgers because she enjoyed the way we do things! A fun thing about her is that she played guitar in the school rock house band, performing gigs multiple times a month and toured around Florida and Georgia!
Ariel Jaccoma
General Manager Ruffgers Stuart
Born in New York and raised in Lake Worth, FL, Ariel has lived in a variety of places— including Hawaii! Her lifelong passion for animals has led her to work with everything from exotic species to horses, but her heart has always had a soft spot for dogs. Over the years, she’s shared her life with German Shepherds, Bulldogs, Dobermans, and now enjoys the company of her little pup, Rolly.
Ariel brings a diverse background to Ruffgers, with experience ranging from the corporate world to managing barns. Seeking a more fulfilling path that aligned with her love for animals, she made the leap to working with dogs!
In her free time, Ariel enjoys baking (especially cheesecake) or spending time in nature! She also loves spending time with her horse!

Reynaldo McCann
General Manager - Ruffgers Sarasota
Rey was born in Puerto Rico, but lived in Boston, MA for 20+ years! He moved to Sarasota about 3 years ago with his family and pups! Rey has over 18 years of experience in the dog world ranging from vet tech, grooming, daycares, fostering, and training assistance! He was drawn to the industry because of the unconditional love that dogs display. Providing a safe and healthy environment for our dogs and sending them home happy (and tuckered out) is important to him! Rey is an avid Boston sports fan and has taken up caring for a saltwater aquarium in his spare time!

Lisa Douglas
Naples Trainer
Lisa was born in Massillon, OH, but considers herself a native Neapolitan growing up in Naples, FL. Lisa has an extensive background with dogs, starting at the age of 9, Lisa was a junior handler in AKC conformation with her Great Danes: Major, Duke, and Duchess. Lisa’s love for dogs comes from her family as they would foster dogs from the local rescues, in addition, her dogs were blood donors for various surgical veterinary offices. Lisa first attended Ruffgers as a client, joining our puppy class with her Vizsla, Captain Morgan! In 2021, she welcomed another Vizsla pup, Talisker, to her family! Notice the names? Lisa’s family dogs are all named after alcohol! Michelob, Bailey’s, Kaluha, Cream Sherry, Seagrams, Captain, and Talisker!

Amy Hatcher
Naples Trainer
Amy Hatcher is originally from The Bronx, New York. She moved to Florida with her three children in 2012!
Her career working with wildlife began in 1999 at a rehabilitation center, where she quickly discovered her true passion for training and enrichment activities with the resident animals. This passion eventually led her to explore companion animal behavior and training. She later owned and operated a training and daycare facility in Westchester County, New York!
After many years of caregiving for her special needs daughter, Amy found herself an “empty nester” and was thrilled to join the Ruffgers team as a trainer!
Something not many people know about Amy is that one of her favorite hobbies is photography. She enjoys capturing Florida’s beautiful landscapes, skies, and wildlife in her spare time.

Emily Harrison
Bonita Trainer
Emily is originally from Indiana, but moved to Florida when she was 15. Florida quickly became home, and it’s where she’s built both her personal and professional life!
Emily has always appreciated how intelligent and intuitive dogs are. Working with them allows her to build a meaningful relationship while helping them become confident, wellmannered companions. She believes there is something really special about being a part of that process.
She was drawn to Ruffgers for the opportunity to be part of a team that’s committed to quality training and genuinely cares about the dogs and their families. The positive environment and high standards makes it a place she knew she could grow and thrive!
Something no one knows about Emily is that she loves baking in her free time! If she’s not working with dogs, there’s a good chance she’s in the kitchen trying out a new recipe – especially anything involving chocolate.

Braendi Pursell
Sarasota Trainer
Born and raised in Bradenton, FL, Braendi earned her BFA with a drawing specialty from the University of South Florida in Tampa in 2021. If you’ve admired our lobby chalkboard, you can thank her!
Braendi has always felt a strong connection with dogs, admiring their loyalty, curiosity, and playfulness. Her own dogs, Oli, KO, and Jupe, further deepened her love for them. After living in Louisiana for a year, Braendi returned to Florida seeking a fulfilling career, which led her to Ruffgers. She finds immense joy in being a dog trainer, and her training room has become her happy place!
A fun fact about Braendi: she earned her black belt in MMA and weapons training! In her free time, she enjoys drawing, watching films, and reading.

