Ruffin' It Resort's Best of Breed

Outstanding Team Member of October, 2008: Holly Erickson

"Holly is an awesome Ruffin' It team member.  She always has a smile on her face and is sure to make the guests as happy an comfortable as possible.  She deserves recognition for all the great work she does. " -Eva, Pack Leader

"Holly is one of our Night Managers.  Her love of dogs shines through the darkness every night she works.  She is great with the guests and is a fantastic team player." -Mandy, Alpha Dog

"Holly's dedication to our guests and Ruffin' It is apparent.  Her great attitude, experience and love for dogs shines brightly every night she's here!  Thank you, Holly!" -Renee, Top Dog

Mandy Penisten

Alpha Dog

Eva Schnick

Daycare Pack Leader

Ashley Smith

Master Canine Caretaker

Ashley primarily works in our daycare because she loves being out with the dogs.  Her favorite thing about working here is snuggling with the little dogs after an awesome day of playing with the big dogs.  She is an aspiring artist who painted a gorgeous mural of some of our canine guests in our Yellowstone play park.  She is certified in pet CPR and first aid and has been with Ruffin' It since the fall of 2006.  Ashley just adopted another dog into her family and is now the proud parent of Zoey and Bimmey.

Sarah Gruenhagen

Master Canine Caretaker / Client Services Specialist

Sarah moved to Madison a little over two years ago after graduating with a Bachelors degree in Anthropology.  She has been with Ruffin' It Resort from the very beginning and is a part of all of the departments.  She grew up around dogs and is the parent to two Greyhounds, Shakey and Tawny.  With her husband, Sarah also fosters Greyhounds for Greyhound Pets of America.  Sarah is certified in pet CPR and first aid.  She loves all the unique doggie personalities and finds that the dogs motivate her to learn as much about canine behavior as she can so that she can better understand them. 

Angela Dallman

Master Canine Caretaker

Angela was born and raised in Madison and always had a passion for animals.  Angela is certified in pet CPR and first aid and is currently working towards her certification as a Veterinary Assistant.  She says she is partial to the Vizsla because they have a perfect mixture of goofy playfulness and sweet cuddliness.  She also happens to have a Vizsla of her own, named Maverick.  Whenever she needs a pick me up, she says there is always a dog near by to give a kiss and a nudge under the chin and make everything right in the world again.  Angela has been a significant part of the Ruffin' It team since the very beginning over two years ago. 

Amy Williams

Canine Caretaker

Bio coming soon!

Danielle Leverich

Canine Caretaker

Bio coming soon!

Meg Wright

Night Manager

Meg's father was a veterinarian, so she grew up around all kinds of animals, especially dogs.  She's always loved animals and the role her father had as a veterinarian.  She is now following in her father's footsteps and is currently in her third year of veterinary school.  She hopes to graduate in two years from vet school and may possibly go on for a specialty.  Meg has worked as a veterinary assistant for four years now and just loves being able to spend time with so many wonderful dogs.

Rachel Blackmon

Canine Caretaker

Rachel grew up in Sauk Prairie, WI and will be attending MATC to become a Certified Veterinary Technician.  She has worked around animals since she was 14 years old, has 3 years of experience working in Veterinary hospitals, and is certified in pet CPR and first aid.  Her best friend in the whole world is her Rottie mix, Skyla.  Rachel loves getting to know each doggie guest on a personal level and being able to form a special bond with each and every one of them.

Mallory Erdman

Canine Caretaker

Mallory is a senior at UW Madison, working her way through International Studies and French majors.  She adopted her dog, Buddy, last year and loves to go hiking, camping, and biking with him.  Certified in pet first aid and CPR, Mallory likes getting to know all the different doggie personalities here at Ruffin' It and loving each one of them. 

Shane Tessmer

Canine Caretaker

Shane is originally from Marinette, Wisconsin, but always had plans on moving to Madison.  He really enjoys living in Madison and plans to stay here permanently.  Shane has always had a passion for animals and has lived with dogs since he was little.  He even adopted two retired German Shepherd police dogs. Working with animals is his true passion and finds working at Ruffin' It is very exciting and rewarding.  Shane is certified in Pet CPR and first aid and has two dogs, Lil' Dawg and Cully.

Jeff Lange

Canine Caretaker

Bio coming soon!

