MEET THE TEAM

I am the proud owner of Companion Acres LLC where my home is your dog’s home away from home. I’ve been professionally working with dogs since 2015. In the beginning, I walked dogs at the humane society here in Rochester. On my car ride home, I would mentally re-design our small home to accommodate caring for all the sweet pups. Expanding on this growing passion of walking dogs, I joined Rover.com. At that time I was teaching 1st grade and thought walking pups for a summer job sounded like a good gig. BONUS: I could even bring my kids along and see my own pups more! I loved spending my day as a dog walker and dog boarder so much that I took a leap of faith, followed my fast beating and oversized heart, and committed to the profession full time.

I couldn’t be more grateful for the many relationships I’ve developed with both owners and dogs (and a few other animals) throughout these years. I cannot wait to meet you and your sweet four-legged family members as well

On a personal note, I share our home with my husband, Jake (who I couldn’t even imagine being any more supportive of my crazy ideas), two freaking cute kids, and three perfect pups of my own! We live a good life in a historical 3 story house on 5 acres, loving located in SE Rochester, MN.

I love being a part of the Companion Acres Family, it is truly my home away from home! My degree and background is in Early Childhood Education, but I am no stranger to caring for animals. Growing up, my family always had animals in the house; from dogs to rabbits to even an iguana! Currently, my husband, Dan, and I have 4 pups, and would take 40 more if we could! Over my years of working at CA, my love of caring for pups has overflowed into my life’s mission and I am so grateful that I get to spend my days with each of your pups!

I have been at Companion Acres since March of 2022 and absolutely love it here! It’s been so great getting to know all of you and your pups. I have a lot of experience with multiple kinds of animals. From horses at my first job, to dogs, cats, and exotics at my last job, at a vet clinic. Personally, I have 2 pups, Ruby, an 8 year old black lab mix, and Ollie, an 11 year old pointer mix. I also have 2 cats, Lucky and Minerva. As well as two birds; Willow, a cockatiel, and Luna, an Indian Ringneck! We’ve always had pets throughout my life and I couldn’t imagine life without them!

I was born in Winona mn, and raised in Lewiston. My family and I always had dogs growing up. One of my first memories was grieving the loss of my dog Clhoe. Our next dog was a salt and pepper schnauzer named princess, she was so sweet. Later we got Clhoe #2 she was a lab chow mix, and we were best friends. After high school it was time to get my own dog, a black lab named Luke. I trained him to hunt, and we did everything together. When Luke was 3 we acquired his half brother Dudley. Dudley was love in its best form. Together we lived a good life. Finally I met my wife Laura, and we loved the boys together until they finally passed away. We now have 2 lab mixes, a pure bred chocolate lab, a Yorkie poo, and 5 ducks. Life is pretty good living day by day with my wonderful wife Laura, and our 4 fur babies.

Hi Everyone! My name is Sunshine and you can find me at CA on Tuesday & Thursday nights, and some weekend mornings! I've always had a love for animals, especially dogs. When growing up, I insisted on caring for friend's dogs, even if they were rowdy - I would always have a blast! I love to do art, bake, garden, bike, & dance (clogging, Irish, ballet, modern, & tap). I also have 3 cats at home: Woody, Jangles, & Marley Mew

I started working here at companion acres January of 2022 right after the new building was opened. I wanted to work here because I’ve always loved dogs, they bring so much joy and energy to everyone. I knew that it would always be a fun time with them! A few things I enjoy doing are playing volleyball, going to my cabin in the summer, shopping with my friends, and playing with my own 2 dogs at home!! Some goals I have for myself are: graduate high school and go to a college in Arizona then get into a nursing school to become a CRNA.

Hello. I'm Jake! For those of you who may not know. I'm Allie's husband, and therefore have been involved with CA from before the beginning. I help out wherever I can - definitely a lot of fixing or repairing things, turns out dogs can be destructive © I left my job as a golf course superintendent earlier this ear to give our family some more flexibility and with that, l'm able to hang outside with the dogs in the mornings. Fortunately, Allie and I have been blessed with a great team that know what they're doing, where all I have to do is play with the dogs and stav out of the way &

My favorite part of CA is being able to see a lot of dogs from puppies to adulthood and be a small part of their lives, and getting to know many of their owners... between getting to know the dogs/owners, and the team at CA, it really feels like an extension of our familv

Avin met Allison at dance lab in the summer of 2021 and started working at Companion Acres in January of 2022. She was born and raised on a farm and she has always has been around dogs! She grew up with many types of pups on the farm! 30 years ago she was introduced to Great Danes and will always have one in the pack and will support as many rescues and sanctuaries as possible!! Through the love of great Danes she finally understands why she loves Scooby Doo so much! Avin has done numerous basic obedience classes through the years. She has dog show experience, as well! Her and her Great Dane, Honey Doo, finished as champions. They almost went to Westminster!! Avin and her hubby live in the country with their 2 Saint Bernards, Great Dane, Labrador, horses, chickens and cats.

Hi, my name is Zach. I have been with Companion Acres since December 2022. I have worked with animals for most of my life. I grew up with 64 sled dogs, a golden retriever, a shih tzu, various cats, and a yellow lab. Currently, I have two kitties named Nemo and Zoey, pictured above. I spend my free time kitty cuddling, adventuring outdoors, volunteering for the local humane society, and reading books. I love walking dogs and being outdoors.