Our Pittsburgh North Team

In 2005, my wife Barb and I were both working for BNY Mellon Financial in the foreign currency area. We had 2 dogs at home whom we would never trust to stay in a kennel. We would travel frequently and always leave them with Barb's parents. However Barb's parents were getting old and it was becoming a hardship for them. At the same time we had been looking for a business that would provide some diversification in our jobs. While we were looking at numerous businesses we stumbled across Camp Bow Wow. At the time there were only 11 locations open but we were intrigued by the concept of all-day-play daycare for the dogs, the private cabins at night at the ability to watch our dogs online when we traveled. The online cameras were especially valuable as we no longer had to take the word of the kennel on how the dogs were treated during their stay. I flew out to Colorado immediately and discovered that the facilities were even better than we imagined. We saw how professional, caring and fun the Camp Bow Wow locations were and knew we had to be a part of it. Finally, a place we would actually want to take our dogs in Pittsburgh! We immediately signed up for 2 location licenses. We opened our first location in Green Tree, 6 months later in Nov 2005 which was the 12th Camp Bow Wow.

Our Greentree location was an immediate success. At the time we needed to explain to the public what dog daycare and all-day-play boarding was about as no one was offering these services at the time but Pittsburghers quickly warmed to the concept. Pittsburghers love their dogs! We won the Best New Pup award from Camp Bow Wow the following year four our success.

In Nov 2008 we opened our second location in Ross Township. At this time there were about 75 Camps around the country. Despite the terrible economic downturn people still showed up to let us take care of their most prized companions. In 2009 Barb left BNY Mellon to join me in the business and it truly became a family business. We had our growing pains in learning to work together but it has definitely made us a stronger family.

In May 2012 we were fortunate enough to be able to open our third Camp Bow Wow in Highland Park. We were the first franchisee in the Camp Bow Wow system to open 3 locations. We were about the 100th Camp to open at that point. Highland Park has been even better than we expected; it consistently has one of the top number of days per day in the Camp Bow Wow system! We won the Best of the Burgh for pet care services 7 years in a row. I think our safety, quality and fun atmosphere speaks for itself when Pittsburgh supports us as they have.

As we celebrate our 10 year anniversary of Camp Bow Wow in Pittsburgh, We also celebrate the opening of our fourth franchise in Monroeville. Every Camp Bow Wow we have built has been better than the last, and this one is no different. We offer full service grooming, dog training, high definition webcams, luxury suites, special teacup play yards and all the other wonderful features Camp Bow Wow is know for here in Pittsburgh. We are excited to be able to take care of even more of our furry friends in the Pittsburgh market!

Giving back to the community has always been an important interest for us. We worked with Humane Animal Rescue (formerly Western PA Humane society) to win a $50,000 shelter makeover grant to rehab their shelter. In 2007 we started throwing an annual Monte-Carlo night fundraiser to benefit the Humane Animal Rescue and Bow Wow Buddies Foundation. Over the past 10 years we have raised more than $100,000 for this great cause!

Skills and Experience

Background: I have a Bachelors degree in Business from The University of Pittsburgh, taken courses at Dale Carnegie and Skill Path and I have worked in the dog industry for over 13 years now.
Additional Skills/Qualifications: Certified in pet first aid & CPR, trained in dog behavior and play yard management. Have done dog hydrotherapy, and cared for special needs dogs. Also graduated as a Behavior Buddies Dog Trainer.

Fun Facts

What I love most about my job: EVERYTHING! I love being about to help create a safe place where a dog can be a dog and have fun and the parents can feel at ease that their dog is being well taken care of and getting lots of love. I treat every dog that walks through our doors as my own so it makes my dreams of having a ton of dogs a reality.
My pets: I currently have 4 dogs at home: Tierra (Siberian Husky), Charlie (Lab X), Trudy (Siberian husky), and Duke (mutt). I also have a Bunny named Peppy.

Skills and Experience

Skills/Experience: I have owned dogs throughout my life and currently have four fur babies of my own. I have been working at Camp for 7 years and have gained a surplus of knowledge and experience during that time. I am a Certified Behavior Buddies Obedience Trainer and Behavior Specialist. Other certifications include first aid & CPR, trained in dog behavior and play yard management. I have a degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from Gannon University.

Fun Facts

What I love most about my job: I can honestly say I love what I do for a living and sometimes I even forget that I am working! It is difficult to pick one aspect of my job that I love the most but if I had to choose, I would say building a bond with each individual dog and their human. I love when a dog is just as excited to see me as I am to see them. Nothing is better than a butt wiggle and some puppy love. It is difficult to trust others with one of your family members and I am grateful for the relationships I have built with the dogs’ humans as well. I like to hear about their day, the funny thing their dog did that morning and getting to know them on a personal level.
My pets: Just to get it out of the way, I am a crazy dog lady and I have four, furry roommates at home. Geno, the gentle giant, is a 6 year old Labrador/Golden Retriever mix. Sydnee, the tennis ball queen, is a 3 year old Labrador/Chihuahua mix (Yeah, I didn’t believe it either). Brooks, the bodyguard, is a 3 year old(ish) Boston Terrier/Boxer mix. Fleury, the monster, is a 1 year old Norwegian Elkhound.

Alyxxa’s goals in life are to always stay true to herself, follow her heart, and spend time with family. Her favorite hobbies are photography, painting, and drawing. Alyxxa currently has a 3 year old pitbull named Grace. Alyxxa is also like a second mom to her roommate's cat Poe. In 10 years, Alyxxa would like to be in a house of her own with a lot of dogs to love. Alyxxa's favorite part of Camp Bow Wow is seeing all the dogs she loves! She loves to see happy pups & happy pup parents!