Meet The Team
Mike Chambers
CEO/ Lead K-9 Instructor
Farrah Whitacre
General Manager/ Dog Trainer
American Kennel Club (AKC) Evaluator
Mike Chambers, owner, and founder of Cape Fear K9, was born and raised in Wilmington, NC, and is proud to call the Cape Fear area his home. After graduating from Isaac Bear Early College, Mike enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he served in various leadership roles from the Presidential Support Program to an Infantry Squad Leader for 4 years. After being honorably discharged, he enrolled in college for his Bachelor’s Degree in Security Management from AMU.
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While attending school, Mike began to miss the companionship that he found in the military, so he found a local Belgian Malinois breeder and brought home Maximus. He named him after his childhood best friend, Max, a retired police K9 that his parents rescued. Although at the time, Mike was not a trainer, he had an instant passion for training with Maximus, and he made everything seem effortless.
To keep Maximus' legacy alive, Mike wanted to go into Law Enforcement as a K9 Handler. He attended the American K9 Interdictions (AK9I) Patrol/Detection Dog Trainers Course to combine his new passion for dog training and serving the community. After months of training and interacting with multiple canines, including his own personal dual-purpose dog Riggs, he realized he could pursue his passion and help more dogs and people on a larger scale. Thus, Cape Fear K9 was born. Mike currently has two German Shepherds named Riggs and Zeke.
Jennifer Wooten
Dog Trainer
Farrah is a Colorado native, but has come to find home in the wonderful Cape Fear region. Growing up with Great Danes and Terriers, she discovered a passion for canine behavior and health at a young age. After graduating from high school, she decided to pursue her bachelors degree in Economics at UNCW. It was at this time that she got her first pup, a German Shepherd named Taji.
Later she found herself working with Cape Fear K9 to assist with some of Taji’s behavioral challenges and obedience. Afterwards, Farrah then added another German Shepherd and a small Terrier mix to the pack. Since then she has discovered a love for k9 protection and scent detection and enjoys creating a safe, fulfilling life for her canine partners. After a couple of years Farrah found herself as part of the Cape Fear K9 team through a trainer apprenticeship and now helps others along their dog training journey.
Farrah has worked in veterinary medicine for the past three years and has resided as an emergency veterinary technician for the last two. Her passions include client communication, education, and responsible pet ownership. Outside of the dog life, Farrah enjoys pet photography and spending time exploring both North Carolina and Colorado.
Tara Fitzpatrick
Director of Marketing
American Kennel Club (AKC) Evaluator
Raised in Wilmington most of her life, Jennifer was born in Germany and came to America when she was a toddler. While she wasn't able to have a dog at a young age, Jen dreamed of doing something with animals her whole life. She started volunteering at a dog training facility in high school. Once she had some knowledge and understanding in dog training, Jen was able to get her first dog at 15. Amari, her now 12 year old retired service dog, was trained in competitive obedience and dry mushing. He was the start of her career. She now has 5 dogs altogether: two collies, her 12 year old mix and his look-a-like sister, as well as the newest addition, a German Shepherd puppy.
Jennifer does protection sports, likes achieving AKC titles, and is an AKC evaluator. Over the years, she began studying under different trainers to learn how to communicate effectively and positively with the many dogs she's trained. Being from a mixed culture background, Jennifer absolutely loves connecting with people and communicating the aspects of dog training.
When she isn't training dogs, she is singing, playing guitar, or inline skating around town in Wilmington. She also enjoys watercolor painting in the coffee shops downtown. Last, but not least, she spends time training and walking her cat with her pack.
Tara is a digital product designer who has done work for UNCW Athletics, UNCW Campus Recreation, and several local businesses in Wilmington, NC since 2016. While most of her skills reside mostly in graphic design and content creation, she also dabbles in photography and videography. Her passion is rooted in helping others to be seen and their voices heard.
Tara holds three degrees. An A.A. from attending Brunswick County Early College, a B.A. in Communication Studies, and an M.Ed in Educational Leadership. While attending BCECHS, that’s where she discovered her love for understanding and analyzing communication practices. As the years went on, she remained dedicated to being a full-time student and working full-time to immerse herself into this field. Her ability to strategically and aesthetically communicate what clients want has positively impacted many establishments/ departments in the Wilmington area.
Tara is from North Kingstown, Rhode Island but she found her home in Wilmington, NC in 2006. She enjoys traveling to foreign countries, trying new restaurants, and getting lost in books. As for life with canines, she grew up with several rescue Greyhounds and can confirm they are 70mph couch potatoes.