Meet Our Team

Michelle has been a member of the Mixed Company team for over six years! Her love of animals developed from an early age, growing up in Minnesota with horses, chickens, dogs and cats. She started out by training dogs in obedience and agility. She then moved to California to study marine biology, turning her passion to marine mammals. Over the last 13 years, she has expanded her experience to include dolphins, sea lions, seals, sea otters, penguins, polar bears, grizzly bears, and even elephants! Michelle came to Salt Lake City in 2012. Since then, she has been filling her days forming connections between Utahns and marine mammals. Michelle maintains a love for domestic animals of all kinds, and relishes the opportunity to bring a high level of animal care to her work with dogs and cats. Being able to pet, cuddle, and play with a variety of animals offers the perfect complement to her work with her other large, flippered colleagues.

Heather was part of our team in 2014 and we were lucky to have her rejoin us in 2017! She has years of experience hiking dogs and we look to her as a trainer of new team members. Heather studied cosmetology at Sherman Kendall Academy of Beauty and still does amazing hair design in North Salt Lake (contact her to schedule). She has completed a pet CPR & First Aid course this year and can be relied upon as a great pack leader for dogs with special needs. She grew up in Salt Lake and loves our beautiful state. Heather spends most of her time on mountain trails and she enjoys watching all the dogs' personalities come out. She has also been a full time mother for 18 years, to children and animals. She has two of her own pets, Jake the Aussie & her cat, Sid. She loves adventure, spontaneity, & being part of the pack!

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Katherine (Kat) is working toward her PhD in Health, Kinesiology and Recreation from the University of Utah. She is also a teaching assistant in the Health Promotion and Education department. As of now she doesn’t have any of her own pets, but she had dogs, cats, birds & horses growing up. Because of her experience, we look to her as our Mixed Company bird care guru. Kat absolutely loves hiking, running and being outside, especially with dogs! She's originally from Maine, but has made Salt Lake her new home and can’t get enough of the mountains. While Kat is the first person we call when a dog needs a good running buddy, she is also happy to do pet sitting visits and overnight stays.

Erin received her undergraduate degree in Biology and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Utah. She has her own sweet pup, Layla, who loves running, hiking, camping and exploring Utah with her mom. Layla is a four-year-old Weimaraner mix who has been with Erin since she was a puppy. In addition to being a pet sitter for dogs and cats, Erin is someone we call on to hike and walk with dogs who really need a good workout. A firm believer in using positive reinforcement techniques, Erin is patient, kind and consistent with our clients and frequently comes up with creative ideas to assist in their training. Erin has always loved caring for dogs and has volunteered for an adoption center back in South Carolina. She looks forward to spending more time outside walking and hiking with the Mixed Company pack members!

Lara received her bachelor’s degree in Social Work from BYU and is currently working with the developmentally disabled. She has an SSW (Social Service Worker) license through the State of Utah and loves her job. Although living in Utah now, Lara was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in Michigan. She has a golden retriever named Raina and four cats-Oliver, Granite, Masey, and Cleopatra. She also takes care of a stray named Sylvester and a feral named Snowball. Lara has experience administering medications and shots to pets and has always had a soft spot for animals. Other interesting hobbies that Lara enjoys are reading, running, and quilting. Lara is a great addition to the Mixed Company team because of her passion for helping others and her love of animals.

 

Chrissi has her own pet care company, but still helps out with Mixed Co when we need an extra hand and we consider her an important part of our family. She's had a genuine love for animals her whole life. By nature a caretaker, Chrissi enjoys making animals feel loved and happy. She is happy to be back in Utah after her time in Southern California - she misssed the mountains. In the past, she was a zoo docent at Hogle Zoo. She also loves to knit and make dog beds that she sells at boutiques in the Western United States - they are so soft and comfy (see the Community Page for a link). In addition to being a pet sitter, Chrissi has a degree in English Literature from University of Utah and has been a licensed real estate agent and broker in Utah and California for the past 15 years. She absolutely loves working with home buyers and finding the perfect fit for them. Chrissi is currently parent to Sasha the Co-Jack (Corgi/Terrier) and Maddie the Maltipoo. 

Karuna was born and raised in Utah, but also lived in Göteburg, Sweden for a couple of years when she was a child. With family from India and Korea, she has grown up participating in various traditions. One that has been passed on to her is cooking. Eating and celebrating under the influence of multiple backgrounds has made her adventurous. This, along with her love for camping, hiking, exploring, and observing wildlife with her family (her parents are biologists), makes her a great addition to the Mixed Company team. She has grown up surrounded by animals and has always had an interest in working with them. She has rehabilitated injured birds and other wildlife, has had a cat, a dog, hermit crabs, and various other creatures as pets, and has volunteered at animal shelters. Taking every opportunity to understand animal behavior and learn about animal care has made her experienced and comfortable with all kinds of animals. Karuna now has a big Great Pyrenees named Darwin, a Boa Constrictor named Ggregg, and a Guinea Pig named Gibbothy. She is currently taking a gap year while exploring her interests and to develop her art skills. She also spends hours every week painting and drawing, often inspired by plants, animals, and other aspects of the natural world. Additionally, she takes weekly vocal lessons and plays a bit of piano on the side. All of her passions have made her a perfect fit for our team!

 

Merritt fits perfectly into the team not only because of her love for animals, but also because of her experience volunteering, fostering and adopting with places such as Lucky Lab Rescue, Texas GSP Rescue and House Rabbit Resource Network. Merritt has professional fundraising experience with both the non-profits Best Friends Animal Society and Smile Train. Her passion for animal care has led her to many fun endeavors, including leading bunny yoga classes and other special events to raise money for rescues. She has a BA in Music/Audio Engineering from Texas State University and was classically trained in trumpet from 6th grade all throughout college. Currently Merritt has two rescue dogs, Trapper and Georgia (a brother and sister duo of mixed breed), as well as 2 rescue bunnies, Emmett and Myles.