About Us

Kristyn was born and raised in Miami Florida where she developed a love of animals from an early age. Her first job in 8th grade was at a pet store and she volunteered for many rescues all through middle and high school. She has an Environmental Studies degree from Wofford College in South Carolina. After college she moved to Charleston and worked at the Animal Forest at Charles Towne Landing which was a rescue zoo. She said this was the most fun and rewarding job she ever had and she still misses her rescue animals including her favorite Black Bear, Memphis. She then spent the next decade in the world of Fundraising and Non-Profits working as the Director of Development for various organizations. While she loved writing grants and raising money for these organizations she still missed being around animals so she joined the Board of Zoo Miami where she was able to blend her love of animals and her knowledge of fundraising. In 2020 when Covid began, fundraising efforts were halted so she and Dennis moved up to their lake house full time here in Lake Placid. What began as a simple conversation about wishing there was a natural pet store in Highlands County for their own animals has turned into two amazing, successful stores and they couldn't be happier! In her free time she & Dennis love hanging out on the lake or up at their cabin in Blue Ridge Georgia, where they first came up with the idea for Puppers & Hairballs. 

Dennis grew up and worked in Tennessee for the majority of his life. A consulting job brought him to Miami and he has been in Florida ever since. Even though Dennis has lived in Florida over 25 years he is still a huge Tennessee Volunteers fan. Dennis retired from a career as a software engineer at a major Health Care Company in 2020. His love of animals especially dogs led him to start this new career as the owner of Puppers & Hairballs with his wife Kristyn. Dennis practices a healthy lifestyle with exercise and natural foods and believes the same should hold true for animals. When he is not at Puppers & Hairballs you can find Dennis hiking in one of the national parks, hanging out around the lake or traveling to somewhere exotic with Kristyn! Dennis & Kristyn met and became friends almost 7 years ago and their love of travel, hiking, boating and most of all animals has been the foundation of their life together. They try and go on one or two big trips a year, last year it was their epic 3 week adventure elopement trip out west. This year they’re going to Alaksa in July and in the fall they hope to recreate their wedding trip but this time bringing their fur babies with them! Dennis had always dreamed of one day starting and owning a business and with the downtime of Covid he and Kristyn decided to make that dream a reality!

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Nancy, or Mama Nance as she is affectionately known, is Kristyn’s mom and she was Puppers & Hairballs first official employee when they opened their Sebring store. That whole first year it was just Dennis & Kristyn so when they needed a day off Mama Nance would help out and 5 years later she’s still helping out! Nancy grew up outside of San Francisco and has recently returned to the Bay Area after living in Miami for over 30 years. She’s been having so much fun catching up with old friends and enjoying the wonderful weather but she still can’t seem to stay away too long. She spends a few months out there and then a few months here with Kristyn and while she’s in Lake Placid you can definitely find her at either Puppers & Hairballs location. She has always loved animals and obviously passed that love onto Kristyn, the two are 100% self-proclaimed “Cat People”. Unfortunately, she had to put her cat Toffee down last year and since she is constantly traveling cross country she hasn’t gotten another cat just yet but she loves her grandkitties, Gus Gus, Twinkie & Pants and spends as much time with them as she can! Gus Gus even travels to visit her out in California from time to time! Nancy is incredibly proud of what her daughter and son-in-law have created with Puppers & Hairballs and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for them.

Lisa began her career in the pet care industry in 2003, starting as a bather and moving up to become a certified pet stylist in less than six months. After spending years with a corporate pet store, she dreamed of a salon that put dogs firsts; ensuring their safety, needs and comfort above all else. She wanted the flexibility to do what comes naturally to her, to care for an animal the way she knew they needed to be taken care of. If they were scared or nervous she wanted to be able to sit on the floor and play with them until they trusted her, all things that a corporate setting simply wouldn’t allow. Her commitment to prioritizing the well-being of every dog that has landed on her table led her to Puppers & Hairballs. Her skills include top quality grooms and finding something sweet about every pup she meets. Her favorite breeds to groom are yorkies and shih-tzus and she loves the grumpy babies, the ones who aren’t mean just misunderstood. Lisa joined the Puppers & Hairballs family from day one and we couldn’t have done any of this without her!

