ABOUT US
Established in 2000, Hot Diggity! Dog Walking and Pet Sitting Services is a locally, independently, owned and operated business. We have been featured in multiple newspapers including The Oregonian, and numerous periodicals and small business programs. With over 11 years of experience in the Pet Sitting Industry, Hot Diggity! has worked with thousands of families, meeting the needs of everyone from dog and cat owners to horse racers and small farms. We are Licensed, Bonded, and Insured, and members of Pet Sitters International. Every member of our team has experience in Pet First-Aid and we have positive relationships with many trainers, groomers, veterinarians and pet hospitals throughout the Portland Metro Area. Most important, though, is that we love our job and thrive in it. Read on for our bios.
LICENSED
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April Sunrise April is the founder and operating manager of Hot Diggity! Dog Walking and Pet Sitting Services. Born and raised in Southeast Portland, April has enjoyed being part of the ever-changing landscape of her favorite city. She has a wide range of experiences with pets from farm animals to household friends and is associated with Amigos de Animales, the Humane Society, and ASPCA among other groups working to help the animal kingdom. With a BA in English and Business Management and an MFA in Writing, she enjoys all aspects of running a thriving business and would like to say “Thank you” to the many clients and friends who have helped make it all possible. |
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Bernice Vaughns Animals have been a part of Bernice’s life for as long as she can remember. Her family owned and operated a grooming/boarding facility for fifteen years and her father Al Vaughns was a professional dog handler and AKC judge. She spent her childhood traveling the NW with him to shows, expos, and other events. Though Bernice spent time away from the NW while obtaining her BA in Advertising, she has found her way back to her favorite city. Bernice has spent the majority of her life working with all types of pets and feels that growing up with them has led her to appreciate the innocence of animals and the everlasting love they provide. Bernice now serves as Hot Diggity! Austin’s Senior Territory Manager. |
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Meaghan Lopez A native Oregonian, Meaghan was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. Growing up she was always surrounded by a variety of different pets which ranged from dogs and cats to an occasional rabbit or gerbil. From these experiences she gained compassion and respect towards 4-legged critters, and believes that the connection between animals and people is beneficial to leading a happy and healthy life. She is the proud mom of Bella, an 8 year old plump and spoiled kitty, and Molly and Murphy–two ridiculously cute Maltese puppies. Meaghan enjoys spending most her time outdoors, and feels fortunate to live in Portland where there is an abundance of green spaces to explore. She also loves how dog friendly the culture is and enjoys going to events such as the annual pug crawl and the Doggie Dash. When not working with the Hot Diggity! pack, Meaghan can be found traveling the world. She recently spent time in SE Asia and is currently learning to speak Spanish, in hopes of traveling to Central and South America in the not too distant future. Go Meaghan! |
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Jennifer H. Jennifer has lived in the beautiful Pacific Northwest for almost 5 years. Originally from Colorado where I acquired my love of the outdoors and animals. I have a BA in Art History and am always looking to further my education in anything that interests me. I have a three legged cat Michigan, who is amazingly sweet and agile. I also have two Cairn Terriers, Molly and Miko who are my babies and the loves of my life. I am definitely the person on the bus showing you pictures of their “children”. Working at Hot Diggity is fantastic and joyful way to spend your time. It is such a positive thing to give someone the peace of mind that their animals are loved, cared for and exercised even when they cannot be there. Jennifer is now serving as the Operations Manager for hot Diggity! Portland. |
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Xandra G. Unless we are talking about spiders, Xandra has a love for just about all living creatures. This love was discovered when Xandra was a child and spent summers hiking and camping in the Olympics and Cascades, as well as attending horse camps all over Seattle. These activities kept her need for animals satiated until she found her college dorm room was a little too small for a horse. In answer to this problem; she got a rat and the two graduated from the University of Oregon. Now Xandra channels her animal love through the Hot Diggity! cliental as well as her own two dogs, Riley, and Millie. Xandra Serves as the Operations Manager of our Hot Diggity! Seattle location. |
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Melissa S. After graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in Theater and Film Design, Melissa decided to take the plunge and move from Kansas to Portland without so much as a visit. With hobbies that include Trail Running, Biking, Camping, Climbing, and White Water Rafting, Melissa found herself in heaven in the Pacific Northwest and plans to make it her home for a long while. Growing up, Melissa always had dogs and cats around the house and was accustomed to a sharing her life with her fuzzy companions. After her move to Portland she realized how much she missed those interactions, so sought out jobs that would all her to be around pets. When not dog running and hanging with kitties, Melissa can be found rafting the Grand Canyon or writing short stories in a coffee shop somewhere. Melissa is planning a west coast fund-raising bike tour to raise awareness of the lack of physical education in the South African school programming. Check out this link for more info: http://www.indiegogo.com/Over-1000-Miles-by-bike-for-at-least-1000-for-1000s-of-kids-in-South-Africa |
