
Partners in Canine was founded in 2019 to offer one of kind training programs to people and dogs in Southern Maine. The name of the company was inspired by the relationship that Merri and Meg have developed with each other, with their own dogs, and the dogs and handlers they work with every day...a true partnership. Merri and Meg have a combined 17 years of experience training dogs and strive to educate themselves and the people around them. They believe in relationship based training that is built on clear communication and balanced and fair boundaries.
Get to Know Us!
At Partners In Canine, we strive to offer a full spectrum of activities, sports, and training for you and your dog.
Here are some awesome folks who help round out our team!

Cindy Lester
Cindy has spent the past 15 years showing English Springer Spaniels and Rottweilers in AKC, UKC, and CKC conformation dog shows. She grooms her own English Springer Spaniels and has learned canine behavior through her own experiences and research. She has been breeding ESS for about 10 years.
She learned to show dogs from professional handlers and once had the opportunity to participate in a weekend seminar presented by George Alston. Cindy has been teaching her own classes for 2 years.
In addition to showing, Cindy is currently studying breed standards and has had the pleasure of judging several matches, two English Springer Spaniel sweepstakes and one Brittney sweepstakes.
Cindy's full-time pathology laboratory job kept her busy M-F, but evenings and weekends, her time was spent loving and training her own dogs, as well as taking care of “guest dogs” in her home.
Cindy does basic grooming to include bathing, nails and ears. She earned a Brusher Bather Certificate at The New England Grooming Show which is held annually in the fall. She recently was awarded second place at The Whole Pet Grooming Academy’s grooming competition in Portsmouth.
Join Cindy Lester with your future “show dog”, or with your best friend who you just want to have fun with while learning some basic good behavior skills.
Cody Bernard
Dog Walker & Apprentice Trainer
I’ve had animals my entire life, everything from fish to reptiles to cats and dogs so I’ve always been passionate about animals. I decided back in my middle school year that it would be a dream of mine to have a career working with them. Fast forward to 2016, I adopted a shelter dog with a lot of behavioral issues and it sparked my passion to learn more about training dogs, specifically with high anxiety and other similar issues.
In the beginning of 2020 I found Merri and Meghan and have been learning from them ever since and am currently in my journey to become an independent trainer.
I live in Sebago with my Fiancée, Quinn, my 3 dogs, Cooper (8 year old Staffordshire Terrier mix), Comet (5 year old Australian Shepherd mix), and Kai (6 month old Australian Shepherd). We avidly participate in a multitude of outdoor activities, primarily hiking. I’m also looking forward to competing with Kai in some competitive sports in the future.