SUSAN BONNESS
(In Loving Memory)
TRAINER
Ruffgers was blessed to have Sue as a part of our family. With over 40 years of experience, Sue changed the lives and relationships of countless dogs and their respective owners throughout Southwest Florida. Sue will forever be a part of the Ruffgers family, and will live on in our hearts and everything we do at Ruffgers.
Our Dedicated Team

Aschley Kezeske
Owner & Head Trainer
Aschley opened the doors to Ruffgers in 2012 as a training complex. Her passion for dogs began when she was 15, and she began competing in dog agility with the family dog, Bear. It was by the requests and insistence of her clients that she expanded her services in 2016 to include day care and boarding. She was adamant during this expansion that things be done a very specific way, and through this philosophy of comfort combined with structure, Ruffgers evolved into what it is today.

Breanna Sell
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Breanna joined Ruffgers in June of 2019 with the intention of picking up part-time work while attending FGCU, but quickly became a much larger asset to the team. After demonstrating her passion for animals, clients, and team members, as well as a mastery over the operations of our facilities, she has assumed the role of our Chief Operating Officer. Bre ensures all Ruffgers’ campuses are operated according to our protocols and procedures, and that all our guests receive the highest levels of care.

KAYLA Holcomb
DIRECTOR OF CLIENT RELATIONS

TAYLOR RIEMENSCHNEIDER
Director of Training
Taylor finds great reward in working with dogs and their owners. She can see the difference it makes when an owner is able to understand their dog, as much as the dog understands their owner. Taylor chose to join the Ruffgers team because she loves what we stand for: positive reinforcement training! She is passionate about caring for dogs, and really all animals, including the mice that lived in the barn where she grew up in Wisconsin. A fun fact about Taylor is she is fluent in sign language (human and dog). 🙂

Gina Feldman
General Manager - Ruffgers Stuart
Gina Feldman brings with her 15 years of leadership experience in store operations and customer satisfaction. Gina is a sports enthusiast (Coach Gina as we may call her). We’d challenge anyone to try to match her college football knowledge. Most would think she’s been with us for years, but that coaching mentality works hand-in-hand with the team environment of Ruffgers. Despite her love for sports, we really know deep down her passion is her dog, Shadow. She could talk for hours about sports, but days about Shadow.

Gabrielle Magnani
General Manager - Ruffgers Bonita
Meet Gabrielle, the General Manager of our Bonita Springs Campus. We all know patience is a virtue, but patience is also a key ingredient to dog care, and we have certainly seen that characteristic in Gabrielle. She first encountered Ruffgers 7 years ago as a client in one of our Agility classes, after she and her husband relocated to SW FL to be closer to family and enjoy paradise. Gabrielle retired from the ad world in NYC, but found a new career in dog care at Humane Society Naples, That eventually led her to Ruffgers, where she settled in very quickly.
As mentioned, Gabrielle possesses an unrivaled level of patience, which hugely benefits our guests, clients and team. Combine that with her love for dogs, and her appreciation for their capacity to play, cuddle and just make our lives better, and Ruffgers has another Rising Star. An interesting fact about Gabrielle, is that many years ago, when getting into a fitness routine with a Golden Gloves Boxer in NY, she learned through his mentorship and routines that she was tougher than she knew…something that has served her well ever since. Please join us in welcoming Gabrielle to Bonita Springs as our General Manager!

ZACH BATCHELDER
General Manager - Ruffgers Naples
Zach’s story with Ruffgers starts like many others; as one of our caretakers. However, we quickly learned he had a lot more to offer. He graduated from our trainers’ program very swiftly, and became our Bonita Springs trainer. When the position for General Manager of the Bonita Springs Campus opened up, he anxiously applied to fill that role, and months later, we’ve come to learn just how lucky Ruffgers is to have Zach. Outside of Ruffgers, Zach likes to spend time with his 10 year old chihuahua, Ringo, and playing sports. One fun fact about Zach is he previously was a preschool teacher; likely where he learned his high degree of patience.