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Whitney C. Whitney hails from Monterey, CA. She ventured north to attend Seattle University and to live closer to her family. Whitney fell in love with the Northwest and loves living in Portland. Whitney enjoys running, trips to the coast, and spending time with her friends and family. Whitney has a 12 year old pug named Gertie who is the love of her life. She has a great passion for dogs (pugs in particular) and enjoys spending her work days outside instead of in a stuffy cubicle. Whitney works primarily in the Lake Oswego area and is soon going to be joining our team of managers as the Operations Director of our Las Vegas Territory. Go Whitney! |
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Kelly King Kelly was born and raised in a small town in Alaska. Growing up, she was surrounded by a veritable circus of golden retrievers, cats, guinea pigs, gerbils, and fish, and she’s always loved cuddling up with a good book and a furry friend. Blessed with fearless explorers for parents, she traveled all over Central America and Australia as a kid, an experience which inspired her to study abroad in Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia during her first year of college. She is currently pursuing a BS in Political Science at Portland State, and when she’s not playing fetch or rubbing bellies for Hot Diggity!, she enjoys cooking, working in her garden, learning to quilt, building terrariums, and dancing to Talking Heads. |
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Maggie M. After growing up in Lake Oswego, Maggie decided to move to the big city and attend Portland State University. She received a degree in Business Management and Human Resource Management. Post College, Maggie found herself in the Real Estate industry where she thrived for twelve long years. It was during these twelve years that Maggie began to feel a little nostalgia for the wild life with animals she had when she was a child. Enter Hot Diggity. She has now been working with the company for years and we are so happy to have her! Maggie runs out Boarding House for pups! |
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Amber M. Amber was born and raised in the Portland area around dogs, cats, birds and many kinds of lizards and bugs that her dad use to love to bring home for us. Amber worked at the zoo the summer before my senior year helping educate the summer camp kids about the animals in the zoo. This was when i decided that i wanted to work with animals as a career. She graduated from Apollo College with her veterinarian assistant diploma. Later, she worked at two different veterinary hospitals over five years assisting vets and helping animals. In 2010 she returned to school for her Bachelors in Environmental Studies with a concentration in fish and wildlife. Amber is a new mom (to daughter Emalia, the love of her life) and a great dog mom to Bailey, Kila and Berkley. Amber absolutely loves being around animals and getting to hang out and love on them and do whatever she can to make them happy. In her free time (she she has some…) she enjoys hiking, cooking, reading and hanging out with her friends and family. We are lucky to have Amber as a part of our team. |
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Amanda R. Amanda is a recent Portland transplant originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she was born and raised. An only child, Amanda turned to animals for entertainment growing up. She grew up with a family full of animal lovers like herself, and she learned much of her compassion through her uncle’s little business, “The Funny Farm.” A farm that rescues, cares for, and raises many different animals from around the nation including donkeys, camels, horses, goats, chickens, a zebra and even a miniature cow. As she is new to Portland, when not with animals, Amanda can be found exploring her new city. She may be at a local farmer’s market, taking photos, painting, busy in her kitchen experimenting with new recipes or finishing her Environmental Science degree from Portland State University. |
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Katie L. Katie grew up in Rapid City SD and every time she came to visit family in Portland and fell in love with it a little more each visit. She graduated from Montana State University with a degree in Organismal Biology and afterwards wanted to live in the “big city” so Portland was her top choice. Katie’s favorite hobby is to travel whether it is in state or different countries. Love seeing new things and experiencing different cultures. Her favorite thing about working at Hot Diggity! is being outside with creatures that make her smile and laugh. |
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Ella Hall Ella is Hot Diggity’s resident Gal Friday. She was born and raised in the wilds of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and spent most of her childhood mingling with minnows ankle-deep in a creek or making snow angels. Ella has a BA in Writing and Literature from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder, CO. When not assisting in Hot Diggity! matters, this recent Portland transplant can often be spotted with her nose in a book at Powells, writing in a coffee shop, or out exploring our fair city. |
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Angela |
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Brittany C. Though born in the sweet Carolinas, Brittany’s calling was not to be a Southern Bell. After only a few precious years, her family headed north to the heart of the Key Stone state, where three mighty rivers collide in Pittsburgh. The potholes, faded industry and vast amounts of bridges became more than they could handle, so, they headed West in search of gold. Brittany spent the rest of her grade schools days basking in the warm sun and blue skies of the East Bay. It was during that time that they regretfully lost her childhood dog, Cheekey and welcomed a puppy (who is now rather old) named Peaches. She earned a BA in Art and minored in English at the University of Missouri. After college and a couple months back with her wonderfully supportive parents, she followed her heart to beautiful Portland, Plaidland, Pittsburgh of the Pacific with her beloved cat Penny Pillows. Brittany’s favorite things are burgers, art, coffee, dogs, burgers, outdoors, exploring, Ke$ha and burgers. She loves Hot Diggity! because her job allows her to combine so many of her favorite things on a daily basis. |
