About Houla Houla Hop

About Houla Houla Hop...

Houla Houla Hop was founded in 1999 by Nora and Emily Jacobson, two sisters from Pictou County Nova Scotia. They started out on foot and on bike, servicing doggies and kitties in the Plateau area. The business quickly expanded, until before they knew it they had clients all over the Plateau, NDG, Westmount and Outremont. The bikes were cast aside, employees were hired on, and the Houla Houla Hop team was on its way!

In 2005, Nora and Emily began plans to leave the business. They had been thinking about it for some time as they were both ready to move on to growing families and new adventures. They brought up the opportunity to one of the employees, Julie Briggs, who jumped at the chance. In 2006 Houla Houla Hop was officially passed on to her, and while she has goals of expanding, the heart of the business will always remain the same - providing quality, professional care to each and every animal.

Today Houla Houla Hop is a small and growing team of animal lovers taking care of over 30 cats and dogs each day. The following are profiles of the current team of "Houla Hoppers". For more photos of them and their furry friends, check out the photo gallery.

Julie Briggs - Team Member & Owner

Julie became the owner of Houla Houla Hop in 2006, but her experience with animals dates back much further. She grew up in and around Moncton, NB, and always had dogs and cats as pets throughout her childhood. She currently lives with her two dogs, Gabby (a German Shepherd, Springer Spaniel mix) and Charlie (a Basset Hound), her cat, Simon, and her fiance Eric. In addition to her undergraduate degree from Bishop's University Julie has a degree in Creative Writting from Concordia University and aspires to someday become an accomplished writter.

A summer evening at the top of Mount Royal with Gabby & Charlie!

Danielle Tetrault - Team Member

Danielle is a life-long animal lover from outside of Toronto, and currently works as our weekend warrior. She grew up with lots of kitties, German Shepherds and Border Collies so she knows how much doggies need their exercise! She currently is the proud owner of a Boston Terrier puppy, Bo, who is working on training to become a therapy dog. Danielle is a student at McGill, studying nursing, and in her spare time loves to bike, rollerblade and run - she's even training for the fall Montreal Marathon! Her energy, athleticism, and knowledge of animals and their behaviors are all great assets to our team!

Danielle with Number Nine, who is obviously enjoying the attention!

Sam Stielow - Team Member

Sam grew up around lots of dogs, and now lives with a big fluffy cat, a new tiny cat, and a bunny. She uses her love of animals and her amazing artistic talents to create beautiful pet portraits. For now, Sam is responsible for our group walks in the Plateau, and she doesn't let anything dispell her love for all the doggies and kitties she sees everyday, including extreme heat and torrential-type downpours. When asked if there are any pets she doesn't like, Sam's reply was, "I guess maybe not spiders..."

Sam and her buddy Remus One of Sam's amazing pet portraits, of her sister's dog Sandy

Sara Mason - Team Member

Sara moved to Montreal from Vancouver, and was looking for a way to get to know the city while working with animals. So naturally, Houla Houla Hop was the perfect place for her! While living in Vancouver, Sara worked at a popular doggie daycare for several years, as well as doing some freelance pet sitting. This gave her the chance to get to know the many breeds, personalities, and owners of the pet world, so she is able to handle most any circumstance. Sara's main goal is to pursue a career in fashion, but for the time being we're happy to have her as part of our team!

Sara and Smack, who usually prefers to play rather than cuddle!

Sabrina Stielow - Team Member

Yes, you're reading it right - we now have two Stielows in our roster! Sabrina is Sam's sister and the newest addition to the Houla Houla Hop team. Sabrina has two dogs of her own at home, a German Shepherd mix and a Rottweiler mix, and she is also currently helping her mom train her Golden Retriever. Sabrina loves all kinds of animals, and has the right balance of playfulness and assertiveness that pets really respond to. She has been with us since the summer of 2007, and has won over the hearts of even our most particular furry friends.

Photo Coming Soon!!!

Our mission with Houla Houla Hop is to provide love, attention, exercise, mental stimulation, and social interaction to each and every furry client we see. While individuals are working harder than ever outside of the home, taking business trips and necessary vacations, over 50% of Canadian households have at least one much-loved pet. Services such as ours are integral in keeping pets across the city happy.

Houla Houla Hop:

is bonded and insured
has good, solid references
offers a free consultation to meet the pet and to get detailed information
is a small team (one owner/walker and three sitters/walkers) who work closely together to ensure excellent service
has a veterinarian on call for emergency service
is always seeking ongoing training and education (dog behavior, cat care, animal first-aid, etc.) for its team
ensures that the dogs walked together are all sociable and safe
provides detailed reports on the animal's health and well-being while in our custody
always has tons of doggy bags - we believe in clean parks!
conducts regular quality control checks and is constantly seeking feedback from clients to better its service
is 100% reliable, professional, and honest
has the capability to handle bad weather, sick days, etc.
is a member of All Canadian Pet Services Network (ACPSN)
is committed to making pets happy

Testimonials

Valerie (Puck, Tiger, Jazz, and Bear): "I cannot tell you how wonderful it is having your fantastic pet care business alive and well in the world. It makes our trips so much less stressful - in preparation - and while we're gone. Thank you!

Carole and Guy (Tracy): "Every morning, instead of feeling guilty and sad for leaving Tracy behind, we felt good to know that Houla Houla Hop would come by later on to take care of our sweetheart. Every night, we would return to a cheerful and affectionate dog, knowing somehow that we owed part of this happiness to our devoted dog walkers from Houla Houla Hop.

Laura and Frances (Elfie): "… she enjoyed your visits, and we very much appreciated the care and affection you gave her. You got to know her in the final year of a very full life - thank you for your patience and kindness with her."

Rosanna (Monte): "Monte not only lost four pounds in the first winter of being walked, he is much more calm around other dogs, which makes me feel much more relaxed when I take him out."

Kathleen (Amaruq): "With a Canadian Eskimo Dog (Quinmiq) in the city, dog-walking (running) services are a godsend, if not a must. It's impossible to tire these guys out. Houla Houla Hop has enhanced my dog's quality of life and prevented human collapse from total exhaustion."

Joseé (Nougat): "I have great trust in Houla Houla Hop. They are reliable and always there when I need them. Nougat likes them a lot and is more relaxed on the days when they come. We also appreciate having dog walking services on the weekend!"

Veronica (Jenny): "Thanks so much for taking such great care of Jenny while I was away. I'm sorry that her diarrhea gave you a scare but I'm really glad that she was in such capable hands and that you were able to take care of it."