Meet Our Team

Our amazing manager Emiko came to San Luis Obispo from Sonoma county to support her partner, who is attending Cal Poly. Her sister and nieces, who also live in the area, love having her living nearby as well. They are always overjoyed when their auntie comes to play video games with them and take them out for breakfast or ice cream! Her two dogs, Nico and Olive, love coming to daycare to play with their new friends and keep the peace in the play yards. As a creative person, Emiko spends her spare time running a small side business making cookies and desserts for both humans and dogs!

Evelyn Castillo is originally from San Diego, California, and moved to San Luis Obispo to pursue her educational goals. Evelyn is extremely passionate about dogs and other pets and loves being a part of the Thousand Hills Pet Resort team.

As the Operations Manager, Evelyn's favorite thing is being able to interact with many different dogs as well as encouraging them to play and have fun. Evelyn takes pride in bonding with each dog to make sure that they feel at home when they board at Thousand Hills.

As an active and fun-loving individual, Bonnie enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and hanging out with her Cane Corso mix, Cuevo. When she's not enjoying SLO's many outdoor activities, she visits her family in Victorville, Ca. Her love for dogs led her to the Pet Resort. She's glad to be a part of the THPR family, spending time with the dogs and getting to know them and their personalities.

Marina grew up in both the Bay Area and in the mountains of Virginia, and came to San Luis Obispo in order to attend Cal Poly. After acquiring her teaching degree, Marina decided to stay in the area, as she had fallen in love with our quaint city and lovely landscape. Always a dog lover, she now has two of her own, Bumi and Zuko, as well as their tiny parakeet sister, Strato. Between her work in our office and caring for her pets, she loves to pursue creative interests such as painting, sewing, creating props and sculptures, and creating resin works.

August grew up in San Luis Obispo County and is happy to work at a job in the area that makes it their mission to help people. August grew up around animals, and they have a dog and three cats that they love very much.

Originally from San Gabriel Valley, Carlos first came to San Luis Obispo in 2015 and has enjoyed the beautiful area ever since. Carlos loves to stay active, lifting weights nearly every day, and participating in team sports whenever he gets the chance. While basketball is his favorite, he often plays baseball, football, soccer, volleyball, and even the occasional kickball game. Although he misses his recently departed fish, Blue, he hopes to get another pet soon! After a long day of playing sports and caring for dogs, Carlos likes to hang out with his friends, who share his passion for cool cars, wild dance moves, and trendy fashion.

Ellie grew up in the Bay Area and came to San Luis Obispo to study Animal Science at Cal Poly. She loves working out in her free time and keeps herself active by lifting weights, biking around the town, and enjoying San Luis Obispo's scenic hikes. Ellie has two dogs, two cats, and a turtle back home that she misses dearly and can't wait to visit. Ellie hopes to use her experiences at Thousand Hills to help her raise healthy puppies and as a foundation for her future career working with animals.

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Paola’s love for animals shines through every day at Thousand Hills and at home, where she always spoils her guinea pigs Peach and Cream and dotes on her chihuahuas Daisy, Minnie, and Oreo. Ever since she came to this area from Mexico in search of a better education with her brother and father, Paola has been studying human anatomy with a focus on neuroscience. Between understanding how our brains work and pouring her love into her pets, Paola still finds time to spend with her family, brainstorming names for future pets.

Madison grew up absolutely loving animals and couldn’t turn down the opportunity to work at Thousand Hills Pet Resort. She loves being part of every dog‘s journey to becoming the wonderful characters they are and she considers the amazing people she works with family. When she's not working, she enjoys spending time with her family and her pets.

Hi, my name is Alexandria Rojas! I love to skateboard and go rock climbing. I enjoy being outdoors and going on adventures. I've always loved working with animals, especially after adopting my dog, Bomber, from Woods Humane Society. He has taught me so much. Working here at Thousand Hills Pet Resort has been such an amazing opportunity!

Originally from the central valley, Karen moved to SLo to pursue a degree in Animal Science at CalPoly. She hopes to become a veterinarian some day, inspired by the numerous pets back home, which include: 6 dogs, 3 cats, chickens, horses and sheep.

Caitlyn knew from a young age that dogs would be a big part of her life. When she is not working on digital art, she is out playing, training, or talking about dogs. Don't get her started about herding breeds. She loves the friendly, family-like environment of THRP and looks forward to every puppy preschool class.

Sophia is known as Sophie by her friends and she has two dogs and a bird. She used to have two rats and would have an "aviary of rats" if she could. She also likes to draw, play the piano, and also crochet -- let her know if you need a potholder!

Matt enjoys making music, playing video games & playing with dogs. He is a physics major and is also learning dog training at our Gentle Touch Pet Training program. He loves animals, and working at Thousand Hills gives him plenty of time to play with the dogs.

Mariah is a high school student working towards graduation as she starts her senior year. She plays water polo for two teams and spends most of her time at the pool practicing and soaking in the sun. Mariah has two kittens, Cheese and Diego, who love to play, cuddle, and be mischievous. She has always been passionate about animals; working at THPR is her dream job.

Martha's long-time love for horses and animals began on her family's ranch in Mexico. Inspired by that love, Martha moved from Bakersfield to San Luis Obispo for Cal Poly's Animal Science program and fell in love with the area. While she is exceptionally passionate about horses in her free time, she also loves caring for her Doberman puppy, Beowulf, playing with her six-year-old Chihuahua, and putting together Lego sculptures.

