Kat Van [they/he]
Better known as Auntie Kat, they are an avid TV show binge watcher and fantasy novel enthusiast. Growing up in rural Ontario on 100 acres, their love for animals of all kinds blossomed as a young child. Constantly encouraging their parents to bring in every last stray, from wildlife to abandoned pets and helping those they could, their family always knew that they would naturally follow the career path they did. Tired of standing behind a desk all day while managing pet stores, Kat took their love for working directly with the animals and passionately grew their small business over the years into a full time gig.
Kat’s Experience and Credentials:
- Currently enrolled in the Victoria Stilwell Academy: School for Dog Trainers
- Certified in Companion Animal Health and Nutrition; University of California Extension Program
- Completed the Puppy Fear course with The School of Canine Science
- Completed Karen Pryor’s Dog Trainer Foundations course
- Weekly volunteer with When Hounds Fly since September 2019
- Pet First Aid Certified
- Animal care worker since 2014
- 3 years experience managing pet retail stores
- Fostering and adoption counselling with Toronto Cat Rescue since 2014
Evan O’Byrne [He/Him]
When Evan and Kat met, he was recovering from a pretty severe repetetive strain injury from working years of tech related desk jobs. Itching to tap into his outdoorsy nature and for a huge change of pace, Evan jumped at the chance to learn from Kat and take the plunge into full time dog walking - and he was a natural from the start!
Preferring to work one on one with dogs rather than groups, you can spot Evan in the wild doing solo-walks with all sorts of dogs, but he has a pretty massive soft spot for the ones who need an extra helping hand with big feelings.
Evan’s Experience and Credentials:
- Pet First Aid Certified
- Currently enrolled in Karen Pryor’s Dog Trainer Foundations course
Soteria (Tori)
Prrrr-row! My name is Tori and I was found in a dumpster. Mom found me at six weeks old in a garbage bag and I was almost out of air (sometimes I'm a little slow to the punchline). Thankfully they took me in and bottle fed me yummy milk and kept me warm. The vet didn't notice right away, but my tail was also broken in two places (it was so small and stubby at the time it was hard to tell!) and healed crooked, so sometimes I fall down off of things or don't aim my jumps correctly. I love chasing shadows and little bugs when I can find them. I also like chasing my sister, but sometimes I bite off more than I can chew and my brother puts me back in my place. I'm totally a forever kitten!
Pandora (Panda)
Meow! My name is Panda and my pawrents rescued me from the side of the road in the country-side. I've never been happier! I have an un-diagnosed neurological disorder. My disorder is thankfully managed with a low dose of prednisone every other day, but my pawrents are working hard to find me some answers. Without medication I stumble and fall over, lose feeling in half my face and get so dizzy I spin in circles. But hey! I'm not just my disability! I'm also super cute, especially when sleep on my back in between my pawrents and lick their hands until they pet me. My favourite foods are everything. Oh - and my purr motor is broken so sometimes my mom has to turn up the volume on the TV to hear over me!