Lizzy Martella
Assistant Manager - Ruffgers Naples
Lizzy is one of the smiling faces you see greet you as you and your dog enter the lobby of our Naples Campus. She started out as one of our Client Services team members, but her passion for the job made her an easy choice when the Assistant Manager role became available. Lizzy joined Ruffgers because she loves dogs, and has always felt a special bond with them (especially her dog Oreo). This is something that is obvious when she greets our guest as they enter the lobby. She grew up outside of New York City, and relocated to Naples when she was a senior in high school. She is now pursuing her bachelors degree in marketing. Something most may not know about Lizzy is she was adopted from Guatemala.

Alyssa Zirger
Assistant Manager - Stuart
Alyssa joined the team with a great deal of knowledge about our Stuart Campus. Having worked there for the previous operator, she came in with a vast amount of knowledge of the facility, and our guests. Alyssa has always loved dogs and been working with them since she was 13 as a dog sitter. Outside of Ruffgers, Alyssa stays busy with her son, and their 5 dogs!

BREANA BANOS
Trainer - Ruffgers Naples and Bonita

SUSAN BONNESS
(In Loving Memory)
TRAINER
Our Dedicated Team

Aschley Kezeske
Owner & Head Trainer
Aschley opened the doors to Ruffgers in 2012 as a training complex. Her passion for dogs began when she was 15, and she began competing in dog agility with the family dog, Bear. It was by the requests and insistence of her clients that she expanded her services in 2016 to include day care and boarding. She was adamant during this expansion that things be done a very specific way, and through this philosophy of comfort combined with structure, Ruffgers evolved into what it is today.

Breanna Sell
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Breanna joined Ruffgers in June of 2019 with the intention of picking up part-time work while attending FGCU, but quickly became a much larger asset to the team. After demonstrating her passion for animals, clients, and team members, as well as a mastery over the operations of our facilities, she has assumed the role of our Chief Operating Officer. Bre ensures all Ruffgers’ campuses are operated according to our protocols and procedures, and that all our guests receive the highest levels of care.

KAYLA Holcomb
DIRECTOR OF CLIENT RELATIONS

TAYLOR RIEMENSCHNEIDER
Director of Training
Taylor finds great reward in working with dogs and their owners. She can see the difference it makes when an owner is able to understand their dog, as much as the dog understands their owner. Taylor chose to join the Ruffgers team because she loves what we stand for: positive reinforcement training! She is passionate about caring for dogs, and really all animals, including the mice that lived in the barn where she grew up in Wisconsin. A fun fact about Taylor is she is fluent in sign language (human and dog). 🙂

Gina Feldman
General Manager - Ruffgers Stuart
Gina Feldman brings with her 15 years of leadership experience in store operations and customer satisfaction. Gina is a sports enthusiast (Coach Gina as we may call her). We’d challenge anyone to try to match her college football knowledge. Most would think she’s been with us for years, but that coaching mentality works hand-in-hand with the team environment of Ruffgers. Despite her love for sports, we really know deep down her passion is her dog, Shadow. She could talk for hours about sports, but days about Shadow.

Gabrielle Magnani
General Manager - Ruffgers Bonita
Meet Gabrielle, the General Manager of our Bonita Springs Campus. We all know patience is a virtue, but patience is also a key ingredient to dog care, and we have certainly seen that characteristic in Gabrielle. She first encountered Ruffgers 7 years ago as a client in one of our Agility classes, after she and her husband relocated to SW FL to be closer to family and enjoy paradise. Gabrielle retired from the ad world in NYC, but found a new career in dog care at Humane Society Naples, That eventually led her to Ruffgers, where she settled in very quickly.
As mentioned, Gabrielle possesses an unrivaled level of patience, which hugely benefits our guests, clients and team. Combine that with her love for dogs, and her appreciation for their capacity to play, cuddle and just make our lives better, and Ruffgers has another Rising Star. An interesting fact about Gabrielle, is that many years ago, when getting into a fitness routine with a Golden Gloves Boxer in NY, she learned through his mentorship and routines that she was tougher than she knew…something that has served her well ever since. Please join us in welcoming Gabrielle to Bonita Springs as our General Manager!

