Meet Our Staff

Our amazing manager Emiko came to San Luis Obispo from Sonoma county to support her partner, who is attending Cal Poly. Her sister and nieces, who also live in the area, love having her living nearby as well. They are always overjoyed when their auntie comes to play video games with them and take them out for breakfast or ice cream! Her two dogs, Nico and Olive, love coming to daycare to play with their new friends and keep the peace in the play yards. As a creative person, Emiko spends her spare time running a small side business making cookies and desserts for both humans and dogs!

Evelyn Castillo is originally from San Diego, California, and moved to San Luis Obispo to pursue her educational goals. Evelyn is extremely passionate about dogs and other pets and loves being a part of the Thousand Hills Pet Resort team.

As the Operations Manager, Evelyn's favorite thing is being able to interact with many different dogs as well as encouraging them to play and have fun. Evelyn takes pride in bonding with each dog to make sure that they feel at home when they board at Thousand Hills.

As an active and fun loving individual, Bonnie enjoys hiking, rock climbing and hanging out with her Cane Corso mix, Cuevo. When she's not out enjoying the many outdoor activities SLO has to offer. She is visiting her family back in Victorville, Ca. Her love for dogs led her to the Pet Resort. She's glad to be a part of the THPR family, spending time with the dogs and getting to know them and their personalities.

Marina grew up in both the Bay Area and in the mountains of Virginia, and came to San Luis Obispo in order to attend Cal Poly. After acquiring her teaching degree, Marina decided to stay in the area, as she had fallen in love with our quaint city and lovely landscape. Always a dog lover, she now has two of her own, Bumi and Zuko, as well as their tiny parakeet sister, Strato. Between her work in our office and caring for her pets, she loves to pursue creative interests such as painting, sewing, creating props and sculptures, and creating resin works.

August grew up in San Luis Obispo county and is happy to work at a job in the area that makes it their mission to help people. August grew up around animals, and has a dog and three cats that they love very much.

Originally from San Gabriel Valley, Carlos first came to San Luis Obispo in 2015 and has enjoyed the beautiful area ever since. Carlos loves to stay active, lifting weights nearly every day, and participating in team sports whenever he gets the chance. While basketball is his favorite, he often plays baseball, football, soccer, volleyball, and even the occasional kickball game. Although he misses his recently departed fish, Blue, he hopes to get another pet soon! After a long day of playing sports and caring for dogs, Carlos likes to hang out with his friends, who share his passion for cool cars, wild dance moves, and trendy fashion.

Ellie grew up in the Bay Area and came to San Luis Obispo to study Animal Science at Cal Poly. She loves working out in her free time, and keeps herself active by lifting weights, biking around the town, and enjoying San Luis Obispo’s scenic hikes. Ellie has two dogs, two cats, and a turtle back home that she misses dearly and can’t wait to visit. Ellie hopes to use the experiences she has had at Thousand Hills to help her raise healthy puppies and as a foundation for her future career working with animals

Madison grew up absolutely loving animals and couldn’t turn down the opportunity to work at Thousand Hills Pet Resort. She loves being part of every dog‘s journey to becoming the wonderful characters they are and she considers the amazing people she works with family. When she's not working, she enjoys spending time with her family and her pets.

Hi, my name is Alexandria Rojas! I love to skateboard and go rock climbing! I enjoy being outdoors and going on adventures! I’ve always loved working with animals, especially after adopting my dog Bomber from Woods Humane Society! He has taught me so much. Working here has been such an amazing opportunity!

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Caitlyn knew from a young age that dogs would be a big part of her life. When she is not working on digital art, she is out playing, training, or talking about dogs. Don't get her started about herding breeds. She loves the friendly, family-like environment of THRP and looks forward to every puppy preschool class.

Sophia is known as Sophie by her friends and she has two dogs and a bird. She used to have two rats and would have an "aviary of rats" if she could. She also likes to draw, play the piano, and also crochet -- let her know if you need a potholder!

Matt enjoys making music, playing video games & playing with dogs. He is a physics major and is also learning dog training at our Gentle Touch Pet Training program. He loves animals and working at Thousand Hills gives me plenty of time to play with the dogs.

Mariah is a high school student working towards graduation as she starts her senior year. She plays water polo for two teams and spends most of her time at the pool practicing and soaking in the sun. She has two kittens named “Cheese” and “Diego” that love to play, cuddle, and be mischievous. She has always had a passion for animals and working at THPR is her dream job.

Christina is originally from Guam but raised in the East Bay Area. She is studying her industrial engineering degree at Cal Poly SLO after transferring from Santa Barbara City College. In her spare time you can find her bouldering, making great food, and taking her pup to the local dog beaches and parks. She is accompanied by her 8 year old long hair calico named Beanie and her 2 year old beagle, Peppercorn.

Martha’s long time love for horses and animals began on her family’s ranch in Mexico. Inspired by that love; Martha moved from Bakersfield to San Luis Obispo in order to enter Cal Poly’s Animal Science program and fell in love with the area. While she is exceptionally passionate about horses in her free time. She loves caring for her Doberman puppy Beowulf, playing with her 6 year old Chihuahua, and putting together Lego sculptures.

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Paola’s love for animals shines through every day at Thousand Hills and at home, where she always spoils her guinea pigs Peach and Cream and dotes on her chihuahuas Daisy, Minnie, and Oreo. Ever since she came to this area from Mexico in search of a better education with her brother and father, Paola has been studying human anatomy with a focus on neuroscience. Between understanding how our brains work and pouring her love into her pets, Paola still finds time to spend with her family, brainstorming names for future pets.

