The Club was founded in 1964 by Eva and Tony Caesar as a non profit organization. At the time, three other dog training clubs had been established in the Tampa Bay area, prompting the Caesars to recognize the need for a training club in Pinellas County.

Originally named the Upper Suncoast Dog Obedience Club, its primary focus was solely on obedience training, offering classes twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. 

Eva and Tony were passionate about dog training, and successfully trained Standard Poodles and a Welsh Terrier. While both were heavily involved with the Club, it was Eva, an Obedience Instructor and AKC Obedience Judge, who played a pivotal role in the Club’s ear;ly success. In fact, Eva served as the Club’s first President for approximately 20 years, until Stella Larson assumed the presidency around 1985.

The Club initially operated out of the Lion’s Den in Dunedin, gaining recognition through word of mouth, Yellow Pages advertising, and referrals from veterinarians. It quickly attracted a core group of founding members who were actively involved in obedience training and instruction, including notable names such as Herb Dolan, Pat Hammerslee, and Libby and Toots Seiber. Financial support from these founding members, along with revenue from paying students, helped sustain the Club’s operations.

In the early 1970s (1971/1972), the Club relocated to Stirling Hall on 730 Broadway in downtown Dunedin - where today the Caracara restaurant serves tapas, tacos and drinks (1st floor) and the Stirlin Art Studio & Gallery holds art exhibitions (2nd floor). Several original members contributed funds to purchase this larger, more suitable location for dog training. Initially a one-story building, Stirling Hall was shared between Upper Suncoast Dog Obedience Club and the local Recreation Center. During the day, the building was used for activities such as Square Dancing, Round Dancing and Jazzercise. Two nights a week, Upper Suncoast Dog Obedience Club transformed it into a dog training ground, taking the training mats out of the closet, setting up for dog training and clearing everything away at the end of the night. By this time, the Club had grown to approximately 80 members and continued to thrive.

Sadly, Tony Caesar passed away in the mid 1970’s. Eventually, Eva married Art Neargarden, a fellow Obedience Judge who shared her passion for training Standard Poodles as well as Affenpinschers.

During the mid 1970s, the Club expanded further, prompting the addition of a second story to accommodate more training classes and trials. During the construction phase, classes were often held in the parking lot across the street. By that time, the Club was also holding obedience trials twice a year at various locations, including the Dunedin High School Gymnasium - until dogs were no longer permitted on its premises. During construction of the second story, trials were at times held outside under the carport. 

Eva and Art became increasingly involved with the AKC and served as the Club’s official AKC delegates. They played a pivotal role in the Club becoming AKC accredited and were instrumental in testing the newly created Canine Good Citizen (CGC) award in the 1980s. In fact, there is a fun memory about a senior AKC executive flying all the way from New York to see a class of 20 dogs successfully trying out the CGC test at Upper Suncoast Dog Obedience Club.

In the early 1990s (1990/1991), the Club underwent a significant transition, relocating to a strip mall on 1415 Pinehurst Rd (close to the location of today’s Pi Pizza restaurant) and taking over premises from a Laundromat. Long standing Club members fondly remember this phase as “at the Laundromat”. A fond memory from this time was the Club’s proximity to a bar, leading to a running joke about enjoying a drink with each class. 

At this time, Eva and Art Neargarden stepped back from the Club, paving the way for new leadership under David Gueraldo and then Kristy Lockard who served as President from 1994 to 1995. Kristy is still a member and an instructor at the Club today, having great success with her Schnauzers.

In the early 1990s, the Club expanded its training offerings to include disciplines beyond obedience. At first, Scent Hurdle Racing was introduced and several years later, Agility was added to the disciplines trained at the Club. However, it was only in the 2000s that the Club decided to change its name to Upper Suncoast Dog Training Club reflecting its broader focus; the name change was signed off by Alice Poplar in 2007.

In August 2001, the Club moved to its current location on Logan St in Clearwater, where it has remained for over 20 years.

Throughout its history, the Club has trained numerous champions, in fact too many to mention by name. Notable achievements include Jean Whittler’s and Sally Fry’s dogs receiving perfect scores of 200 points multiple times, a remarkable feat indeed.