ZACH BATCHELDER
General Manager - Ruffgers Naples
Zach’s story with Ruffgers starts like many others; as one of our caretakers. However, we quickly learned he had a lot more to offer. He graduated from our trainers’ program very swiftly, and became our Bonita Springs trainer. When the position for General Manager of the Bonita Springs Campus opened up, he anxiously applied to fill that role, and months later, we’ve come to learn just how lucky Ruffgers is to have Zach. Outside of Ruffgers, Zach likes to spend time with his 10 year old chihuahua, Ringo, and playing sports. One fun fact about Zach is he previously was a preschool teacher; likely where he learned his high degree of patience.

Lizzy Martella
Assistant Manager - Ruffgers Naples
Lizzy is one of the smiling faces you see greet you as you and your dog enter the lobby of our Naples Campus. She started out as one of our Client Services team members, but her passion for the job made her an easy choice when the Assistant Manager role became available. Lizzy joined Ruffgers because she loves dogs, and has always felt a special bond with them (especially her dog Oreo). This is something that is obvious when she greets our guest as they enter the lobby. She grew up outside of New York City, and relocated to Naples when she was a senior in high school. She is now pursuing her bachelors degree in marketing. Something most may not know about Lizzy is she was adopted from Guatemala.

Alyssa Zirger
Assistant Manager - Stuart
Alyssa joined the team with a great deal of knowledge about our Stuart Campus. Having worked there for the previous operator, she came in with a vast amount of knowledge of the facility, and our guests. Alyssa has always loved dogs and been working with them since she was 13 as a dog sitter. Outside of Ruffgers, Alyssa stays busy with her son, and their 5 dogs!

BREANA BANOS
Trainer - Ruffgers Naples and Bonita

SUSAN BONNESS
(In Loving Memory)
TRAINER
Our Dedicated Team

Aschley Kezeske
Owner & Head Trainer
Aschley opened the doors to Ruffgers in 2012 as a training complex. Her passion for dogs began when she was 15, and she began competing in dog agility with the family dog, Bear. It was by the requests and insistence of her clients that she expanded her services in 2016 to include day care and boarding. She was adamant during this expansion that things be done a very specific way, and through this philosophy of comfort combined with structure, Ruffgers evolved into what it is today.

Breanna Dalton
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Breanna moved to Fort Myers from Orlando to attend FGCU. Bre joined Ruffgers in June of 2019 with the intention of picking up part-time work, but quickly became a much larger asset to the team. After demonstrating her passion for dogs, clients, and team members, as well as a mastery over the operations of our facilities, she has assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer. Bre ensures all Ruffgers’ campuses are operating according to our protocols and procedures, and that all our guests receive the highest levels of care. Aside from Ruffgers, Bre loves to spend time scuba diving with her husband, Jed, or hanging out with their pup, Vandy!

Breana Banos
Director of Training
Breana was raised here in Naples, Florida! She is no stranger to dogs as she grew up on a farm with 6 of them! Bre joins the Ruffgers training team with 3 years of dog training experience and is passionate about continuing to learn. She has a deep love for dog training; you may have seen her and her pup, Freya, perform tricks on our Instagram! Outside of Ruffgers, Bre likes to go on adventures with Freya and make art!

Katie Novella
General Manager Ruffgers Naples
Katie is originally from Maine but moved down to Florida to attend FGCU! After graduating, she wanted to work with dogs and learn more about them, thus finding Ruffgers. She has always had a deep love for dogs as she grew up with them! Like many others, Katie started as a dog caretaker and worked her way up to management after demonstrating great skill! Outside of Ruffgers, she enjoys water activities like boating, jet skiing, and parasailing!

Dora Shedden
Assistant Manager - Ruffgers Naples
Dora was born and raised in Naples, FL! She has had dogs her whole life and has a huge appreciation for them due to their intelligence, sensitivity, and social nature! She truly considers them to be “Man’s Best Friend”! Dora has been with Ruffgers since 2022 and has been an amazing team member; we have been asking her about growing with us for a while! Once she completed her schooling, she gladly took the role and we are fortunate to have her! Outside of Ruffgers, Dora loves all things science fiction and spends her free time writing fictional stories! She loves to get out in nature and enjoy the beautiful weather here in Florida!

