My name is Mandy and I am a proud doggy parent of two vizslas named Bishop and Evey! My pursuit to meet the exercise demands of a high energy breed while challenging their intelligence required diligent study of pet care education! After understanding what it truly takes to provide the best care for dogs, I was inspired to open my own pet care business called Release The Houndz (based in Milton, Ontario). It was my pleasure to care for over 60 dogs, 20 cats and other fun pets including rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, birds and snakes. In 2017 I followed my dreams of living in the mountains with my family and have re-opened as Mountain Bound Hounds in Squamish, BC.
Having grown up in a household full of most pets imaginable while also professionally breeding labrador retrievers, it was a natural progression to pursue a BSc Honours degree in Zoology to become an animal care professional. I am a registered animal technician (RLAT, Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science) with over 15yrs of experience caring for many species, small and large, at university institutions, not to mention 4 years of dog walking and pet sitting (as an owner of the business).
Although I have been trained to handle animals professionally at McMaster University, my personal dog training discipline style follows that of The Monks of New Skete. I have used their guidelines on how to raise my dogs, asserting myself as a confident pack leader by positive reinforcement with praise. I attend national conferences annually to ensure that I am current in work place practices regarding the welfare of animals.