Written by Elly Glenn, without any use of AI

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Hi Everyone! Sitting down to write blog posts, and thinking about doing it consistently, is a fairly daunting task. With your support, I’d like to give it a try. I think a simple introduction, and telling you a bit more about myself, is a great place to start.

Childhood & First Family Pets

I was born and raised right here in SLO county, spending most of my childhood in San Luis Obispo before my small family moved to Kona, Hawaii. Growing up, our family dog “Cricket” was my best friend. Rescued from San Luis Obispo Animal Services, Cricket arrived to the shelter very pregnant and gave birth to a litter of puppies shortly after her intake. Everyone wanted the puppies, but my family wanted her. Cricket was the best, from playing dress-up with my clothes and supervising us rowdy kids to skateboarding with us at sunset, Cricket was always happily attending our adventures. Our family cat, who answered to many titles – “Spider Monkey”, “Cat”, and “Doggie” – was truly a treasure. My mom showed me what it looks like to take action when she brought home this tiny terror of a kitten, who she had rescued directly from the neighbors dogs mouth. Given the name “Doggie” by a very confident small child, that ended up being the name that finally stuck.

During my time in Hawaii, my family took in a cat who had been dumped. He was also subjected to being called by many names, “Mister” is the one he is stuck with today. In addition to our family cat, I personally cared for a small dog. Shadow found me at a fun community event that I was attending, and never left (this is how he quickly earned the name “Shadow”). He was my buddy for many years.

Young Adulthood, Getting Started

As an adult I found myself drawn back to the central coast of California, specifically the wonderful small town of Los Osos. Los Osos is my home. This is the town where I got to learn how to support myself, fall deeply in love with my husband, and adopt my first puppy (Hazelnut) as an independent adult. We now have 3 dogs and 2 cats, plus my freshwater fish. I am incredibly grateful for the life I have been so lucky to build here in this beautiful community.

Experience & Starting A Business

Shortly after adopting Hazelnut we started working with various trainers, building a solid relationship and strengthening basic obedience. This is when I started developing my skills as a dog owner, dog handler, and dog trainer. I continued to refine my skills when I joined Rover.com offering dog walking, drop-in visits, and house-sitting services. In the years following, I continued offering services on Rover while also maintaining employment at pet related jobs that provided me with training, education, and valuable real-world experiences working with many different animals is various capacities. I have worked professionally with dogs, cats, reptiles, and fish throughout my positions over the last 5 years.

In 2024 I started my small business, Elly’s Happy Hounds. Elly’s Happy Hounds is licensed and insured, and always will be! For two and a half years I was the sole pet care provider, filling all of the admin roles and providing all of the services for clients and their pets. In 2026 I started dog training full-time, this pulled me away from my role as a pet care provider so I hired a few independent contractors to take over those roles. Today, Elly’s Happy Hounds includes a wonderful small team of Los Osos based providers, and will continue to grow from here.

Dog Training

Most of my education and experience with dog training comes directly from mentorship, which I am so lucky to receive from Ellen The Dog Trainer, Skylar McClellan CPDT-KA with Ember Leash Training, and many more positive reinforcement trainers here on the Central Coast. Hazelnut’s first training classes were at Canine Academy in Atascadero, CA, with the addition to private training sessions with Eric Stockam CBCC-KA Certified Behaviorist Woods Humane Society.

When I’m Not Working

I am very active, often outdoors enjoying our fabulous central coast areas. Hiking with Hazelnut is one of my absolute favorite activities, we hike regularly and enjoy a visit to the bay here in Los Osos when the tide is just right. A lot of my hobbies include creativity; painting at the beach and pottery at our local pottery studio are at the top of my list.

Commitments to volunteering is a consistent part of my life, I am currently a Beagle Freedom Project volunteer. I have had great experiences volunteering for BFP on education event days, rescue release days, and fundraising events. In 2026 I spent a few months volunteering once a week with Happy Hens Animal Sanctuary which was always fantastic.

My close friends and family describe me as; adventurous, community-focused, and dedicated.

Some of my special interests include; indoor and outdoor plant maintenance, home-making, collecting tattoos, and off-roading my Tacoma.

Thank You For Reading, And All Of Your Support

I wouldn’t be where I am today without all of the support I have received from our community. Thank you for supporting Elly’s Happy Hounds, and reading the very first blog post.