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When your dog comes to play at Downtown
Dogs, you never have to worry about who is taking care of her. We have
an awesome team of handlers that love and respect all our canine
companions.
We are proud to say
that we have multiple certified dog trainers on staff that both work
directly with the dogs and train our staff. All of our staff are
trained in canine First Aid & CPR. Staff regularly attend local
classes/lectures on dog behavior, training and handling. Our dog
handlers also attend monthly internal meetings to discuss pack
dynamics, foster teamwork and brainstorm on activities for our clients.
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Downtown Dogs Founders
Mark (CAPCT), Kelly (CPDT, CTC), Olivia, Spencer, Logan and Xena Helsing
Downtown Dogs' Founders
Since November 1998 |
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Mary Lou Lopez, CPCT
Office Manager
Since 2006
Mary
Lou is a native of San Jose where she still lives with her husband and
two dogs, Jack and Libby. She gained her love of the doggie daycare
industry from the experience she received while working as a manager at
another doggie daycare in Sunnyvale for 3 years. She has attended
the CC (Counseling Certificate) class at the SPCA in San Francisco, is
an ABKA Certified Pet Care Technician, and is certified in pet first
aid. Mary Lou brings with her a love of dogs of all sizes. She
states that there is nothing better than a job where the customers are
always happy to see you. No matter how good or bad the day is,
they always make her smile.
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Greg Reager, CPCT
Senior Play Group Leader
Since 2001
After
seeing a television show about doggie daycares, Greg searched the web
to see if they existed in San Jose, and discovered Downtown Dogs; soon
after, he was working with us! He likes dogs because “they are so
loving and sociable,” and believes that working at DD has made
him a better dog owner. Greg enjoys computers, online gaming, reading,
and “coming home to my fur-kids!”
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Heather
Paulson, CAPCT
Resort Manager
Since 2005
Heather was born
and raised in Las Vegas, moved to the South Bay from New York at the start of
2005, and has been at Downtown Dogs ever since. Her experience includes
working as an animal hospital receptionist/vet assistant, volunteer work
at shelters and with animal rescue organizations, fostering, and, of
course, being a life-long companion to animals of all sorts. Heather's
dog interests include behavior, training, and making tails wag.
She is currently a full-time student, planning
on pursuing a career in social work focusing on social policy and
community organization.
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Renee Ford, CPCT
Senior Play Group Leader
Since 2005
Coming from Chicago,
Renee began working at Downtown Dogs after finding out about us online.
She loves working with dogs because they are “really nice, sweet,
lovable, and really like attention!” Renee also likes listening
to music, watching movies, and talking with friends and family outside
of work. Renee has previous experience working in the dog
grooming industry, but she decided that running around with the dogs
was lot more fun than washing them.
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LJ Archibeque, CPCT
Play Group Leader
Since 2006
LJ
has worked at Downtown Dogs since late November 2006. LJ
currently attends San Jose State University where he is pursuing a
degree in Conservation and Organismal Biology with an emphasis in
Entomology. In the future LJ hopes to work anywhere that he can
collect and study insects. Despite the passion for his six-legged
friends, he also loves working with our four-legged furry
friends. LJ likes all the dogs here, but he has a soft spot for
the small dogs. His ultimate dream is to live on a 20 acre parcel
of land where he can give a million and one dogs a great loving home!
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Lelah Welfring, CPCT
Play Group Leader
Since 2006
Ever
since Lelah was little she has had a love of dogs. She is
currently raising an Australian Cattle Dog/Corgi Mix named
Minnie. She enjoys working at Downtown Dogs because she can
interact and play with dogs all day and feels this is one of the best
jobs in the world. Her goal is to continue working with dogs,
either in the veterinary field, training or breeding. Lelah
states: "The dogs that I have met here and grown to love
definitely validate the saying 'dogs leave paw prints on our hearts',
and I would never trade the experience of working here for anything."
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Jeremy Corrales
Play Group Leader
Since 2006
Jeremy
grew up in San Jose. He has had a love to animals all of his
life. Though he didn't have a dog of his own, his grandparents
and aunt & uncle did. He would always play with them whenever
he would visit with them. Jeremy is a student in high school and was
excited when he found out last December that he could start working at
Downtown Dogs. Jeremy states, "Ever since working here, I
have been able to experience working in a great environment. All
of the employees are nice and being able to play with dogs is a lot of
fun!"
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Melissa Peterson
Play Group Leader
Since 2007
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Chris Knopf
Play Group Leader
Since 2007
Chris
decided to work at DD because he couldn't think of a better way to
spend his days. He has enjoyed spending time with animals,
especially dogs, since he was a child growing up in San Juan
Bautista. His hobbies include music and writing; he is currently
attending school to further those interests. He especially likes
writing about animals for children.
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Ashley Hiatt
Play Group Leader
Since 2007
Ashley
grew up with dogs, cats, horses, rats and an iguana, and quickly
realized she would be happiest spending her life surrounded by
animals. She worked at nearby pet stores focusing on avian and
small animal care until she was offered training to become a canine
education instructor. She became so fond of working with dogs
(particularly her beloved German Shepherd, Anmut), she decided to join
the staff at Downtown Dogs where she delights in doting on 60-80 dogs
everyday. On her days off she can often be found at the kennels
of the Humane Society of Silicon Valley.
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Jon Weidlich
Play Group Leader
Since 2007
Originally
from Santa Cruz, Jon recently moved to the South Bay and immediately
joined the Downtown Dogs team. He has a passion for dogs and
enjoys observing and learning about their behavior. In addition
to having a huge love for dogs he can be seen riding his bike everyday,
rain or shine, as a dedicated cycling enthusiast. Jon is
attending Mission College working on his associates degree in fire
protection technology on his way to becoming a firefighter.
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Mario Demetriou
Play Group Leader
Since 2007
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Hunter Knight
Play Group Leader In Training
Since 2008
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April Evans
Play Group Leader In Training
Since 2008 |
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| © Downtown Dogs,
Inc.2006 - All Rights Reserved |
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