About Dina

Best known as Malibu's "Dog Trainer to the Stars," Animal Planet's PETFINDER co-host Dina Zaphiris has owned and operated a dog training business for over 12 years. Her clients refer to her as "the Behavior Savior" because of her uncanny ability to solve canine behavioral problems. From aggression to separation anxiety, Dina can resolve it all.

Dina comes from a long line of animal movie trainers, having studied for seven years under Richard Vye. Richard Vye was trained by the famous Rudd Weatherwax. Rudd is well known for training the original Lassie. Some of Dina's more famous clientele include Al Pacino, Bruce Willis, Kate Beckinsale, Nicolas Cage, Barry Manilow, Mira Sorvino, directors Tony and Ridley Scott, Sylvester Stallone and Ozzy Osbourne.

Dina was the primary dog handler for the San Anselmo Medial Clinic in Marin County (outside of San Francisco) for their scientific research involving cancer-sniffing dogs. In this high-profile study, the dogs were trained by having cancer patients breathe into polypropylene wool, which was then stored in test tubes, thus preserving the sent. The dogs are trained in the same way drug and explosives detection dogs are, rewarding the dog with a treat for correct cancer identification. Once they detect cancer, the dogs signal with what's known as a "trained alert", in which they bark and drop down on the floor. During the trial, the dogs were able to detect cancer with a 98% accuracy rate. The results of the study have been asked by the Pine Street Clinic in Northern California to train the next set of cancer detection dogs.

Dina is certified with the California Rescue Dog Association. She also trains Search and Rescue dogs, and has been classified as a First Responder by the Los Angeles County Outdoor Emergency Services. She is even training one of her own dogs, Django to find both live and deceased subjects who have gone missing in mountainous wilderness as well as other areas. In addition, Dina writes for several canine-oriented publications, including Dog News, and is currently on the board of directiors and planners for Wallis Annenberg's Companion Animal Center in Palos Verdes, California. She is also the current training director for the Greyhound rescue organization, HemoPet. Dina also trains dogs for agility and competitive obedience trials.

All of Dina's dogs are trick trained, and know over 100 words. Django can skateboard, surf, and carry her bags to the car for her. He can get her a beer or water from the fridge! Eugene sneezes on command, and when he does, retrieves himself a Kleenex. Anyone else who sneezes in his presence gets one, too.

Dina Zaphiris loves her work with animals, and enjoys living with her five dogs in her canyon home near Malibu.