Jan Magnuson, a native of Burien/Des Moines/Normandy Park, WA, has been active in the animal industry since 1975, and is the owner/trainer of SUNSTAR All-Breed Dog Training. She has assisted thousands of people and dogs throughout the years by instructing Basic Obedience/Good Manners group classes and doing individual dog training evaluations/consultations, and she is also an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator. She raises, trains, and shows Best-In-Show and High-In-Trial Champion dogs that include Weimaraners, Papillon, and Japanese Chin under the SUNSTAR kennel name. She has also owned/co-owned Rottweilers, American Bulldogs, Akitas, a St. Bernard and a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon.
She retired from the Des Moines, WA Police Department in June 2019 after 30 years of service as the Master Animal Care and Control Officer.
She currently has her Papillon “Daisy”- Davinci’s Black Eyed Susan of Sunstar, CGC, TKN, TDI, and her Japanese Chin “Violet”- UKC Champion Sunstar Violet of Gumshuz, CGC, TKN.
Her Weimaraner “Willow”- UKC Best-In-Show and High-In-Trial Champion/Altered Grand Champion Sunstar Willow of OwyheeStar, CGC, TKN, UROI, UAGI, TDI, passed in January 2024.
Jan has owned a pet supply, dog training, and grooming shop- she is also a dog groomer- and has managed a boarding, training, and grooming show kennel. She has worked with veterinarians, other dog trainers and behaviorists, U.S. Customs narcotic detection canine officers, and Port of Seattle Police explosive detection canine officers. She has worked and trained dogs in Rally Obedience, Advanced Obedience, Conformation, Agility, Tracking, Herding, Personal Protection, Schutzhund/Police K9, and Therapy Dog certification.
She has shown in AKC, ARBA, and UKC dog shows, breeds that include Weimaraners, American Bulldogs, Akitas, Rottweilers, St. Bernards, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherd Dogs, Flatcoated Retrievers, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Papillon, and Japanese Chin.
Jan has attained on her dogs:
29 Obedience/Performance titles
6 Therapy Dog certifications
14 Champion titles/One Altered Grand Champion title
8 Best-In-Show awards
8 Reserve Best-In-Show awards
6 Altered Best-In-Show awards
14 Altered Reserve Best-In-Show awards
One High-In-Trial award
She attended the first year of the Washington State Animal Control Officer Academy, and then became the Assistant Director and an instructor. She began her role as Director of the Academy in 2000, and continued that for 11 years. She has instructed classes for Police and Animal Control Officers, and was the liaison with the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center for Animal Care and Control training.
Jan attended the Des Moines Reserve Police Officer Academy, and has received the following additional training:
Animal cruelty investigations
Defensive tactics and restraint, weapons retention,
take-downs and ground fighting
Stick Baton, Bite Stick, Taser CED, OC Spray, and Firearms
Animal legend drugs and chemical capture
Western riding and horsemanship
Animal and human first aid and CPR, and human AED
Officer safety and survival- physical and emotional
Officer Peer support, Critical Incident Stress Management,
Individual/Group Crisis Intervention, LE Suicide Prevention,
and Compassion Fatigue
Animal emergency medical care and euthanasia
Animal disaster preparedness
Identification, capture, handling and care of house pets,
livestock, reptiles, birds, exotics, and wildlife
Animal viruses, vaccines and zoonotic diseases
Dog breeding, genetics, and puppy management
Animal nutrition and holistic care
Dog and horse breed ID, physiology, structure and movement
Problem dog behavior modification
Vicious and dangerous dog behavior, capture and handling
Dog tracking techniques and scent discrimination
Animal transportation and air shipping
Conformation, Obedience and Agility show dog handling
Dog breed-specific medical disorders
Herding techniques and instinct certification
Pet and show dog grooming
Service and Assistance dog identification and handling
Law enforcement instructor development
She is past president of the Washington Animal Control Association. She is an active member of the Rotary Club of Des Moines and Normandy Park, the Des Moines Police Foundation, Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce, and she volunteers at the Auburn Valley Humane Society. She was a member of the Des Moines Police Guild and was a certified Peer Counselor on the Peer Support Team for the Des Moines Police Department.
Jan has instructed animal handling/officer safety classes to Police Officers, Fire Fighters, and Code Enforcement Officers, has made training videos used by police departments, and has been on interview boards for hiring Police/Animal Control Officers. She has been certified in First Aid and CPR (for humans and dogs) and AED (for humans), animal cruelty investigations, horse condition scoring, legend drugs and chemical capture, animal euthanasia, defensive tactics, OC spray, Taser CED, stick baton, bite stick, and firearms.
She has done volunteer work taking pets to schools, day cares, and youth centers, taking certified Therapy Dogs to hospitals, assisted living, memory care, and retirement facilities, giving presentations to civic, community, and professional groups, judging obedience matches and evaluating CGC tests, and assisting at veterinary hospitals. She has written pet care articles that have been published in magazines, newsletters, and online, has had media and online articles written about her, and has been on television several times with her trained dogs.
Jan was the City of Des Moines Employee of the Year in 1991, she received the Des Moines Police Exemplary Performance Award in 2000, she was awarded the title of Master Animal Control Officer in March 2006, and she received the Wet Nose Award for being an animal champion from the Auburn Valley Humane Society in 2018.
Jan’s affection and caring attitude for animals and people are evident in all aspects of her professional and personal life, and she is happiest with her pets by her side!