In 2009 I was a sophomore in high school and working at a local kennel in my hometown of Daphne, AL. I absolutely loved my job but a new manager with poor leadership skills soon lead me to rethink my decision to continue working there. After leaving I couldn’t get over how much I missed hanging out with the pets I used to care for in the kennel, I had built relationships with these animals and really missed them!

My own dog Reggie had terrible separation anxiety and never did well at the kennel, his neuroses got my wheels spinning… What if I started watching my neighbors dogs, but with the twist of I’ll be the one who does the traveling, the pets can stay home and enjoy their normal surroundings, routine, and have fun in their own space.

As it turns out there are a lot of pet owners who hate dropping their best friends off at the kennel, they know their pet is uncomfortable during their entire stay.

It’s been a little while since I first hatched the idea to create pet care options that focus on your pet’s comfort and happiness, in the past 10 years I’ve created a team of animal loving staff in two locations that share my mission of keeping pets happy, active, and stress free. My goal has and always will be for each pet that we care for to be as happy as possible, and for each fur parent to enjoy a stress free vacation confident in their choice of pet care.

I started Happy Hound August 9, 2009 when I was 15. It started out all fun and games, but people took me seriously... It's been one adventure after another, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Since starting this business, I've been blessed with unimagined success in the forms of friends, mentors, life lessons, and best of all a profession that makes me look forward to getting out of bed everyday.

Thank you all for making this dream a reality!

Hi! My name is Kaitlyn, I moved to Chattanooga in early 2021 to attend UTC. Growing up I have always had an interest in animals and am lucky enough to have had various pets my whole life. I have 4 sweet dogs and 2 cats that I rescued.

Our animals bring us so much joy, I love having a job that allows me to return the favor.>I love getting to meet all of the different animals that I work with!

For as long I can remember I've always been an animal lover. I was blessed to have grown up in a home where we always had animals, because in my personal opinion a house is not a home without a dog or a cat 😊

I was in the military for 5 years and during my service I spent time regularly volunteering at a local animal shelter in Hawaii where I was stationed at the time, that's when I really figured out that this is my dream career. After the military, I decided my next move was to California where I started working at another no-kill animal shelter where my passion and knowledge for animal care grew even more. I spent over two years there and then relocated (with my dog and cats 🐾) to Tennessee to be closer to family. I currently work at McKamey Animal Center as a Behavior Specialist as well as working with Happy Hound! I love getting to spend all my time with animals, I'm so blessed and grateful to have jobs so aligned with my passion!

I am originally from California, but have been lucky enough to call Tennessee home for the last few years! I am constantly in awe of the beauty here, including all the wild (and not wild) animals! I have been grooming for the past 13+ years, and now have added Happy Hounds to my pet career, and I could not be more happy! I have 2 dogs and a guinea pig who rule my life. I can't imagine a day without animals, and luckily I don't have to!