Dina Zaphiris
Co-Host, PETFINDER
Best known as Malibu’s “Dog Trainer to the Stars,” PETFINDER co-host Dina Zaphiris has owned and operated a dog training business for over 10 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. For seven years, she studied under Richard Vye, who was the only protégé of Rudd Weatherwax (renowned instructor who trained the original Lassie). Some of Dina’s more famous clientele include Al Pacino, Bruce Willis, Nicholas Cage, Brian Setzer, Mira Sorvino, Barry Manilow, directors Tony and Ridley Scott and Sylvester Stallone.
Dina is affiliated with the California Rescue Dog Association. She also trains search and rescue dogs and has been classified as a First Responder by Los Angeles County Emergency Services. She is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and even has trained 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.
Dina was the primary dog handler for the San Anselmo Medical 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 scent. The dogs are trained similarly to drug and explosives detection dogs; the dogs are rewarded with treats for correct cancer identification. Once they detect cancer, the dogs signal with what’s known as a “full alert,” in which they bark and drop down on the floor. During the trial, the dogs were able to detect cancer with a 99% accuracy rate. The results of the study have been published in the American Journal of Medicine. Dina has since been asked by the Pine Street Clinic in Northern California to train the next set of cancer detection dogs.
In addition, Dina writes for several canine-oriented publications, including Dog News, and is currently on the board of directors and planners for Wallis Annenberg’s Companion Animal Center in Palos Verdes, Calif. 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, get water or a beer from the fridge, and carry her bags to the car. 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 four dogs in her canyon home near Malibu.
Dina has a degree in psychology from the University of California-Davis.