Eric & Anne Dysinger (Owners)
Anne and her late husband, Eric, are the visionaries behind Paws in Paradise Luxury Resort & Spa. After moving from Michigan to the Augusta, Georgia area, they developed a plan to create a luxury resort for pets. Their plan meant the resort needed to be posh enough to pamper their fur children. In addition, it had to be cozy enough to allow time to relax while separated from their family. After months of planning, Paws in Paradise Luxury Resort & Spa became a reality.
Anne received certification in Pet CPR and First Aid through Pet Tech, and both completed the Level 1 Veterinary Assistant course through Augusta Technical College. Anne is also a certified dog trainer, and received her Professional Dog Trainer certification from the Atlanta Dog Trainer Academy for Professional Dog Trainers.
Sophie Dysinger (Professional Snuggler)
Sophie grew up surrounded by dogs. This inspired Sophie’s love of snuggling with animals. She had a special bond with her deaf and blind rescue dog, Odin. Sophie regularly visits our guests and provides lots of TLC. She cannot wait to meet your pet!
Kayla Tabor (Operations Manager – Boarding & Daycare)
Kayla has always had a passion for animals and grew up with them her entire life. While attending Augusta University for dental hygiene, she began working her first job in 2016 at a kennel. This made her desire to work with dogs even stronger. In 2017, Kayla’s plans changed as she began to learn the management side of the kennel. She eliminated dental hygiene from her plans all together and was certain that working with dogs was what her heart desired. Kayla received certification in Pet CPR and First Aid through Pet Tech.
When Kayla is not snuggling with guests at Paws in Paradise, she enjoys spending time with her own furbabies: Maisy (pug), Loki (pug), Porkchop (pug), Kodak (pug — we’re noticing a trend here…), Bowser (labrador retriever) and Xena (pitbull… ha!).
Marlana Blevins (Facilities Manager)
Marlana has worked with dogs since she was 18 years old, and used to help out at kennels in her free time during high school whenever she could. Although she originally planned on a career in journalism and graphic design, her plans changed while working at local kennels and she worked her way up to management level. Marlana received certification in Pet CPR and First Aid through Pet Tech.
When Marlana is not walking the grounds at Paws in Paradise to ensure everything is in tip-top shape (and sneaking in an occasional snuggle with a Paws in Paradise guest), she enjoys shopping, journaling/ writing, painting, and hanging out with her mini Aussie, Trunx.
Crystal Lesley (Wellness Program Manager)
Crystal has worked as a veterinary technician for 24 years and now manages the Paws in Paradise Luxury Resort & Spa Wellness Program. She is certified in animal nutrition, abdominal and cardiac ultrasound, fear-free handling, laser therapy for pain management and to promote healing, canine pro-heart injections, and Cytopoint. Crystal is NAVC Pet Nutrition Coach certified.
In her spare time, Crystal spends time with her husband, 2 sons, daughter-in-law, and new grandson. She has 3 dogs of her own: Duke (8-year-old black lab), Howie (2-year-old pit mix), and Taka (14-year-old shiba inu and burn survivor).
Our Professional Pet Stylists:
Jen McCarthy (Grooming Manager)
Jen has been working in the grooming industry on and off since she was 13 years old. She is a 4th generation groomer, and comes from a large family of groomers, breeders, and conformation show handlers. Not surprising, grooming is Jen’s passion, and she loves to make every dog look their best.
When she is not grooming, Jen loves reading and spending time with her husband Kevin, her three children Connor, Cameron, and Ellie, and her furkids Bindi (Jack Russel mix) and Hazelnut (kitten).
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Summer Mertins (Assistant Grooming Manager)
Summer has been grooming since 2013. She started as a bather, and quickly moved on to grooming, turning it into a true passion. Summer enjoys grooming all breeds (with her favorites being doodles, shihtzus, and poodles), learning everyday about new techniques and breed standards, and has experience in creative coloring. Although she loves to get a perfect cut on a dog, she takes each dog’s temperament, age, and health into consideration with the goal of each dog having a stress-free visit. Don’t fault her though for knowing your dog’s name before yours!