Reece Seyler
General Manager Ruffgers Bonita
Reece was born and raised in Naples! Growing up, Reece was always surrounded by dogs and other pets. She has a deep love for animal care and has volunteered at shelters many times! Reece knew that she was passionate about dogs and followed her career path which landed her at Ruffgers! She started as a dog caretaker, but her love for the pups and their care led her to be our Assistant Manager. Outside of Ruffgers, Reece enjoys all things beach and boating!

Brianna Clifton
Assistant Manager Ruffgers Bonita
Bri was born in Sarasota, FL, but then moved to Costa Rica where she learned Spanish and expanded on her education. Bri grew up on a farm where she owned dogs, horses, cats and more! Although Bri loves all animals, dogs had a special place in her heart due to their wide range of personality, loyalty, and companionship. While looking for a job, Bri landed on Ruffgers because she enjoyed the way we do things! A fun thing about her is that she played guitar in the school rock house band, performing gigs multiple times a month and toured around Florida and Georgia!

Tia Trovato
General Manager Ruffgers Stuart
Tia is a Florida native, she was born in Hobesound! Tia joins Ruffgers with lots of experience in the dog care world, she also graduated with a certification in veterinary assisting! Since she was little, she knew she wanted to work with animals! She has always cherished the unconditional love that dogs carry for us and has wanted to spend her life surrounded by that love! Her goal was to find somewhere that she could give the love back to the dogs and take pride in her work, which landed her at Ruffgers!

Gillian DeSimone
Assistant Manager Ruffgers Stuart
Gill is originally from Bergen County, New Jersey, but moved here in 2016. Like many others, Gill has always had a love for animals and grew up around them. She is so happy to have found a career path getting to work with dogs! She came to Ruffgers looking for a place to learn more about them and she has excelled ever since. Gill is also a musician! She enjoys writing her own music and has a talent for instruments. She plays guitar, piano, drums, ukulele, clarinet, harmonic, and bass!

Reynaldo McCann
General Manager - Ruffgers Sarasota
Rey was born in Puerto Rico, but lived in Boston, MA for 20+ years! He moved to Sarasota about 3 years ago with his family and pups! Rey has over 18 years of experience in the dog world ranging from vet tech, grooming, daycares, fostering, and training assistance! He was drawn to the industry because of the unconditional love that dogs display. Providing a safe and healthy environment for our dogs and sending them home happy (and tuckered out) is important to him! Rey is an avid Boston sports fan and has taken up caring for a saltwater aquarium in his spare time!

Loida Ortiz
Trainer - Ruffgers Naples and Bonita
Loida was born in San Ignacio, Belize! She grew up with her dog Bruno, a beloved Golden Retriever. Loida started with Ruffgers as one of our front desk team members greeting all of our guests. She then expressed interest in becoming a trainer and has been doing amazing ever since! She knew she always wanted to work with dogs because of her passion for animals. Being able to take care of and work with them has been a rewarding experience for her! Loida chose to join Ruffgers because she felt we were a great place for her to learn and grow. Something no one knows about her is that she did pageantry growing up! We love having Loida on our team!

Lisa Douglas
Naples Trainer
Lisa was born in Massillon, OH, but considers herself a native Neapolitan growing up in Naples, FL. Lisa has an extensive background with dogs, starting at the age of 9, Lisa was a junior handler in AKC conformation with her Great Danes: Major, Duke, and Duchess. Lisa’s love for dogs comes from her family as they would foster dogs from the local rescues, in addition, her dogs were blood donors for various surgical veterinary offices. Lisa first attended Ruffgers as a client, joining our puppy class with her Vizsla, Captain Morgan! In 2021, she welcomed another Vizsla pup, Talisker, to her family! Notice the names? Lisa’s family dogs are all named after alcohol! Michelob, Bailey’s, Kaluha, Cream Sherry, Seagrams, Captain, and Talisker!

SUSAN BONNESS
(In Loving Memory)
TRAINER
Ruffgers was blessed to have Sue as a part of our family. With over 40 years of experience, Sue changed the lives and relationships of countless dogs and their respective owners throughout Southwest Florida. Sue will forever be a part of the Ruffgers family, and will live on in our hearts and everything we do at Ruffgers.