Indy was born in Cuba and moved to the States in 2011. She started her grooming career in Miami in 2014 with a mobile grooming company. She knew right away grooming was her passion and despite how modest and humble she is she had clearly found her calling! Dogs immediately feel at ease with her and she will always take the time and focus needed for every specific case. In 2025 Indy moved up to Sebring to be closer to family and we feel so lucky that she found her way into the Puppers & Hairballs family!! She was a perfect fit and an instant hit with our customers and employees! 

Ashley, a Florida native, officially returned to her sunshine roots in 2021 after years of balancing life between South Florida and Northwest Indiana. Her life is grounded by her husband of almost 14 years, two children, and their dachshund, Memphis. Ashley's lifelong bond with dogs has cultivated an immense sense of empathy and understanding. This grounding family unit has taught her the joy of embracing change, from homeschooling her children to relocation. Her career is built on a simple superpower: connecting with people instantly and turning complex customer interactions into simple solutions. This innate empathy shines through in every conversation, always ensuring people feel heard and valued. Ashley genuinely enjoys meeting and talking to all of our wonderful pet parents, bringing an authentic and empathetic spirit to every interaction! She has been the perfect addition to the Puppers & Hairballs family, plus her attention to detail and her organizational skills has transformed our Sebring location into a work of art!

Emily moved to Sebring in December of 2024 all the way from California where she was born and raised. She has 2 cats and a dog that she loves very much! She grew up riding and competing in horseback riding and has surrounded herself with animals from a very young age. In her free time she enjoys riding motorcycles and snowboarding. Due to her love of animals a career in dog grooming came naturally to her. She began grooming in 2022 and has very quickly become one of the best! She has a huge passion for learning new techniques and styles and is always eager to keep learning! When Emily is not in the shop grooming she loves riding her horse Rascal!

Wendy was born in Pennsylvania, but lived and worked in many states across the country, eventually settling in New England for 26 years. She's always had a love for animals and have had fish, cats, birds, snakes, horses and dogs over the years! Having worked in Human services for almost 40 years, she moved to Sebring in 2021 and trained with a master groomer before finding Puppers & Hairballs in March of 2022 where she finished her training under Lisa. She loves working with all dogs but she has a fondness for doodles as well as the big wild and crazy babies! Working for Puppers & Hairballs isn't just a job, it's entering a family business where we all become part of the family! While Wendy has retired from grooming you can still find her around the stores pitching in and filling in wherever needed!

Kim has actually been a customer of ours for quite awhile before becoming part of the team at the end of last year! She studied at the University of Florida and is a Gator through and through which we promised we wouldn't hold against her...at least we would try! Kim has lived in Lake Placid for over 20 years and she absolutely loves being part of such a wonderful community. She has been married to her amazing husband, Nate, for 23 years and they have two awesome sons, Colton & Walker, who are constantly keeping their life full and fun! We only get to have Kim with us part time because she wears another hat as a realtor with Compton Realty the rest of the week. When she's not at either job you can find Kim enjoying the outdoors; traveling, fishing, diving or anything else that involves the water! Kim is also an avid equestrian and she spends as much time as she can at the barn! At home, her crew includes her loyal German Shepherd, Flash, and her sassy cat, Bad Kitty—so she truly understand that pets are family! 

What Kim loves most about working at Puppers & Hairballs is staying up to date on the latest in holistic pet nutrition and care, and getting to meet so many incredible people and their amazing pets of all shapes and sizes. She says helping our pet parents give their furry family members the healthiest, happiest life possible is something she is truly passionate about! We're grateful to have Kim with us and we get spoiled with snuggles when she brings Flash to work!