Summer has a standard poodle named Lux, a pittie girl named Quinn, and a Frenchie named Yoshi. In her free time, she loves to cook, spend time with her wife and daughter, and preferably hang out at the beach in the (of course!) summer time.
Rogelyn Farley
Rogelyn was born and raised in the Philippines, and she owned and managed her own pet store business for 10 years before moving to the United States in 2014 to be with her military husband. Rogelyn has always had a soft spot for animals and has a particular passion for dogs. She volunteers for rescue organizations, fosters dogs to prepare them for adoption, and continuously supports non-profit organizations by donating and volunteering.
Rogelyn loves to work with animals to earn their trust, which helps her teach puppies grooming manners so they grow up comfortable being on a groomer’s table. She continually takes continuing education courses, attends seminars, and reads books on grooming to stay on top of her game. Rogelyn is mom to 3 rescue dogs.
Joshua McGrath
Joshua has been bathing and grooming dogs for 5+ years, fulfilling his childhood dream of working with dogs. He likes to take a therapeutic approach when he is grooming, making sure dogs are comfortable on his table and not terrified or traumatized by the experience. He enjoys learning everything there is to know about grooming techniques, products, individual dog breeds as well each dog’s unique personality, and treats every dog as if they are his own.
In his spare time, Joshua likes to go camping or hiking with his own dogs.
Ashley Mitchell
Ashley is a well-ground groomer with 10 years of experience. Grooming became her passion when she first started working as a bather right out of high school, and she has been building and expanding her grooming knowledge ever since.
Ashley strives to make sure that every pup in her care has a positive grooming experience, both for first-timers and experienced grooming pups. However, she reserves a special spot in her heart for senior pups.
Alyssa Pendrey
Alyssa has been grooming professionally for 4+ years. One of the most important things to Alyssa while grooming is to make sure each dog is comfortable during their groom. Also, seeing how happy dogs get after their groom and the joy on their parents’ faces makes the overall experience rewarding as a groomer.
In her free time, Alyssa enjoys hanging out with her husband, sons, stepdaughter, and 3 dogs, who mean the world to her.
Sara Bledsoe (Russell)
Sara has been grooming dogs for 28+ years. She attended Pet Boutique dog grooming school in 1994, and also worked for years at an animal hospital. She is trained in all breeds and coats, and especially schnauzers, cavaliers, and poms, but she has a special affinity for herding dogs.
Sara and her husband live on a farm with their dogs. She recently took up a new hobby: beekeeping!
Our Dog Trainers:
Brittany Moss (McElroy)
Brittany received her Professional Dog Trainer certification from the Atlanta Dog Trainer Academy for Professional Dog Trainers, and teaches full dog obedience training based on positive rewards without pain- or fear-based training methods. She teaches anything from puppy training and basic obedience to reactivity and problem behaviors. Brittany is trained to assess dogs based on their breed, temperament, and personality, and recommends solutions for behavior modification (counter conditioning, redirection), dominance, dog reactivity/ aggression, fear reactivity, food/resource guarding, and reversal of hierarchy. Brittany received certification in Pet CPR and First Aid through Pet Tech, and is also certified to train others in Pet CPR and First Aid.
Brittany has a love for all animals and is passionate about rescue, with a special place in her heart for pitties. She is dog mama to Khaos, Rosie, BB, and Oreo, as well as a foster mom to many foster pups throughout her life.
Anne Dysinger
Anne received her Professional Dog Trainer certification from the Atlanta Dog Trainer Academy for Professional Dog Trainers, and teaches full dog obedience training based on positive rewards without pain- or fear-based training methods. Obedience commands include sit, down, come, stay, wait, leave it, drop it, loose-leash walking, and off (no jumping), in both group and private classes. She also works with puppies and their parents on potty training, behavior modification (chewing, barking, counter surfing), separation anxiety, confidence building (neophobia), and socialization (newborn/other dogs or new pet/life change). Anne received certification in Pet CPR and First Aid through Pet Tech.
Anne also works with children to help them understand and care for a new puppy or overcome a fear of dogs by teaching how to read dog signals and approach a dog (family dog/strange dog), as well as mutual respect and boundaries.