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Sarah A. Sarah grew up in the small town of Ridgefield, WA and after seeing the world a bit, moved to Portland when she was 20. Sarah has two Associate degrees, has a certificate in Deaf Studies and completed a sign language interpreting program. Her favorite hobbies are playing sports, hiking, camping, learning to play instruments, and making dinner with friends. Sarah loves working with animals because they are always lively, energetic and full of love. She also enjoys the benefit of spending time outdoors and getting a great work out. |
| Gabrielle B. Gabrielle has been working with animals all her life. From childhood she found wounded birds, squirrels, and strays and brought them home, fixed them up and found homes for them. She has been volunteering for the Humane Society and the Audubon Society since the 1970′s, is a member of the ASPCA, and currently works with Amigos de Animales in San Miguel de Allende helping to reduce the number of street dogs and feral cats in Mexico. With her BFA in Visual Art from Marylhurst University, Gabrielle enjoys doing oil pastel drawings of favorite dog breeds, having recently put the finishing touches on portraits of an English Bulldog and a Black Lab. Gabrielle has extensive experience caring for a variety of pets and currently has a rabbit, Shih Tzu, and Lhasa Apsa she calls her own (all who were adopted). | |
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Amanda T. Amanda has been a pet sitter in the city of Portland for the last three years and is very excited to join the Hot Diggity! team! At age twelve Amanda began volunteering at her local animal shelter and she has remained active in the animal care field ever since. Amanda cares for a variety of pets, including rats, ferrets, lizards, and even chickens. In her free time, Amanda likes to explore Portland on foot and by bike, finding fun and interesting places she never knew existed, even after ten years in the city. She also enjoys camping, hiking, and taking day trips to the coast. Most of all, though, Amanda loves spending time with animals and has always felt a strong connection with our furry, feathery, scaly friends. |
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Sean Hill Sean grew up in a small town in southern Utah surrounded by animals of all shapes, sizes, and personality types. Sean is brand new to the Porland area, but feels that he is meant to be in this incredible part of the world, surrounded by life and abundance, and already considers it home. Grateful to be a part of the wonderful Hot Diggity! team, Sean looks forward to a long, rewarding career taking care of your “pride and joy,” “unconditional support system,” “spiritual teacher,” and “best friend.” |
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Dayna Dayna (a Portland Native) has never known life without animals. Her very first job was working at a doggie daycare and is happy to be back in the business of caring for dogs/cats/fish/hermit crabs and any other critter a family may have. When she isn’t working she loves going to the beach, walking her boxer Bud, and taking pictures of the beautiful Northwest. Dayna is loving her job at Hot Diggity! where there is never a dull moment and she can always find a good laugh in the silly things animals do. You can find Dayna working with our clients in Lake O., West Linn, and SW Portland. |
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Eden Eden was born and raised in central California. As a child Eden came to Oregon every summer to spend time with family. She always loved the Pacific Northwest — the greenery, the fresh air! Just three months after High School graduation Eden found herself living in beautiful Portland, Oregon with her kitty cat Miss Ellie Squals. Eden loves her job with Hot Diggity! because it involves three of her favorite things: Animals, exercise & being outdoors! On her free time she enjoys catching up with friends, shopping, grabbing a bite to eat & lounging with none other than Miss Ellie Squals herself. You can find Eden on the SW side of Downtown and in the South Waterfront. |
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Kendra Kendra is a recent graduate from Oregon State University, and, although she is a native Oregonian, she is relatively new to the Portland area. She has always been an avid animal lover, which prompted her to major in zoological studies while attending Oregon State. She has participated in dog and horse 4-H and has worked at dog grooming salons in the past. Animals comprise much of Kendra’s life, and she plans to eventually help conserve the planet’s endangered species through the study of conservation biology. In the meantime, Kendra is currently a member of the Sierra Club’s Executive Committee Board and happily working for Hot Diggity, where she can enjoy the loving affection of animals while also helping you take care of your fuzzy family members! |
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Naomi D. Naomi was born and raised in central Missouri. An only child, she grew up in the company of her family’s many dogs, cats, lizards, and even one parrot. She moved to Portland to study Russian at Reed College and fulfill her dreams of exploring Eastern Europe, and in 2007 was able to travel the entirety of the Trans-Siberian railroad (5,700 mi!) by herself. Naomi is also incredibly interested in organic and sustainable farming methods and has spent considerable time working with livestock. She particularly loves goats and alpacas. She loves her job with Hot Diggity! and is especially glad to spend her days outdoors with some of the best dogs around! When not walking dogs, cuddling with kitties, and traveling around the world, Naomi can be found working on short stories or illustrations at one of Portland’s exceptional coffee houses. You can also find Naomi nurturing her own business — Pegasus Delivery! |
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Savannah S. Serving our SE Portland and Downtown clients. |
