OUR RUFF STUFF TEAM
We're proud to present our Ruff Stuff Team!
Our amazing team of people at Ruff Stuff Dog Daycare provides friendly, loving care to every pup we serve. All our team members are deeply passionate about providing quality care and ensuring that each pup feels right at home!
Tracy & Erik, " Top Dawgs"
Tracy and Erik have devoted their entire lives to their own dogs and Ruff Stuff and all of our wonderful client’s pups. They currently have 2 rescue dogs of their own (Bo and Bree). Together, in 2003, they created Ruff Stuff out of their 1 bedroom apartment in Kitsilano. They started off offering 2-hour group adventure hikes, and as the years went by, they built a fantastic team, moved to Squamish and opened the Ruff Stuff Retreat. They are surrounded by dogs every minute of every day and wouldn’t have it any other way!
“Dog’s are the most spectacular creatures put on this earth. We are so lucky and blessed to have their trust, friendship, love and loyalty.” – Tracy
Our Amazing Team of Dog Lovers
Samantha, COO
Samantha grew up in what she would describe as a small zoo. Her house was rarely without at least 5 different species of animals running around, from snakes & lizards to rabbits, guinea pigs and a 180lb Mastiff. Samantha was the kid who rescued the birds that smashed into the living room window and always seemed to find the missing dogs in the neighbourhood. She volunteered at the SPCA from a young age. Samantha always knew she wanted a career with animals, especially dogs. After some time working in a vet clinic, Samantha found a more positive way to express her passion - Ruff Stuff!
Samantha started with Ruff Stuff in 2008 as a K9 Adventure Guide, where she enjoyed exploring the North Shore mountains with packs of happy pooches. She quickly moved up to helping organize the back end of Ruff Stuff and then moved up again to managing the daily operations of the Vancouver daycare and walking programs until Ruff Stuff had to close down its Vancouver operations in late 2021. But from the rubble of the Vancouver daycare, a new passion was born, The Conscious K9 and the Ulti-Mutt Subscription Box! These are both a fantastic blend of Samantha's creativity and craftiness combined with her unwavering love for the health and happiness of dogs.
Samantha is also the person responding to most of your phone calls and emails, and posting all those adorable pictures every day on our social media.
"Seeing the happy pooch faces every day makes all the poop-scooping totally worth it" - Samantha
Shauna, Team Lead
Shauna is a Squamish local, born and bred, who started working at Ruff Stuff in 2020. Her love for animals started at a very young age. She's had many pets over the years including pigs and of course dogs. She has done volunteer work at the Cheekye Ranch where her family pigs are living their best lives and when she was attending high school she also did a year and a half work experience at Garibaldi Veterinary Hospital. Shauna has her Canine First Aid certificate and is in the process of completing a Karen Pryor Clicker Training Course.
What Shauna loves most about working at Ruff Stuff is the fact that we all love the dogs in our care like they are our own and she loves being able to connect with the dogs and get to know their quirks and goofy personalities. She loves working outdoors in all sorts of weather but also enjoys doing indoor chores.
"I just love everything about Ruff Stuff, all the great yards the dogs get to play in, all the comfy sleeping areas and that everything is well maintained." - Shauna
Bailey - Boarding & Daycare Attendant
Bailey is another Squamish local who was born and bred here and is passionate about animals. Bailey spent around 3.5 years working at a couple of the vet clinics in Squamish and 1 year working at a vet clinic in Vancouver before joining the Ruff Stuff team in 2022. Bailey loves working with animals and plans to continue to work with animals for the rest of her life!
When she's not working with dog's Bailey can be found trekking through the forest and going on adventures with her best friend Noodle.
Bailey's favourite dog quote - "The more men I meet, the more I love my dog 😂"
Louise, Boarding & Daycare Attendant
Originally from Ireland, Louise, better known as Lou, has lived in Squamish since 2017. Lou and her dog Charlie became clients of Ruff Stuff in 2019, and she then started working for Ruff Stuff in the summer of 2022.
Lou has always had a love for all animals, and working with them has always been a dream of hers. She has a big 4-year-old dog, Shepherd X, named Charlie, who she rescued as a puppy. Lou worked for 2 years as a veterinary assistant but found that industry to be a bit too stressful. She said working at Ruff Stuff is a dream!
"I'm loving the vibes at Ruff Stuff, my coworkers are amazing, and I'm loving hanging out and playing with dogs." - Lou
Will, Boarding & Daycare Attendant
Will joined the Ruff Stuff team in the spring of 2022 after moving from Abbotsford to Squamish.
Will has been fascinated by all animals from a young age which led to him studying animal management in England. Will has had at least 1 dog for most of his life, along with multiple other exotic animals. When Will isn't working at Ruff Stuff, he can be found hiking with his dog and ferrets, training his parrots for free flight outdoors and breeding hedgehogs and sugar gliders. Will has also been practicing archery since 2014.
Will especially enjoys meeting new dogs and having them warm up to him in their unique way.
"Learning from the team about different training techniques and tactics is very rewarding and humbling. Couldn't ask for a better place to work!" - Will
Cerys, Boarding & Daycare Attendant
Cerys (Pronounced like Paris with a C) is originally from Wales and moved to Squamish in 2006 so she's officially a local!! Cerys joined Ruff Stuff in June 2023 and has taken to the role like a duck to water!! She has an adorable mini australian shepherd named Sadie. When Cerys isn't cuddling and playing with the dogs here at Ruff Stuff, she can be found paddle boarding, playing disc golf, watching movies and playing with Sadie.
Favourite dog quote - "The best therapist has fur and four legs" - Cerys
Want To Be Part Of Our Family?
At our dog boarding and daycare facility, we are always looking for the right people to join our team. We believe in hiring friendly, ethical, and passionate individuals about animals.
We are looking for exceptional individuals to join our team who have a passion for dogs and a love for providing phenomenal care to our furry guests.
We seek friendly, ethical and reliable individuals who are committed to providing a high level of service and care to our clients and their pets. If you have a positive attitude, excellent communication skills and enjoy working with others, love dogs and are passionate about providing top-notch services, we invite you to apply to join our team.