Katie was also a long time customer of Puppers & Hairballs before joining us part time! She loves her fur babies and always puts their health and wellbeing first so when she decided she wanted to a little part time work to her routine Puppers & Hairballs was the perfect fit! Katie is first and foremost a Homeschooling mom of one sweet, crazy, friendly, loving kiddo named Haillie who you'll probably meet chasing PK around the plaza! Besides her daughter and her pets Katie loves to bake and even has her own company, Katie Cakes. You can actually find some of her delicious goods right down the street from Puppers & Hairballs at Good Vibes, a cafe that Ethan's sister, Lilly, owns! Katie says that her favorite thing about working at Puppers & Hairballs is helping educate other families how to provide only the best for their fur babies through better nutrition, plus getting to cuddle all the pups who come in for grooming!

Ethan grew up in Pennsylvania and moved to Florida with his family last year. He has had a soft spot for animals his whole life. From rescuing birds as a kid to taking care of his dog Pico now, animals have always been a constant for Ethan. Keeping animals healthy and happy is a passion of his that grows stronger with each four-legged friend that he meets. Working at Puppers & Hairballs has given Ethan the opportunity to learn what’s new in the world of pet nutrition and allows him to work in a field he’s passionate about. Ethan joined the Puppers & Hairballs family part time in 2023 and was able to work alongside his mom Sarah who used to work for us full time. Last year Sarah was able to pass the reigns onto Ethan so she could spend more time with her first grandson! Ethan got his love of animals and nutrition from his mom so it’s a fun full circle moment that they got to work together and eventually take over for her at Puppers & Hairballs .

Dennis & Kristyn rescued Cooper together up at their cabin in Blue Ridge Georgia. Cooper was their first fur baby together and he helped build the Sebring store with them. He decided to follow in his parents’ footsteps and join the family business as the Chief Food Officer. As the CFO he is in charge of evaluating all of our food items and he takes his job very seriously. He is constantly having to up his game, change his taste buds and keep up to date on all new brands and flavors. Currently he’s on a bit of a Fromm kick and is loving their new line of gently cooked food, Bonnihill Farms. While his base food may change he makes sure we always include a little Answers goats milk or bone broth on top, along with his Ultra Oil & Healthy Gut for his soft coat and gut health! When Cooper is not testing out food for work you can find him on the boat rocking his Baydog harness, hiking up in Blue Ridge with his siblings or, if we’re being really honest, probably in the back yard digging the world’s biggest hole!

Cheyenne was also adopted up in Blue Ridge Georgia by Dennis and she and Cooper are partners in crime. Cheyenne was a little hesitant to join the family business but she realized she was spending all her free time helping out so she might as well get compensated for it. Toys are where her passion lies so in 2022 she became the Chief Toy Officer. Since she is a Terrier mix she has the ability to destroy most toys in about 30 seconds flat. With such an impressive track record it has allowed her to be the perfect test subject for our toys. So far, the rope toys and leather toys from Kong & Tall Tails are at the top of her durability chart. When she takes a break from work and leaves her office full of decapitated toys you can find her curled up on the couch under a warm blanket or rough-housing in the backyard with her siblings.

Twinkie was living the retired life when his parents decided to open Puppers & Hairballs. As the oldest son and the perfect fur baby that he is he graciously agreed to reenter the working world part time as the Chief Litter Officer. Being older has given Twinkie the perspective to know exactly what he likes and doesn’t like when it comes to a cat litter. He makes sure that the dust is low and the clumping factor is high. Currently his favorite is a corn-based litter from Sustainably Yours but is always on the lookout for the next new thing in litter technology. Since Twinkie only works part time you can usually find him enjoying a relaxing morning on the screened in porch or napping at the very top of his cat condo. Despite being older he actually has a wonderful relationship with his little brother Gus Gus and the two can often be found playfighting in the living room or basking in an afternoon sunbeam.

