Darin Greene:
Afternoon Walks, Boarding, Group Hikes, Private Hikes, & Training

Darin joined Hiking Hounds in December of 2019 and is super excited to be working with the pack!

He has worked in Real Estate as a Graphic Designer.  In 2014, after adopting his pitbull Smokey and learning everything he could about being a responsible owner of the breed--as well as watching almost every episode of Cesar Milan's "The Dog Whisperer"--Darin decided that his truest passion would be to work with dogs.

Since then, Darin  worked as a kennel technician in Las Vegas and worked his way up to being the kennel manager and veterinary technician at the same hospital.  He then went on to manage two different dog daycares and apprenticed as a dog trainer.

Darin is currently enrolled at Animal Behavior College and will soon be a certified Professional Dog Trainer.  He looks forward to working with you and your furry companion(s) to help give them the exercise, training, and care that they deserve!

Kelly Nelson:
​Boarding & Group Hikes

Hiking with the pack since March 2019, Kelly brings great energy and humor to her groups!

Kelly has had a lifelong love affair with dogs and the outdoors.  An Arizona native, she worked her way through college in North Carolina as a veterinary technician where she was affectionately nicknamed "the dog whisperer" and where she relished the opportunity to learn about, work with and come to respect not only all breeds of dogs but dozens of other animal species as well.
 
After graduating from East Carolina University in 2007 where she studied psychology and neuroscience, Kelly began her career at the University of Utah in the bio-engineering department doing research and development on a neural prosthetic chip for a government funded bionic arm project, and a few years later moved to the University hospital's Moran Eye Center to study the biochemistry and biophysics of age related macular degeneration and other inherited ocular diseases.  After a very fulfilling twelve years at the University of Utah, Kelly is excited to make a career change that will enable her to spend more time with her husband of fifteen years, their six-year-old son, and their autism therapy dog: a five-year-old, eighty-pound labradoodle named Sawyer.
 
In addition to her love of hiking and dogs, Kelly is an avid skier, world traveler, musician, computer nerd and an adventurous spirit with an insatiable appetite for learning and trying anything new.  One of Kelly's life motto's is; "experiences are always better than things" and she is so excited to meet and have new experiences with the Hiking Hounds pack and have a great time doing it!

Jaku Arias:
​Afternoon Walks, Doggie Day Trips, Group Hikes, & Runs

​Jaku started with Hiking Hounds in February of 2021 excited to get to know the pack and get thems canine cronies moving and on the trails!

Jaku grew up in Dallas Texas and lived there until 2016 when he moved to Salt Lake City, UT. Though Texas is flat he has always had a yearning for the mountains, causing him to fall in love with Utah’s awesome terrain. For being the home of these beautiful mountains and for being the land in which he met his best friend and wife (Both one in the same!), he will always be thankful to Utah.

Throughout his childhood Jaku always had a canine companion by his side. Growing up surrounded by animals fostered a great love and respect for them, especially for Dogs! Currently he spends his time with his wife and friends hiking, camping, backpacking and rock climbing! His love for dogs and love for adventure landed him with Hiking Hounds! Before Hiking Hounds, he worked as a Finish Carpenter and as a student. While building on his studies toward a degree in Physical therapy, Jaku hopes to build relationships with the pack at hiking hounds and get in some well longed adventuring with Hiking Hound’s canine adventurers!
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 Outside of Hiking Hounds Jaku enjoys hiking and running with Shiloh a now almost ten-month-old black Shiloh Shepherd/ Pitbull mix and also with Popcorn who is an eleven-year-old small white Maltese/ Poodle mix both of whom he is very fond of. He is happy and excited to be working with hiking hounds, and no doubt will be growing fond of the pack, just as he has his own pups!  

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Michelle Geis:
​Afternoon Walks, Boarding, Doggie Day Trips, Group Hikes, Private Hikes & Runs

Michelle started with Hiking Hounds in March 2020 - coming to us through a recommendation from one of our clients. 

She initially moved to Salt Lake to complete a 'one' year fellowship in health administration as part of her master's degree from South Carolina. She fell in love with the mountains and met her future husband, 'one' year grew into 20 (and counting)!

Michelle worked in healthcare for over 20 years and spent the last 10 years working primarily in Africa on various public health issues. She loves international travel and her job allowed her to have many adventures -  including climbing Kilimanjaro!
 
Like everyone at Hiking Hounds, Michelle is an animal lover. She has always had a special affinity for rescues, especially working dogs. In fact, it was due to her first Australian Shepherd and his insatiable energy that she started exploring the Wasatch.

Michelle is taking a break from the business world to spend time with her family including her Australian Shepherd and Border Collie. She is so excited for this new adventure with Hiking Hounds. 

Monica Gardner​:
Afternoon Walks, Groups Hikes.

Monica moved to Salt Lake from her home in Vermont to spend a season skiing some of that infamous Utah snow. The endless opportunities for exploring the mountains and deserts have kept her here and after eight years, she still calls Salt Lake home. While slowly pursuing her goal of attending nursing school, she also takes all of the opportunities she can to get outside and enjoy climbing, skiing, or rolling down some mellow hills on her bike. With that said, some of her favorite days have been spent Hady, her dog. Hiking around with Hady, her first dog Indie, or helping care for the countless foster dogs coming in and out of her home growing up created a love for animals.
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She is currently volunteering with the Salt Lake City Animal Shelter walking dogs, and helping them learn leash skills and the ways of the world outside of the shelter, as well as school.   She is so excited to get outside with your pup and take them out on many adventures as well.

Kaya Rose Fleming:
​Afternoon Walks, Groups Hikes.

One of our newest editions is Kaya Rose. She is a Moab native, being
raised in the wild west gives her a love for the outdoors. This is one of the
many reasons she gets along so well with animals.
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She moved to SLC in 2016 to attend Westminster College. After 2 years and a change of heart she withdrew to work, recharge, and get to know the city and surroundings she now calls home.

She is currently studying communications at Salt Lake Community College, as well as, working on her latte art as a barista, and hiking with hounds during the week. She also volunteers with Utah Permaculture Collective.

During the growing season she makes weekly visits to one of their garden locations to weed, harvest, and socialize. When she finds a spec of free time, she enjoys climbing, painting, reading, soaking up the sun, and so much more. She has one pup of her own, whom we can thank for Kaya Rose’s initial interest in Hiking Hounds. Together they welcome the company of our clients when exploring the surrounding wilderness.

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Zoe Dehaan:
Group Hikes

​​I am 24 years old and have grown up in Salt Lake City which lucky enough led me to find a passion for both dogs and the outdoors. I have been working with dogs since I was 16 years old and have ever since have worked in both doggie daycares and as a veterinary technician. I have a Great Pyrenees Summit who is my sidekick and enjoys tagging along to snowshoe and adventure in the rivers with me. Rain, snow, or sunshine you can find me playing outdoors.

Ronan Connelly:
Group Hikes

Ronan has been hiking with Hiking Hounds since the summer of 2019. He loves hiking, swimming, watching movies, and reading. He also loves hanging out with his friends, his girlfriend, and his puppy, Holly, an Australian Shepherd-Border Collie mix. When he was a baby, he loved to watch Teletubbies and wrestle with his older brother Jake, a Jack Russel terrier one year older than him. He grew up in Boise, and since moving to Salt Lake in 2017 has indulged in his love of nature by spending as much time as possible in Salt Lake's beautiful mountains. In addition to Jake and Holly, Ronan has had two other dogs in his lifetime: Zoe, and Australian Shepard, and Max, a Min Pin mix. He is a pre-med undergraduate at the University of Utah majoring in Biology.