Sheila Stinson, a long-time client of DogCentric, purchased the business from founder Cheryl Staab Friedman in early 2012. She is excited to have the opportunity to combine her nearly 30 years in business with her passion for animals and build on the extraordinary record of client service and dog care that Cheryl has created at DogCentric. She and Greg live in Friendship Heights in the District with their Weimaraner, Madison, and two rescue Beagles, Charlie and Shorty. Sheila is a lifelong animal lover and dog owner, and serves as Vice President of the Board of Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ). She also is a supporter of many other animal organizations. 

Marisa is the General Manager of DogCentric and oversees daily operations of the business. Marisa joined the DogCentric team in June 2007 as a Bethesda dog walker and served as our Operations Manager from December 2007 to June 2009. Marisa graduated from Northeastern University where she studied psychology. She also completed a six month co-op in Atlanta, training service dogs for physically disabled children and adults. Her thesis, based on her experience training her Rottweiler mix, Kaya, involved training service dogs using nonverbal communication. Kaya was trained to open doors and turn on lights with simple commands. Marisa and Kaya reside in Bethesda. Marisa is excited to help the business grow and continue to develop relationships with all of our clients.

Meghan is our Client Services Manager and manages day-to-day operations, scheduling, and responding to all client needs. Meghan grew up in Texas and went to school at Emory where she majored in both organization management and finance, and got a minor in Spanish. She and her husband moved to DC from Atlanta in 2010. She loves baking sweets and playing with Barkley, her one-year-old terrier mix. Since adopting him from a rescue organization, Barkley has become Meghan's shadow - especially when she has food! Meghan enjoys helping people and caring for dogs, so she is thrilled at the chance to do both in her position with DogCentric. She joined our team in December 2010.

Patty joined our team as an office assistant in February 2011. She does not own dogs but has been an avid dog lover since she was a child and loves taking care of her neighbors' and friends' dogs, which she has done for years. She is currently pursuing a nursing degree and enjoys going to movies and baking in her spare time. She is looking forward to spending time with dogs, enjoying the outdoors and gaining administrative experience.

April says "dogs can brighten any dull day and are truly the best of friends anyone could ever have". In her spare time she creates various mediums of art and spends time with her cat, Bradley. She owned a Boston Terrier named Monster for 4 years. Due to an increasing amount of time spent at work she had to find a new home for him because she didn't feel it was fair to deprive him of the time and attention he deserved, which broke her heart. Now he is at a loving home and gets plenty of love and exercise! She says she sees this job as a chance to help others by providing their dogs with plenty of love, exercise and affection while they are away during the day. She loves all types of dogs and can't wait to spend time with them on walks!

Bill grew up in New York City, spent a decade in Los Angeles, and now lives in Kensington, Md. One day in California a complete stranger gave Bill a German Shepherd/Collie/Spitz mix 3 month old puppy; Bill and “Boxcar” were inseparable for the next 16 years. Bill manufactured fashion and plant accessories in Southern California, is a professional photographer, and worked in big D.C. law firms for 20 years. He is outdoors every chance he gets. Ten years ago Bill married his love for dogs with his professional photography gifts, and launched a fine art dog photography business which he continues to pursue on weekends. Bill is thrilled to join DogCentric, where his love for dogs and his lifelong knack for instantly connecting with dogs, makes walking dogs "an easy decision."

Brendan originally joined our team in January 2009. He was a wonderful and loyal walker for over a year, before leaving to finish his degree in psychology at Pennsylvania State University. He returned to the DC metro area in September 2011. Brendan wasn't allowed to have his dogs while finishing school, and can't wait to make up for the lost time by spending time with the dogs on his route. Brendan currently lives with his beagle that he and his family rescued from the Washington Animal Rescue League about 9 years ago.

Brian spent his early childhood on an apple orchard, was schooled in McLean, Virginia, and now lives in Germantown, Maryland with his 85 pound American Bulldog/English Bulldog mix Huggy. He is currently enrolled at Montgomery College majoring in Computer Management and hopes to have his own business someday. Brian also works as a paintball field manager and paintball referee most weekends at a scenic farm in Clarksburg, Maryland. Some of his hobbies and interests include listening to radio, playing chess, watching Japanese movies, playing paintball, Thai food, and weight lifting. He enjoys walking all his doggie friends on his route in Potomac. Brian joined our team in August 2011.

Christina was born in Indiana and grew up in Eastern North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia before moving to this area to attend George Mason University. She is a lifelong dog owner and has volunteered at many rescue organizations and animal rehab groups. She also worked with dogs who were victims of dog-fighting rings helping to socialize and rehabilitate them so they could be adopted. She currently lives in Potomac with her husband, their hound mix, Mason, and two cats, Guinness and Meisce, while awaiting the arrival of their first baby. Christina joined our team as a substitute walker in October 2011.

