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Sandra England, CPDT
It all started with her first dog - a Golden Retriever named Makena. Sandra wanted the best place for her to stay while she was at work and she picked DogBoys. Sandra was so impressed, that when her job was downsized, she came to work "temporarily" with the pups at DogBoy's. Well, that was over 6 years ago and Sandra has never looked back! She has moved up the ranks and is now a leader of the pack as our Kennel and Training Manager. She owns two dogs Makena and Chopper a German Shepherd mix, and a cat Moe.
Sandra conducts group and private lessons on the ranch alongside her co-trainers. She also wears a zillion other hats here. When she's not at DogBoy's working her tail off, she spends her free time volunteering with Travis County Search and Rescue, www.tcsar.org. We are proud to have her leading our team! |
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Rebecca Andrews, CPDT
Rebecca came to DogBoy's in June of 2001 from Burnet Road Animal Hospital in search of knowledge on canine behavior and diet after being sucked in by DogBoy himself. Growing up, she always had a slew of animals around her including chickens, ducks, a goose named Wilbur, a cat named Scratchy, and a dog named Ginger Snap. As you can see, animals have always been apart of her life, but it was the addition of her chocolate lab mix, Godiva, that she realized where her true love lied: dogs. Joining the DogBoy's team, she worked first as a receptionist and kennel technician, but soon became a full time core kennel tech. After much observation of dogs in playgroup and studying pack behavior, Rebecca stepped up as one of the lead trainers and canine behavior consultants. You can spot her virtually all over the kennel, whether she is maintaining playgroups, loving on the dogs, or teaching classes. Rebecca is a member of APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers).
Since starting at the ranch, she has acquired two more dogs (it seems like it comes with the job), a shepherd/retriever mix named Mona, a border collie/spaniel mix named Murphy, and a cat named Jackson. When she's not at DogBoy's, she enjoys hiking with her pups, baking, running the agility course, and watching movies with her husband. Her long term goals include teaching classes, educating people about their dogs, and continuing to attain knowledge on our canine companions. |
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Paula Baker-Prince, CPDT
Paula Baker Prince was raised in North Dakota. A poodle named Biscuit would kickstart her lifelong love affair with animals at the tender age of one. This love affair continued when Paula moved to Austin, where an abandoned, newborn orange kitty named Trout stole her heart. Not too long after, a street stray named Buddy Big Ears stumbled into her life. Having a soft spot in her heart for strays (and orange kitties), Watson completed the triumvirate.
Then came the dogs. At different times over the last few years, three shelter dogs became part of her pack: the loyal and sweet Bee, a deaf, one-eyed Catahoula; Mocha, the cutest BC/Husky mix ever; and the worlds’ best kisser, a Cattle dog mix named Nikko. Working at DogBoy's allows Paula to add more beloved pets to her family without bringing any more home, much to the relief of her husband. Paula has a degree in Art History and Ceramics and worked in Retail Management for seven years. Her most helpful experience came from being a trusted pet sitter with The Furry Godmothers, but being a customer of DogBoy's didn't hurt either! We love having Paula on our team, and her smile will surely brighten your day. |
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Jay Robison
Jay joined the DogBoy's family in August 2005 after being referred there for agility lessons. Graham, his corgi, and Hoosier, his Husky mix, love coming to work with him. In January Jay and his wife Kristi's pack were joined by son Mike.
Jay moved to Austin in 1995 to earn his master's in screenwriting at The University of Texas. While he has yet to get his big break in Hollywood, Jay has sold several short stories to an online magazine, The Grantville Gazette, which publishes stories set in the world of Eric Flint's alternate history novel, "1632." His most recent story is titled "O For a Muse of Fire" and will appear in the upcoming Grantville Gazette #11.
