Amanda lovegrove - CPACO co-owner
(with Briar the Great Dane)
Amanda Lovegrove is co-owner of The Houndry. Since moving to Oak Ridge in 2012 she met her husband and they have a daughter together. They have five dogs, three cats, and a guinea pig.
She began her animal career working at an animal clinic in Maryville in 2006. After moving to Chicago in 2008, she started at Pooch Hotel where she became the General Manager over their West Loop facility. Amanda moved back to Tennessee a few years later and built up a stronger animal care background at McArthur Animal Hospital. In 2016, she started The Houndry with her friend, Leah.
Amanda is a Certified Pet First-Aid and CPR Instructor and has certifications in Canine Water Therapy. She is also a Certified Professional Animal Care Operator with the Professional Animal Care Certification Council.
Leah hunter - co-owner (with her dog, Lynsey)
Leah was raised down the road in Spring City, and moved to Oak Ridge in 2010 after marrying her husband, James. In 2009, she became a registered x-ray technologist and worked in that field until the fall of 2016.
Leah has always been an animal lover, and although she liked performing x-rays, decided to follow her dream of “playing with dogs all day.” After lots of support from family and friends, she and her friend, Amanda Lovegrove, pursued the idea of opening a dog daycare. Leah’s love for dogs began with her childhood toy poodle, and she now owns two rescue dogs, Orie and Lily, and two rescue cats, Charlie and Blueberry.
Leah is certified through the Fear Free Shelters program and is working towards her Professional Animal Care Certification through the PACCC. She also has her Pet First-Aid and CPR certification.
Jessica Nageotte - Adventure Walker
(with her dog, Sunny)
Jessica was born and raised in Ohio. She moved to East Tennessee in 2006 and not long after that she met her husband, Denver. When they married she gained a bonus daughter, and they also have a daughter together.
Growing up, Jessica’s family had dogs and cats, and she always felt a special bond with them but it wasn’t until she got her yellow Lab, Sunny, in early 2018 that she realized how life changing it can be to love a dog as a family member.
Jessica has worked in a few different career fields including cosmetology and customer service. She always joked that she didn’t know what she wanted to be when she grew up, but now she does! Working for The Houndry and being with dogs every day is truly a dream come true.
She has her Pet First-Aid and CPR certification.