TEAM
Beyond Animal Lovers
Lacey Hotte
Owner
Lacey eagerly took over for the previous Doggy Daycare Care business which was named Playful Paws Doggy Daycare in 2019. Lacey is an extremely loving person who is passionate and knowledgeable about personal care of family dogs. She has five dogs; Kali, minpin 5 years old: Kobe, minpin 1 years old: Kaine, minpin, 8 years old; Kastro, mastiff 11 years old, and Tink, Pomeranian 17 weeks old. Along with being certified in Walks N Wags Pet First Aid, she also attends seminars, courses, and Doggy Daycare Expos to stay up to date of and continue learning in science based, positive reinforcement dog care techniques.
In addition to owning a Doggy Daycare, Lacey is also a Min Pin Breeder. She is currently in the process of becoming CKC breeder and will compete in dog shows in the near future with her lovely min-pins: Kobe, Kaine and Kali.
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Education:
​Walks N Wag Pet First Aids
​Bravo Dog- Dog Body Language
University of Edinburgh - Animal Welfare Behavior
AKC Canine College- Breeder Education
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“Dogs are not our whole lives, they make our lives whole.”
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Tanisha Herft
Senior Handler
Ziyaarah came to us after working at YVR where she did overnight care with dogs and puppies coming in on planes .
At YVR she cared for many different breeds of dogs, from teacup pomeranians to wolves from England
She gained experience in handling frightened, nervous dogs who had been traumatized by their experience on the plane.
Calming these dogs down and caring for them gave her great satisfaction.
She volunteered as a dog walker at Delta Animal shelter when she was in grade 8 and ever since she can remember she has wanted to care for and work with dogs.
Sadly, due to the recent pandemic, pets stopped flying. She felt something was missing in her life. Then she joined our team here at Playful Pups and she feels complete again.
Ziyaarah’s vast customer care experience together with her dog handling abilities, calming demeanour and genuine affection for dogs makes her the perfect senior dog handler /employee engagement Manager.
In her downtime she enjoys taking her 3 dogs Nala, Simba & Akhira for walks along the river, she also loves driving around in her new sports car!​
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Tanisha joined the Playful Pups family as junior handler in October 2021. Her passion and energy is amazing whenever it relates to dogs. She is a professional dog handler and currently is under DogSafe Pet First Aids training. She has been promoted to assistant manager in Jan,2022. Most likely you will see her during pickups and in the yards with the big dogs.
Tanisha is an integral part of the team who you can almost always see at daycare cause she comes to hang out with her favorite dogs even on her days off.
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Education:
Build Your Dog's Confidence-Victoria Stilwell Academy
Being A Good Pet Neighbor-Victoria Stilwell Academy
DogSafe Pet First Aids- On Going
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Madison grew up on a farm so she's always been around animals, She's always had a passion for helping dogs and cats and such. She always knew she wanted to work in a field that involves animals.
She wanted to be a vet when she was little
She did K9 when she was about 10 and really fell in love with dogs!
Her family had always had a dog sincesheI was 3 years old and got her own personal dog George when she was 17, him and their family dog Temprence are in Sask so I don't get to see them much and she really misses them♡
She loves music and makeup and go for hikes and swims in the ocean!
She moved to BC for the ocean and she's staying for the dogs and the amazing people she's met.
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Education:
​Animal Welfare Behavior
Walks N Wags Pets First Aids: On Going Online
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Ziyaarah Akbar
Employee Engagement Manager
Senior Handler
Madison Legere
Senior Handler
Devin Fletcher
Senior Handler
​ Devin has been around dogs since before she could walk and she knows how much your pups mean to you, so she promises to take her best foot forward in taking care of yours! Devin has been working with dogs since June of 2019 and have loved every moment of it. In her free time, she spends it with her own dog Dekes; taking him for hikes and for car rides. You won’t see her very often in the daycare until April as she's in university full time for recreation management! Thank you for trusting me with your four legged friends and thank you for choosing Playful Pups!
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Experience:
Hazelmere Kennels June 2019-February 2020
Playful Pups: February - present
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Alyssa has loved dogs since she was a kid. She used to volunteer at the SPCA growing up and she enjoys fostering dogs for a local rescue. She has a special place in her heart for nervous and fearful dogs. Her dog, Penny, had a severe fear of people before she was rescued. She had to learn how to connect with her to earn her trust and make her feel safe. It has been a ongoing journey working with her anxiety and fear and she understands the struggles of pet parents that have anxious and fearful dogs. Since then she has become passionate about helping dogs and has focused on surrounding herself with them. She has years of administrative experience under her belt and is committed to creating a seamless experience for all of our clients. Whether you reach out to us by phone, email, text, or social media, it's likely Alyssa you're talking to! She loves interacting with clients, hearing their stories, and will answer any questions that you have about your pups and our daycare.
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Education:​
​Animal Welfare Behavior
Walks N Wags Pets First Aids: On Going Online
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Alyssa Kertesz
Office Manager
Senior Handler
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Bert is the mother of the owner, Lacey. She is well educated and an experienced dog handler. she loves to spend her evening time supporting her daughter's career and cuddling the dogs at same time. You will be most likely to see her in the evening shift.
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Education:​
Dog Body Language- Udemy
Walks N Wags Pets First Aids: On Going Online
Bert Leprieur
Overnight Staff, Cuddle Expert
Tyra Delaire
Junior Handler
Tyra has had a love of dogs from an early age, she has had a Great Pyreness/lab cross named Titus, Mastiff named Cash, Mastiff/Rottweiler cross named Brigit, Boxer named Luna and an XL Bully named Rhino. Additionally, Tyra & her family fostered dogs for the SPCA. Tyra’s future goal is to become a Vet tech. Tyra’s love of animals encompasses a wide range of animals to include fish, reptiles and cats. Tyra says Playful Pups is “her favorite job so far” as she can pour all her love out on all your animals. She works overnights cuddling up to all the boarding pups, and day shifts helping your pups burn off some energy in the yard. Animals are her passion and is she grateful for the opportunity to give your pups love when they are away from you.
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Education:​
​Animal Welfare Behavior
Walks N Wags Pets First Aids: On Going Online