Stefanie Vanderhorst

Owner    •    Pack Leader

"My first career goal was to be a dog walker, my parent's would always laugh when I said that." 
Stefanie would beg her parent's for a dog growing up and when she got her first dog, a Bernese Mountain Dog mix named Ajax, she knew dogs would be a life long career and obsession. Her second dog Sammy, a stubborn Bichon mix lead her to many training classes and eventually being hired as a daycare manager and dog trainer at an open concept facility. There she grew her skills as a trainer by teaching and assisting in beginners classes through advanced levels, tricks and early socializing classes and managed up to 80 dogs a day in the open concept daycare/kennel. With 4 years of experience there and her education though North Island College with the Animal Care Aide program in 2013 she knew she was ready to start her own business in the Comox Valley when plans to relocate to the Okanagan changed.

​

Since starting in March 2017, Run a Mutt has grown beyond her wildest dreams. Originally being just House Sitting, Stefanie began offering pack hikes to her house sitting dogs and that quickly expanded to the off leash pack hikes today that are offered to everyone's "Mutts". 

​

In her free time Stefanie enjoys being a member TailBlazers Agility, and continuing to move forward and build on her experience as a dog handler and business owner through continuing education to offer the most relevant skills.