In 2001, Jay appeared on Jeopardy! and was a one-day champion, proving that he's approximately 1/72nd as smart as Ken Jennings--which currently qualifies him to be the DogBoy's Trivia King. |
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Brett Mundy
Brett began working at DogBoy's in July of 2006 in search of a summer job and has been here ever since! Brett is a junior at UT and is triple majoring in physical anthropology, psychology, and biology, and hopes to have a career in an animal behavior science field. Brett has a black Lab named Jack, and she shares a Basset Hound named Dallas and a Pitt Mix named Lilly with her sister. Brett & Jack enjoy Sandra's Search & Rescue class and hope to join TCSAR soon. You can usually see Brett running around the ranch covered head to toe in muddy dog prints and a smile. She loves it here! |
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Julia Olczak
Julia found DogBoy's in 2004 after moving from Portland, OR. She started working in both the kennel and office, and now works full time at the front desk. Boy, did we get lucky! She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University in Animal Sciences, and worked for the Oregon Humane Society and a local vet before making the cross-country trip to Austin. She shares her life with an absolutely adorable blue heeler named Mika, aka the blue bullet; a sophisticated yet elusive maine coon mix named C.K., and a couple of bettas (Osiris and Jameson). In her spare time, Julia dabbles in jewelry making. Her sweet and gentle nature will surely put you at ease when you check your pups in for a long stay! |
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Marcella Slaughter, CPDT
Marcella came to Dogboy's looking for a change. She formerly dabbled in everything from retail, to office work, even daycare. She never really knew what she wanted to do - she just knew she wanted something she enjoyed. She brought her resume by DogBoy's the Summer of '05 looking to get a receptionist job. We, however, were short kennel staff, so we offered her that position instead. She has always had dogs and just thought that it would be nice to be around them all day, but she had no idea what she was getting into! Marcella ended up loving it, and we think she's awesome too!
She feels that she has learned to be a much better dog owner by spending so much time with dogs. Marcella is learning so much about behavior and continues to learn more everyday. She now assists in group classes, and will soon be a trainer in her own right. Marcella lives at home with her husband Chris, and their two dogs, Telo and Cajun. Cajun was rescued through DogBoy's after surviving Hurricane Katrina. What a lucky dog! |
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Kate Semple
Kate has been working at Dogboy's since April of 2007, after being a customer here for over a year. Kate hails from Pittsburgh, PA, and she came to Austin in 2005 after a stint in Monterey, CA. Kate and her husband Rich adopted their first dog, a Catahoula mix named Ralphie, from a shelter in California. They found Max, a Corgi-Shepherd mix, through a local rescue group here in Texas.
As a customer, Kate felt so lucky to find Dogboy's and the staff here, who have always been so supportive and helpful with both of her special needs dogs. She feels even luckier to be working here as a member of the kennel staff. |
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Jenny Stedman
Jenny Stedman first came to DogBoy’s as a customer in 2002 when she adopted her pup Gracie from the SPCA. Jenny had graduated from Texas A&M in 2000 and was working as an electrical engineer for Motorola. All the other pups thought Gracie was too cool when she rolled up in her convertible for play days while mom was working the 9 to 5. Jenny had never had a pet before so DogBoy’s became an invaluable resource for helping her to be a good dog owner. In June 2004, Jenny married her wonderful husband Ben. Again, DogBoy’s came to the rescue! Not only did Gracie have a GREAT time at the ranch during Ben and Jenny’s honeymoon, but the DogBoy’s staff offered great advice on how to help Gracie adjust to this new man in her house. To help the three of them bond, Ben, Jenny and Gracie started taking an Agility class at DogBoy’s. It was during this class that Jenny became pregnant (and Gracie became a drop-out)! ?
In July 2005, a precious baby girl (Emma) joined their rapidly growing family. At this point, Jenny decided to quit engineering so she could stay home and focus on being a mom. A year later, Jenny started to look for a part-time job that she could work during the weekends while Ben was home with Emma. She was pleasantly surprised to find a job listing for the DogBoy’s weekend receptionist. DogBoy’s to the rescue AGAIN! Shortly after she began working at DogBoy’s, Jenny found out she was pregnant again and in July 2007 gave birth to another beautiful girl (Maggie). Jenny says, “The best part of my job is working with such a wonderful team of people and getting to be around so many great dogs!”
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Amanda Simmons
Amanda Simmons became a customer of DogBoy's about two weeks after adopting her sweet yellow lab Lucy from HOT Lab Rescue. This was a love affair that would soon result in her increased interest in dog behavior, communication, and training.