Jolene is our youngest and she’s been an absolute angel. She’s been so eager to join in the family business but we had to keep reminding her there are labor laws and she was just too little! Finally now that she’s a year and a half we decided to surprise her and hire her with the title of Chief Product Officer! She oversees all of our products, especially anything water related, toys, life vests, floats etc. Being a full-blooded lab, water is as natural to her as breathing. Her hot pink life jacket from Baydog is her favorite, her mom loves it too because of the handle on top to help pull her onto the boat or paddle board whenever she falls off, which is rather often as she is a huge klutz! Her favorite water toys are her Baydog ring & her N-GAGE floater, she’ll spend hours swimming and retrieving them in the lake on her days off! Jolene has also started dabbling in modeling and social media for the store after a couple pictures she took went viral. She is actually featured in the Spring/Summer Baydog catalogue! Due to all this recent media attention she has decided to follow in her brother Gus Gus’s footsteps and is now pretty active on TikTok! You can follow along with her @JoleneTheAwkwardLab!

Pants is a Russian Blue who is 20 pounds of terror. Kristyn adopted him when he was a kitten right after she moved back to Florida. She should have known what she was getting into because while his head and body were normal size his paws were GIANT! It became clear that Pants was destined to be the heavy weight champion of cat boxing and he began his training right away. While Pants could usually intimidate his opponents just based on his size if they did choose to fight back they could usually get a few good licks in as he isn't too quick on his feet. After years of being in the ring he's had quite a few scratches and injuries and currently he has lost all of his whiskers on his right side. He just celebrated his 10th birthday this year and as he's gotten older he realized it was probably time to hang up the boxing gloves. Pants didn't like the thought of being fully retired just yet so when he was offered the position of Head of Security & Loss Prevention at Puppers & Hairballs he jumped at the opportunity! This allows him to still feel needed and he's not afraid to chase after any suspects and put them in their place! 

Kristyn found Gus Gus at an adoption event that she and Dennis sponsored the weekend before opening day of their Sebring store. Puppers & Hairballs has continued to partner with Pawsitive Effects and sponsor this event each year & Gus Gus loves to attend as a celebrity alumni! Gus Gus has taken his position with Puppers & Hairballs and ran with it! He was still a kitten when he started out part time as the Chief Treat Taster and while he still helps out in the treat department whenever he can he has quickly risen through the ranks. He went from the treat department to product safety with testing out all of the carriers, backpacks, strollers and even harnesses. Since his work there required quite a bit of travel he quickly became the face of the company and now he wears many hats. He has partnered with our most popular harness brand, Baydog, as their first ever cat ambassador, he was even invited out to California to throw out the first pitch at the Martinez Sturgeon Baseball game! Due to all his accomplishments over the last few years he received another promotion and officially became the youngest Senior VP of Compliance in Puppers & Hairballs history! As a reward for his promotion Gus Gus was invited to attend the Global Pet Expo in Orlando for the first time last year and boy was he a hit! It was immediately clear that we had hired the right cat for the job, and things didn't stop there! This year he was invited back to Global for the debut of BayCAT and he helped secure them 2nd place in the new product showcase! His popularity skyrocketed and all this added fame may have gone to his head a bit. He's been invited out to Las Vegas for Superzoo later this year so stay tuned to see what other crazy adventures he gets into @GusGusTheAdventureCat!

PK was a poor mangey stray living in the alley behind The Journal Plaza. One day in August of 2024 Kristyn sat out back with treats, Churu Pops to be exact, and waited patiently until she came to her. Even though she was a little worse for the wear everyone immediately fell in love with her sweet personality. Puppers & Hairballs raised money to get her fixed, chipped and healthy! As soon as she was feeling, and looking better, we offered her the position of Store Manager, I mean she needed to earn her keep somehow! While she was a great employee at the start she quickly realized she could outsource her skills to all of the local businesses, not just Puppers & Hairballs. So now she can be found in many stores around the downtown area and she knows how to work a crowd. On any given day she can receive love, attention and most importantly treats from dozens of locals and visitors. She has become a staple in the community and people come from all over just to meet PK! @journalplazakitty