Konrad and Diana - with Tobias and Amelia
Seth - with Jack
Todd - with Teemo
Victoria - with Piki
John - with Mickey
Rachael - with Kona
About Smilin Dogs
Smilin Dogs is owned and managed by husband and wife, Konrad and Diana. They live in Belmont with their two children. Konrad, originally a farmer from Germany, came to the US to be with Diana. He started Smilin Dogs hiking service in 2000 when he realised that there was no good place to get their Weimaraner Sam the exercise he needed. Diana left the high tech world after the birth of their two kids to get some work/life balance. She joined Smilin Dogs in 2009 to manage Smilin Dogs' expansion into daycare and boarding.
Seth - Manager
Seth joined Smilin Dogs in March of 2010. He has completed the Marin County Humane Society Canine Behavior Acedemy(CBA) Seth has also volunteered at the Peninsula Humane Society, assisting in their dog training classes. In addition to managing Smilin Dogs, Seth teaches our training classes and works with individual training clients. Currently, he is attempting to convince his three-year-old Dachschund, Jack, that he is not, in fact, a German Shepherd.
Todd - Assistant Manager
Todd is a Bay Area native who joined Smilin Dogs as a hiker, dog handler and office person in 2012. He has a degree in Economics. He has moved up through the ranks to his current position of Assistant Manager. His dog Teemo, a Terrier mix rescued from Shelter Dogs Needing Homes, in Redwood City is a regular at Smilin Dogs.
Victoria - Team Leader
Victoria is a native of Finland with a degree in Accounting and International Business. She has been with Smilin Dogs since December 2011. She and her Australian Shepherd, Piki compete in agility. She has been training in agility for 3 years with various trainers including, Nancy Gyes and Jim Basic of PowerPaws Agility. She hopes to someday have her own agility training business. She is currently enrolled in Canine Behavior Academy (March 2013). Victoria is a Team Leader at Smilin Dogs.
John - Team Leader
John is a native of San Francisco. He is currently studying Psychology. John started with us as a Dog Handle, Hiker and Chauffeur driver and is a Team Leader at Smilin Dogs. He joined us in May of 2012. His dogs Mickey and Maeve are 5 and 6 year old Old English Bulldogs.
Rachael - Team Leader
Rachael grew up in Pescadero, CA. She is a graduate of Animal Behavior College and is currently enrolled in Canine Behavior Academy (March 2013). She is also certified in Dog first aid/CPR. Due to a small apartment, she is currently dogless and gets all her cuddles here at Smilin Dogs. Rachael is a Team Leader at Smilin Dogs.
Our team is completed by a great group of experienced and loyal dog handlers and office staff. Smilin Dogs has been in business since 2000 doing dog hiking and added daycare and boarding services in 2009. We believe in investing in training and employees so that our people will be around for the long haul and be able to provide excellent customer service. Our dogwalkers complete the Dog Walking Academy offered by Dogtec
For dogs, we believe in lots of outdoor space and time. Our goal is to provide a safe environment where dogs can be dogs. We believe in using positive reinforcement to manage behavior in our dog packs.
We operate a "green" business in any way that we can. We compost and recycle everything we can. We are remodeling our new facility as greenly as possible. For example:
- No-VOC paints
- Certified framing lumber
- A tankless water heater
- Blue jean insulation
- Practicing deconstruction and using deconstructed materials
- A new reflective (energy efficienty), long lasting roofing material
For more details on our green remodel visit our blog at smilindogs.blogspot.com.
Business Affiliations
Smilin Dogs is Licensed and Insured.We are a member of the following organizations:
- PSI (Petsitters International)
- NAPPS (National Association of Professional Petsitters)
- Peninsula Professional Petsitting Services
- Harbor Industrial Association
- Peninsula Executives Association