About Us
Mindful Canine was founded in 2021 by two friends and colleagues who wanted to make an impact in the lives of dogs and their people. After working years in the retail pet industry, Emmah and Brandi wanted to do more for pet owners without the limitations of mass corporate retail constraints, including offering unbiased information backed with years of education and making effective dog training less mysterious and costly for everyday owners. Emmah and Brandi share values in building genuine community relationships, volunteer work, personal and professional integrity, animal welfare, and continuing education and professional development. Through these values and a desire to do more in the world, Mindful Canine was born. Mindful Canine strives to deliver excellent customer service, measurable training results, stress-free and trustworthy pet sitting, and other services to make life with your pet easier such as dog-walking. Mindful Canine is about helping dog owners everywhere enjoy life with their dog to the fullest extent, bringing together all lifestyle factors in harmony. We believe in the sentience of dogs and their potential to become mindful, responsible decision-makers…. And the same goes for their owners!
Brandi Kern
Founder & Lead Trainer
Brandi has always had a deep love for animals, caring for pets ranging from dogs and cats to reptiles, birds, and even insects. While her passion for animals remained constant, she pursued a BA in English Creative Writing at SUU. After graduating, she took a job at a local pet store, where her love for animals was reignited. Starting as a part-time sales associate, Brandi quickly moved into the role of General Store Manager, spending five years immersed in pet care disciplines such as training, husbandry, and nutrition. Her time there gave her valuable insights into the needs of both pets and their owners. She also partnered with local rescues and served on the board of the local non-profit FFCK9s. Brandi’s commitment to animal welfare deepened when she adopted Boo, an Australian Cattle Dog mix, with behavioral challenges. This experience gave her a fresh appreciation for the impact of dog training, shaping her decision to leave retail and focus more directly on helping pets and their owners to co-found Mindful Canine Dog Training & Behavior with Emmah Ort. In 2023, she also became the co-founder of Iron Paw GRC Dog Sports to provide an outlet for local high drive dogs and dogs with behavioral problems, as well as enhance and add variety to the local dog sport culture in southern Utah. Brandi loves GRC for it's "for all dogs" nature. Now, Brandi is dedicated to making dog training accessible and practical to dog owners of all kinds- from everyday pet owners to motivated sport handlers, using motivational techniques within a balanced training approach. Brandi enjoys giving back by volunteering to educate children about dog training and ownership at events such as the annual Middle School Career Fair and Iron Kids summer club. In addition to filling both a management and lead training role at Mindful Canine, Brandi is a regular dog mom to her own two dogs. Persimmon, her Belgian Malinois, enjoys being Brandi's primary demo dog and thrives in sports such as Bitework, GRC, FastCat, scentwork, and more. Boo, her Australian Cattle Dog mix, most enjoys long walks and hikes, going to meet new people, and trialing in Rally and GRC Dog Sports.
Asia Moody
Assistant Trainer
Asia Moody grew up surrounded by dogs that shaped her connection early on. Since 2020, she’s worked hands-on in veterinary medicine as a vet tech, supporting the health and well-being of dogs and cats in both general practice and emergency care settings.
That clinical foundation gave her a deeper understanding of animal welfare and complexity—but it was her rescue dog, Finley, who pulled her into the world of training, behavior modification, and handling in 2023. What started as a personal pursuit in GRC Dog Sports quickly turned into something more intentional.
By 2025, Asia stepped into a professional training role with Mindful Canine as an Assistant Trainer, bringing both medical insight and real-world handling experience to the table. Around the same time, she added Bindi, a working-line German Shepherd, to her life and the demo dog team at Mindful Canine.
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Asia and Bindi are living their best lives together in a variety of dog sports and activities. From GRC and bitework, dock diving, FastCAT, scent work, and more!
