I grew up in East Texas, then moved to Plainview, TX  and attended junior high and high school there before moving to Lubbock. I attended South Plains College and Texas Tech and graduated from neither, choosing instead to play in bands and record music for the bulk of my twenties. As you can imagine this was a very fun but not very lucrative decision.

I moved to Austin in 2004 and worked various jobs (for a printing company, for a criminal defense attorney, tech support at Apple, for the world's most unpleasant veterinarian) before landing at Hip Hounds as the very first employee in 2006.

My plan was never, "I'll have a dog daycare and boarding facility when I grow up". I really never had much of a plan at all. Prior to Hip Hounds, I had always owned dogs but my only "professional" experience was volunteering at the Lubbock animal shelter and working for the previously mentioned World's Most Unpleasant Veterinarian. Seriously, she was awful. I don't think I've ever disliked another human more than her. I digress.

My daughter Lily was born in 2007 and, with an unbelievable amount of help from friends, family, the SBA and Frost Bank, I was able to buy Hip Hounds from Melissa (the original owner) in 2016.

I'm not going to tell you that it was always my dream to work with dogs because that isn't really true but it turns out that I really like doing this.

I like having the flexibility and autonomy to do the right thing and that no one gets to tell me I can't. I like the relationships I've built with my clients and I like that we provide a service that genuinely helps people and animals.

When I'm not here, I'm usually hanging out with my wife and daughter and our two dogs (Consuela & Pablo) and five (you read that correctly, FIVE ) cats (Titus, Eugene, Chewy, Murray & Sabina). I still play music (quietly and by myself) and also enjoy poker and (very) novice woodworking.

Thanks for reading this incredibly boring summary of my life up to this point.

You can email me at michael@hiphounds.com if you ever have any questions or concerns about anything at Hip Hounds.

 

-Michael