Holly Erickson

Night Manager

Originally from Argyle, Wisconsin, Holly comes to Ruffin' It with a lot of experience.  She was a small and large animal Technician at her local Vet for 16 years, and a small animal and Lab Tech at a Middleton Vet for 2 years.  Overall, she has been a Certified Veterinary Technician for 26 years.  With 18 years of experience, Holly decided to become a Certified Pet Groomer and she started her own grooming business back in 2000.  She loves coming to Ruffin' It and working with all different types of dogs and being able to see all the different variety of breeds and personalities.  Holly spends her free time with her best friend, Rocky, a Giant Schnauzer.

Casey Mulligan

Night Manager

Casey is originally from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.  He is currently attending the UW Madison and plans to graduate this December in Economics.  He enjoys interacting with the dogs that come to Ruffin' It and learning about canine behavior.  Casey is certified in CPR and First Aid for pets and humans and he has also had the experience of delivering two litters of puppies. 

Evan Good

Associate Canine Caretaker

Evan grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and made his way to Madison when he was 18.  He recently finished college, studying Massage Therapy, and joined the Ruffin' It team in March of 2008.  Evan truly enjoys working with dogs that have had a troubled past or are fearful of men.  "It takes a lot of patience, but nothing is better than having one of those 'fearful of men' dogs running up to me and begging for my attention."  Evan has started using his massage therapy skills with dogs that are a bit anxious and plans to learn more about doggie massage therapy.  He is also certified in canine CPR and pet first aid and is a great RIR team member!

Audrey Zaferos

Associate Canine Caretaker

Originally from Wauwatosa, Audrey is going to be a senior at the UW Madison majoring in Kinesiology and is planning on going to physical therapy school after graduating.  Audrey spends her free time running cross country and track for the Wisconsin Track Club and she has been dancing since she was three years old.  She is certified in pet CPR and first aid and has a dog named Corky.  She loves Pugs because they are goofy and always make her smile and "nothing beats a dog curling up in your lap for a good cuddle."

Rachel Benson

Associate Canine Caretaker

Rachel came to us from Indiana and is currently going to UW Madison with the intention of attending law school.  She has 3 years experience at a humane society and has four dogs back home.  Rachel admits she has a soft spot for the cute looking Corgis, but she loves playing with all of the dogs and getting to know their unique personalities.  Rachel brings pep and fun to the team at Ruffin' It!

Shannon Staszak

Client Services Specialist / Associate Canine Caretaker

Shannon is from LaGrange, Illinois and is studying Polish and English at UW Madison.  She has two dogs, Pooh and Pickles, back home in Illinois.  Shannon has loved dogs her whole life and once begged her parents for one when she was young.  She also just adopted her own pooch, Buster.  Shannon loves working with a "great team of people who truly want the best for all the dogs."

Jacque Felt

Client Services Specialist

Jacque is originally from Boise, Idaho, but is currently working on her PhD in School Psychology at UW Madison so she can become a school psychologist.  In between studying and working at Ruffin' It, she spends her time hiking with her Australian Cattle Dog, Keenah, and her husband, Josh.  Jacque loves seeing guests come into Ruffin' It so excited and knowing how much joy we provide for them.

Jessica Burch

Night Manager

Jessica recently moved to Madison from Racine, Wisconsin.  She will be starting the Vet Tech program at MATC and someday would love to work for the ASPCA or anywhere that she might be able to help injured, abused, or neglected animals.  Jessica has grown up with animals and has had one year prior experience at a dog daycare and training facility before starting with Ruffin' It in July 2008.

Marissa DeGroot

Associate Canine Caretaker

Marissa has been living in Madison for the past four years and recently graduated from UW Madison with a degree in International Studies.  Marissa grew up in the California bay area where she spent a good portion of her childhood in Vet clinics where her mother worked.  At the moment, she has seven dogs back home with her mom.  She has always been surrounded by pets and pet lovers and loves that her job entails playing and cuddling with dogs.

Terra Henderson

Associate Canine Caretaker

Terra is originally from Byron, Illinois. She received her BS in Animal Science from UW River Falls and has been certified in Veterinary Technology since 2003.  Terra has been working with animals for about 5 years now, which includes working at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and small animal clinics.  She loves getting to cuddle with the canine guests at Ruffin' It and love them like they are her own.