Dave is originally from N.E. Ohio but has lived in Charlottesville, Virginia for the past 25 years until moving to N.W. Washington DC this past summer. He and his wife have two grown children with one grandchild and another on the way. His daughter, Katie, inherited his love for animals and now works at the ASPCA in New York City. Dave recently retired from the Commonwealth of Virginia with 30 years service after working in the field of mental health primarily with children and adolescents.

Don has had 10 dogs throughout his life of varying breeds and currently has a Lhasa Apso. Don is a retired attorney who loves spending time with dogs and getting exercise. Don joined our team in August 2008.

Elan joined the company in June 2009 as our Client Services Coordinator and helped manage day-to-day operations at the DogCentric office. After about a year and a half she decided to step down from her position as manager and take on a regular dog walking route so she could spend more time at home with her daughter and continue to work for DogCentric. Elan grew up in Bethesda and returned to the area from Colorado where for the last five years she was the Camp Manager and Director of PR at Camp Bow Wow, a premiere dog daycare and boarding facility. She also has experience as a veterinary technician and holds an assortment of dog training certifications. Elan resides in Bethesda with her family including her three dogs, Marley, Ziggy and Charlotte. Elan is pictured with her 7 year old daughter Kylee.

George grew up in Madagascar and in DC with two dogs, and has been an animal lover all his life. After completing his Bachelor's degree in Communication and Culture at Clark University in Massachusetts, George moved back to DC. He spent six months on a wildlife conservation and research program in South Africa and is planning on pursuing that as a career.

Ginina grew up in Maryland. She has spent 15 years working for the government but prefers to spend her time outdoors surrounded by animals. She has experience as a Vet Tech and working in kennel atmospheres. She currently lives in Rockville with her teenage son and her 5 pets, all rescues. She joined the DogCentric team in October 2010.

Greg has a 16 year old Standard Schnauzer named Dexter whom he has raised since he was a puppy. He also inherited a Silky Terrier named Precious from his wife's mother. Greg loves being outdoors and he enjoys fishing, hiking and mountain biking. He likes having a job that incorporates his love for both the outdoors and dogs. Greg has been with us since March 2009.

Hilary is a native Washingtonian and currently lives in Bethesda with her Sheltie, Cole. She's had dogs all her life, a special Cairn Terrier for 17 years and a beautiful, sweet sheltie, Brady. Her love for animals (especially dogs) is boundless. Hilary also volunteers at a Therapeutic Riding Center in Barnesville, MD where she cares for all the horses, dogs and barn cats. An Instructor-in-Training, she hopes to be able to teach lessons full-time someday. Hilary enjoys taking care of all the animals and loves to be outdoors. Hilary joined our team as a substitute walker in July 2011.

Jeffrey lived in San Francisco before moving back to his hometown of Kensington. He is an interior designer but is also focusing on his artwork. Jeffrey is a huge dog-lover and wants to do dog portraits! He currently owns a Golden Retriever, and has had Golden Retrievers throughout his life. He loves spending time with his dog outdoors and feels he understands and appreciates the various needs of dogs. In San Francisco, he used the services of a dog walker so he truly recognizes the importance of the job. He has been on our team since August 2009.

Julia grew up in Silver Spring. She loves animals and has always had at least one cat and one dog. She feels that growing up around animals caused her to be very patient and good-natured. She has been riding horses since she was young and would eventually like to get her teaching certificate to become a horseback riding instructor. She plans to always be involved with dogs and hopes to volunteer at an animal shelter as well. She recently got a Rottweiler puppy named Roxy who has become her entire world! Julia loves taking her on hikes and playing with her, and she truly understands how much a dog can mean to its owner.

Lara grew up in Rockville and now lives in Silver Spring . She grew up with a wonderful Beagle/Pointer mix and has had a love for dogs ever since. In college she volunteered at the local SPCA and fell in love with dog walking! Lara graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Vocal Jazz and is now back in the DC area to teach voice and sing at local venues. She is looking forward to spending her afternoons with some wonderful doggies! She joined our team in June 2010.

Laurie was born and raised in Connecticut where she grew up with dogs and cats. She met and married her husband in Colorado, then moved to Southern California to raise their two boys before transferring to Potomac, Maryland. She was a stay-at-home mom and was very involved with her kids' activities, including managing their respective high school golf teams over the course of 7 years. She has spent a lot of time dog-sitting for neighbors and friends over the past few years. She and her husband have decided to wait until they retire in a few years to begin their dog own "family". She loves all animals, loves the outdoors and is looking forward to being a dog walker for DogCentric where she can do all of those!

