Meet the Chicago K9 Team
Custom-Crafted Companions for Comprehensive Protection.
Chicago K9 was formed to raise the standard of personal protection dogs nationwide. Our goal is to provide peace of mind and loyal companionship to our clients and their families in the form of a dog selected, raised, and trained with their exact lifestyle in mind. Our attention to detail and commitment to excellence is reflected in everything we do from the day we select your future protector to our annual maintenance training packages. Our team strives to exceed our clients expectations with our completely bespoke service, our 24/7 availability, and the highest possible standard of training. Our experience, passion, and facilities allow us to provide a service unlike any other.
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With over 30 years in combined experience our team understands the ins and outs of owning, training, and placing personal protection dogs. Our program is housed at Found Chicago, a state-of-the-art facility with the resources, experience, and process to raise and place the perfect personal protection dog for your family. With our network of trainers, breeders, and canine experts we can source and your next personal protection dog, or raise them to your ideal needs and characteristics in mind.
Fabian Romo-Vargas
Director of Operations/ Managing Partner
Fabian Romo-Vargas is a veteran of the canine industry in Chicago and has been actively involved in the local community and canine work for the past 16 years. As the owner of Found Chicago, MOJO Dog Co, Pup Start, and a few other ventures, he has developed the ability to form successful teams to achieve a common goal. Fabian is an expert in canine operations with 15 years of training experience and expertise in running and scaling successful operations.
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Fabian's journey in the canine industry began in the dog boarding and daycare sector. He then spent several years in rescue and behavior training, which shaped the approach to Pup Start Chicago and Found Chicago's training methods and operations. Being a resident of Chicago, Fabian attended City Colleges of Chicago and later pursued Automotive Technologies and Business at Southern Illinois University. As a trainer, Fabian holds certifications such as CCPDT-KA and the prestigious NePoPo® Gold Certificate from the NePoPo dog training school.
Additionally, he is a competitor in the PSA (Protection Sport Association) and serves on the board of the IACP (International Association of Canine Professionals), which focuses on legislation, certification, and education.
Scott Sharfman
Training Director/ Partner
Scott Sharfman, is the founder and owner of Akela K9 Training which has been operating in the South West of England for the past three years. Scott and Akela K9 Training provide various pet and working dog training services ranging from the sourcing and supply of puppies to extreme behavior rehabilitation. Scott has trained under and alongside some of the United Kingdom's premier trainers as well as completing his decoy certification through Lorockmor Working Dogs, attending Ivan Balabanov's TWC course, and the Drive Direction school lead by Gayle Lucy.
Scott attended the University Of West London majoring in classical theatre performance and discovered his passion and talent for working with dogs through the rehab of rescue dogs from TeLuMa's Dream while he studied. Scott used that experience as well as his background in public speaking to launch Akela K9 Training which quickly grew into one of the most popular independent dog training companies in the South West of England. Akela K9 Training has grown rapidly and now includes not only pet training, but also dog walking and boarding, the sourcing of puppies as family pets, the training and supplying of dogs for various working roles, and a foster and rehoming program.
Akela K9 Training is now operating in Chicago and with the wealth of experience and expertise gained in England, Scott will be looking not only to continue providing effective and compassionate training to the dogs and people of Chicago, but also to give back to the community, mentor budding trainers, and work to improve the standard of dog training across the city.