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Johan hails from Denver, Colorado, and traveled with his family to San Luis Obispo when his father began teaching at Cal Poly. Johan loves working with animals, and even recently adopted his own Golden Retriever puppy named Abraham who he enjoys training and raising. Johan’s favorite subject is Math, and he keeps active with his favorite sports, basketball and swimming. He started working here at Thousand Hills with his older sister, who has since left the area for her education, and he loves continuing her legacy of joy and positivity at the facility.

I’ve always been an animal lover. When I was 7 years old, my parents got our first family dog. She was a yellow lab named Bailey. Bailey was only a couple months old and she lived to be about 12 years. I couldn’t imagine growing up without her; she, among other reasons, is why I’m a total dog person. Dogs never get old for me, and seeing them and caring for them as a job used to be a crazy idea to me and I love it. Outside of work I would like to think of myself as a Jack of all trades, I’ve taken photography classes in High school at Arroyo Grande for 2 years which include photoshop lessons. I have been in the BSA (Boy Scouts of America) program since I was 10 and I am now an Eagle Scout. I have done archery and competed in competitions for a total of 9 years and I was in each of the schools I attended band programs for a total of 8 years and competed for 4 of those years. I’ve also volunteered at Rancho de los Animales for the disabled, a horse ranch for about a year. Most recently I have been rock climbing at the pad for 3 years now. I’m so glad to be working here at Thousand Hills Pet Resort; don’t be afraid to say hi if you see me!

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Karisa is originally from San Pedro (near Los Angeles) and moved to San Luis Obispo to study Industrial Engineering at Cal Poly. She misses her husky Bandit and loves playing with all the dogs at THPR! She especially loves being able to tuck the dogs in at night and make sure they are all cozy!

Luke has always been a fan of the great outdoors. He enjoys being active through hiking, golfing, and enjoying the beautiful beaches in the area. Originally from Dana Point; Luke traveled to San Luis Obispo to pursue a degree in business. As the owner of Venus (the ball python), Gigi (the leopard gecko), and Nala (the tabby). Luke’s love for animals of all shapes and sizes led him to Thousand Hills Pet Resort; where he loves caring for all of the animals big or small.

Layla has always called San Luis Obispo home, and enjoys being able to be close to her family. Her two dogs, Bo, and Riggs, are a constant source of love and inspiration for her pursuits in photography. Layla’s skills in photography always come in handy when making report cards for our feline and canine clients here at Thousand Hills, and she is accomplished enough to have her own photography business!

As a San Luis Obispo native. Juna is working hard at Thousand Hills while finishing his final year of high school. When he is not studying or caring for the animals. Juna enjoys spending time pursuing creative passions such as videography, photography, and digital art. His three cats, Tama, Isa, and Pua; are always ready to lend a helping paw to any projects that catch their interest!

Jessica may very well be our most well-traveled resort host, having been to Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia. As a Napa native, Jessica loves good food and good scenery, and will travel far and wide to experience as much of it as she can! She is always inspired by her travels and her surroundings and blogs about her adventures and observations of the world. She misses her three dogs, Jake, Hank, and Ruggles dearly and loves visiting them as much as she can.

Iris came to San Luis Obispo from the Bay Area in order to pursue her Animal Science degree at Cal Poly. Now a third year student, Iris is happy to finally be starting her career with animals by caring for the dogs and cats at Thousand Hills Pet Resort. In her spare time, Iris enjoys going to the beach and traveling to fun and interesting places. While she misses her three French Bulldogs who are still at home, she still enjoys caring for her sweet gecko!

Mimi is a student at Cal Poly in the Event Planning and Management program. She is originally from Bakersfield, and Thousand Hills’s fun, supportive, and exciting dog and cat friends always make her feel right at home. Mimi’s favorite animals to take care of are cats, and she even has her own at home, but she loves caring for our canine companions, too! When she isn’t caring for animals and bringing joy to our facility, she loves to go to the beach and work on her crochet projects.

Caterina is a San Luis Obispo local who is currently working towards her high school diploma. She enjoys representing her school on the swim team, and spends lots of time practicing! While work, sports, and schoolwork keep Caterina busy, she still loves taking a moment to herself to read her favorite books and enjoy spending time with her delightful dog, Hannah.

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Natalie came to San Luis Obispo from Ojai in order to pursue her degree in Animal Science at Cal Poly. She absolutely loves taking care of animals and has received a lot of practice by caring for her three dogs, three cats, four chickens, two horses, 23 cows, and one tortoise. In her free time, she enjoys hiking through the lovely San Luis Obispo area, reading plenty of books, and spending time with her friends and family.

Originally from Oceanside, Solana came to San Luis Obispo to enjoy all of the wonders that the happiest city in America has to offer. Getting away from the Southern California traffic is a wonderful added bonus, too! While in the area, Solana has been enjoying hiking, going to the beach, reading, and finding all of the best restaurants. Even her cat, Blaze, is originally from San Luis Obispo, and has been an amazing example of the beauty and joy that Solana has been finding in our small city!

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Hailey came to San Luis Obispo from San Luis Obispo as a kid when her parents fell in love with the area. As a self-proclaimed horse girl, Hailey loves all kinds of horses, and enjoys equestrian sports and excels in horseback riding. Although she no longer owns a horse, Hailey currently has three dogs and has recently added two leopard geckos to her family of animals. She has a wide variety of interests, including a deep love of music and concert-going, figure drawing, traveling around the world to Costa Rica, Italy, Paris, Florida, and Washington D.C. Her favorite interest by far, however, is dinosaurs!

Elizabeth came to San Luis Obispo after graduation. Elizabeth enjoys spending time with animals, and is excited to further her career working with furry friends. When she is not caring for the dogs and cats here at Thousand Hills. Elizabeth enjoys rollerblading, skating on her longboard, and creating crochet masterpieces. Her companions at home, her cat, and her fish; are always waiting for her after a busy day at Thousand Hills.