Lilian is one of our substitute walkers. She also works part-time in the film industry. She has had dogs throughout her life, particularly West Highland Terriers. She and her husband recently adopted a rescue dog named Tigger, a Corgi/Jack Russell Terrier mix. Lilian has been our team since January 2008.

Lindsay B recently graduated from University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a major in English and a minor in writing. She has always loved animals, especially dogs. Her parents moved to Colorado with the family dogs so she is excited to get to lavish her affection on other people's dogs! She loves all breeds but has a soft spot for French Bulldogs and Golden Retrievers. She also enjoys dance (especially ballet), making collages, and reading and writing poetry. Lindsay joined the DogCentric team in July 2011.

Marivi has lived in the DC area since 2006 and worked in various accounting and computer-related professions before deciding to work with her first love - dogs. Two years ago she adopted Leila, a beautiful and energetic Boxer mix and spends most of her free time entertaining her! She is excited to be joining DogCentric to provide other people's dogs with exercise and play to help break up their days. Marivi joined our team in November 2011.

Milena was born in DC and raised in Maryland. Currently she is living in Bethesda with her toy poodle, Blackie. Aside from her own bundle of joy, she grew up around many different types of animals. She has owned other pets including reptiles and fish and also worked at PetsMart. Right now she is a full time student at Montgomery College studying business and is also a full time dog-lover. Some of her hobbies include walking Blackie, shooting pocket billiards, and watching movies. She joined DogCentric hoping to get some good exercise as well as be able to meet the lovely dog society of MD & DC. She is looking forward to meeting many new clients, and shaking a lot of paws!

Nick has lived with dogs since he was born. Growing up in mid-coast Maine, his family had a minimum of two dogs in the house at all times. His father is a Master Maine Guide and uses the dogs for work and hunting, most of which are Golden Retrievers and English Pointers. He is currently pursuing a degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising and French from the University of Rhode Island and is in D.C. for an internship this spring. He misses his three dogs and spending time walking dogs is great way to regain that companionship!

Ray is one of our substitute walkers. He is originally from California but has lived in DC for 25 years. He is a recruiter which allows him to have a flexible schedule. He does not have pets currently, but he loves dogs and feels dog walking is a great way to spend time with dogs and get out of the office while getting exercise at the same time. He enjoys hiking and racquetball in his free time. He has owned a number of dogs at different times throughout his life, including a Chihuahua, two Terriers, a Collie, a Lab/German Shepherd mix, and one Poodle mix. He has also owned cats, birds and even a pet squirrel monkey! Ray has been on our team since August 2009.

Sean was born in the DC area and has lived here his whole life. He is currently attending Montgomery College and majoring in Business but also wants to take classes on film and literature. He has been around animals since he was young and he now owns a large, energetic and very friendly Labradoodle named Jake. He loves sports, being outside and meeting new people. He looks forward to walking dogs and giving them a chance to get outside and stretch their legs.... and the exercise he will get is just another benefit!

Sheri grew up on a horse farm, in the rolling hills just outside of Philadelphia, and had the joy and pleasure of raising horses, dogs, cats and birds. Her education was in Fine Arts and Nursing. After working as a nurse for several years in Philadelphia, she moved to the Washington DC area with her husband and they have lived here for 22 years. They have two kids; a freshman in college, and a junior in high school. She is passionate about animals and has never lived without them! She currently has 2 German Shepherds, one rescue, 2 parrots and 2 parakeet... it's a very lively house (a little like animal planet)! She felt that dog walking would be a great way to get exercise, clear her head and stay connected while balancing the intensity of running a business and raising teenagers. Her dog Kiki is pictured.

Vanesa was born and raised in the DC area, and is proud of it! This year she graduated from Catholic University with a degree in Nursing and entered grad school at UMBC for a Master’s in Emergency Health Services. She hopes to one day work in disaster relief. In her spare time she enjoys listening to records, knitting, reading, and baking. She is currently living the not-so-glamorous grad student life in a small, cat-only apartment, leaving her starved for canine companionship and contact. She feels that dog walking will be a great way to fill the dog-shaped hole in her heart, while providing an excellent opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.

Victor is a native Washingtonian who is excited to be back in the area after getting his master's degree in England. He grew up exploring Rock Creek park with his dog and although he no longer has his own dog he is thrilled to have the opportunity to give other people's dogs the attention and exercise they need to be happy and healthy. That's why he is so excited about being a dog walker! Outside of dog-walking, Victor works as a financial researcher, search engine evaluator, and tennis coach. In his free time Victor loves playing sports, camping, and spending time with friends.