K9 Spotlight: Lisa Marie Perazzelli & Athena

Apr 17th 2025

Lisa Marie Perazzelli & Athena
K9 Handler, Dutch Shepherd Breeder

K9 Athena and I have been together since she was six weeks old. At four weeks, I visited her litter and immediately knew she was the one for me. Athena is a five-year-old Dutch Shepherd trained in explosive detection.

Athena and I work for a private K9 company, Merrill's Detector Dog Services. We are based in South Florida and work at large venues like Hard Rock Stadium, where the Miami Dolphins play, and the Kaseya Center, home of the Miami Heat. Athena has traveled the country and worked many large-scale events, including three NBA All-Star games, Coachella/Stagecoach, SeaTrade, and the Natural Products Expo.

Last September, in the early morning hours, Athena welcomed her first litter of puppies: six beautiful pups—three males and three females. She was bred with my husband’s working K9, Niko, an FCI Dutch Shepherd. Three of her puppies went to fellow working K9 homes. We decided to keep three ourselves to train as the next generation of working K9s.

Viper, Vixen, and Nikita keep us quite busy! At six months of age, imprinting has already begun. Athena was an amazing mom to all her puppies, and we couldn’t be prouder of this litter.

Their Gear: Herm Sprenger prong collar, trainer bag for tug toys, tactical collar, leather leash, and training boxes.

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