A CPA who moved from Washington, D.C., Amanda has spent 10 years in the accounting industry, specializing in auditing for non-profits. Although she still works part-time as an accountant for a local non-profit, Amanda spends much of the week playing with dogs, filling water buckets, and learning all she can about dogs.
She still credits Lucy for getting her the job, but it's the care she gives Lucy, her sweet demeanor, and her interest in behavior that sealed the deal. |
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Chris Rivera
Chris was originally a volunteer here at DogBoy's who took solo dogs to the pond for one on one attention. He impressed us so much that we decided to hire him part-time! Chris is an enthusiastic worker and really enjoys spending time with your pups. He is going into his Sophomore year in high school and we are proud to have him as part of our team. Go Chris! |
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Natasha Botello
Last fall, Natasha made a huge decision to get a dog and what she got was a "crazy chocolate lab" named Lomeo. Completely in love with her dog, but needing help on training, she stumbled upon DogBoy's via the internet. She enrolled herself and Lomeo in our Puppy Class and, later, our Level I Obedience. Becoming enthralled with all that she was learning and realizing what a better pet Lomeo was turning into, Natasha knew she wanted even more knowledge. When she found out DogBoy's was hiring, she jumped at the opportunity, and we welcomed her with open arms.
Natasha is from the Austin area and recently graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a major in Psychology. She loves to travel and speaks fluent Italian. We are thrilled to have her as a part of the DogBoy's team and she is equally excited to learn all that she can about dogs. |
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Shay Poznich
Shay is another one of our customers turned employee. She learned about DogBoy’s after adopting her Terrier mix, Hazel, through Lucky Mutts Rescue. When they recommended us for daycare and boarding, Shay thought that would be a great way to socialize and exercise Hazel on days that she couldn’t. She and her family soon adopted another dog through rescue and, Vincent, an all around Heinz 57, began coming to daycare as well.
Shay was so impressed by DogBoy’s and it’s staff that she inquired about a job, feeling that this would be a great place to work and learn about dog behavior. To try it out, she first volunteered in the kennel for a few months and, liked it so much, decided she wanted the job! We were delighted to hire her and she has been an enormous asset to the DogBoy’s team.
Since starting at DogBoy’s, she acquired one more dog, Rupert, a Boxer/Mastiff mix, to complete her two-legged and four-legged family. (Even though Rupert is the baby of the bunch, he also happens to be the biggest!) We love that Shay decided to be a part of our gang! |
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Sarah Ellis
Sarah is a graduate of the University of Texas with a major in English. After college, she joined the corporate world of Human Resources, but soon felt it wasn’t for her. Instead, she left in March of 2008 in pursuit of a career working with animals. Growing up in a small town in East Texas, she can’t remember a time where she’s been without at least one pet. She’s a real animal lover and, when at DogBoy’s, divides her time between the office and the kennel.
While at UT, Sarah volunteered at Town Lake Animal Shelter and adopted her golden/chow mix, Cadee. She also has a 15 year old brown tabby cat named Charlie that she has had since she was 7 years old! Her future goals include, one day, opening an animal related business like a lost cost spay/neuter clinic or a boarding/daycare facility. She is delighted to be at DogBoy’s and we are equally pleased to have her! |
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Donald Gytri
Donald first started working here while a sophomore at Hendrickson High School. He is a true dog lover and was searching for a job that allowed him to be around dogs all the time. As it turns out, DogBoy’s happened to be the place he had been looking for! He now attends A&M University and will be a junior in the fall of 2008. When he comes home for the summer and Christmas break, he heads back to DogBoy’s to lend us a hand. We always want him to come back and help out and we’re lucky he does too! Donald has an 11 year old Yellow Lab named Lucy and a 4 month old Yellow Lab puppy named Wally.
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Lydia Yancey
Lydia joined the DogBoy’s team in December of 2007. She was working as a vet tech at the time, but wanted a job that allowed her more hands on experience with dogs, and a chance to learn about behavior and diet. Lydia is originally from Pflugerville and graduated from Pflugerville High School. She will be a junior at Texas State in the fall of 2008 and will soon be inheriting two dogs from a family member, which she is excited about! She also has three cats and plays aunt to her best friend’s dog, Mazie. Lydia is a real go getter and we love that she’s here!
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