Simone grew up on the east coast in Connecticut and came to SLO to study Biology at Cal Poly. When she isn’t at THPR, she can be found on the beach working on marine mammal research, relaxing at home and crocheting, or exploring all the amazing hikes and restaurants around SLO. Her dog (and best friend), Leo, loves coming to daycare to run around, play, and make new friends. She is so happy to be a part of the THPR community and loves the opportunity to care for and get to know so many amazing dogs and cats!

Julian joined THPR in the spring of 2023, looking for a job that would allow him to spend time outside. Working with dogs was a wonderful bonus as Julian always loved our canine friends. He grew up with many pets and feels that being with animals lends pleasure to life. When he's not working with dogs, you'll find Julian hiking, camping, and reading.

Hi! My name is Tatyana and I’ve grown up on the Central Coast for most of my life. I love to meditate, do yoga, and spend time at the beautiful beaches on the Central Coast. I have a sweet ball python, three big mastiff dogs, and a loving cat who I adore.

Patience moved from the Central Valley to obtain an Animal Science Degree at Cal Poly. She loves working with the dogs and really enjoys spending time with them at THPR. When she is not taking pet pictures for report cards, or attending class, she can be found spending quality time with her beloved cat, Church, crocheting or playing video games.

Johan hails from Denver, Colorado, and traveled with his family to San Luis Obispo when his father began teaching at Cal Poly. Johan loves working with animals and even recently adopted his Golden Retriever puppy named Abraham, who he enjoys training and raising. Johan's favorite subject is Math, and he keeps active with his favorite sports are basketball and swimming. Johan started working here at Thousand Hills with his older sister, who has since left the area for her education, and he loves continuing her legacy of joy and positivity at the facility.

I've always been an animal lover. When I was seven, my parents got our first dog. She was a yellow lab named Bailey. Bailey was only a couple of months old and lived to be about twelve years old. I couldn't imagine growing up without her. She, among other reasons, is why I'm a total dog person. Dogs never get old for me, and seeing them and caring for them as a job used to be a crazy idea to me, and I love it. Outside of work, I consider myself a Jack of all trades. I've taken photography classes in High school at Arroyo Grande for two years, which include Photoshop lessons. I have been in the BSA (Boy Scouts of America) program since I was ten and am now an Eagle Scout. I have done archery and competed in competitions for a total of 9 years, and I was in each of the schools I attended for eight years and competed for four of those years. I've also volunteered at Rancho de los Animales for the Disabled, a horse ranch, for about a year. Most recently, I have been rock climbing at the pad for three years. I'm so glad to be working here at Thousand Hills Pet Resort; don't be afraid to say hi if you see me!

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Karisa is originally from San Pedro (near Los Angeles) and moved to San Luis Obispo to study Industrial Engineering at Cal Poly. She misses her husky Bandit and loves playing with all the dogs at THPR! She especially loves being able to tuck the dogs in at night and make sure they are all cozy!

Luke has always been a fan of the great outdoors. He enjoys being active through hiking, golfing, and enjoying the beautiful beaches in the area. Originally from Dana Point, Luke traveled to San Luis Obispo to pursue a degree in business. He is the owner of Venus (the ball python), Gigi (the leopard gecko), and Nala (the tabby). Luke's love for animals of all shapes and sizes led him to Thousand Hills Pet Resort, where he loves caring for all animals, big or small.

Layla has always called San Luis Obispo home and enjoys being close to her family. Her two dogs, Bo and Riggs, are a constant source of love and inspiration for her pursuits in photography. Layla's skills in photography always come in handy when making report cards for our feline and canine clients here at Thousand Hills, and she is accomplished enough to have her own photography business!

Jessica may very well be our most well-traveled resort host, having been to Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia. As a Napa native, Jessica loves good food and good scenery, and will travel far and wide to experience as much of it as she can! She is always inspired by her travels and her surroundings and blogs about her adventures and observations of the world. She misses her three dogs, Jake, Hank, and Ruggles dearly and loves visiting them as much as she can.

Iris came to San Luis Obispo from the Bay Area to pursue her Animal Science degree at Cal Poly. Now a third-year student, Iris is happy to finally be starting her career with animals by caring for the dogs and cats at Thousand Hills Pet Resort. In her spare time, Iris enjoys going to the beach and traveling to fun and exciting places. While she misses her three French Bulldogs who are still at home, she enjoys caring for her sweet gecko!

Mimi is a student at Cal Poly in the Event Planning and Management program. She is originally from Bakersfield. The fun, supportive, and exciting dog and cat friends at THPR always make her feel right at home. Mimi loves caring for our canine companions, but her favorite animals to care for are cats. She even has her own at home named Bubble. When she isn't caring for animals and bringing joy to our facility, she loves to go to the beach and work on her crochet projects.

Caterina is a San Luis Obispo local working towards her high school diploma. She enjoys representing her school on the swim team and spends lots of time practicing! While work, sports, and school keep Caterina busy, she loves reading her favorite books and enjoys spending time with her delightful dog, Hannah.

Hi! I am Anya Petrilli. I am from the Bay Area originally but I grew up here in SLO county. I currently live in Los Osos and I love animals! I own two dogs named Logan, a Husky/Lab mix, and Jethro, a Chihuahua/Terrier mix. I also own a cat, Duke, and a Turtle, Frank. I am currently working to become a dog trainer. I want to work personally with helping train service dogs. I love horror movies and reading mystery books. Fall is my favorite season!

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