Hounds in the Hills - Ohio

09/05/2026

✨ CURRENT FLEX BOARDERS: ZOE & FLO! ✨

Zoe, a Husky mix, and Flo, an Australian Shepherd, are hanging out with me today as Flex Boarding clients!

Their mom wanted them to spend most of their time at home, in their own familiar environment, but also wanted them to have a little more going on during the day than traditional drop-in visits could provide.

Their day looks something like this:

🌅 Morning: I stopped by their house to let them out and feed breakfast.

🚗 A couple hours later: I came back, loaded them up, and brought them over to my house for a change of scenery. They get a few hours to explore, sniff around, hang out with me, burn some energy, and potentially socialize with compatible dogs when appropriate. Plus, Zoe and Flo LOVE car rides, so getting chauffeured around is apparently part of the vacation package.

🏡 Later: They’ll head back home to relax in their own space, and I’ll return again for their evening visit, dinner, potty break, and bedtime routine.

So… what exactly is Flex Boarding?

It’s essentially a hybrid between traditional drop-in pet sitting and boarding at my house.

It can be a great option for dogs who:

🐾 Are happiest sleeping and eating in their own home
🐾 Enjoy getting out of the house during the day
🐾 Have more energy than regular drop-ins can realistically burn
🐾 Enjoy car rides and little adventures
🐾 Benefit from extra human interaction and enrichment
🐾 May enjoy spending time around other compatible dogs, but don’t necessarily need or want to live with them 24/7
🐾 Get stressed by full-time boarding but would be bored with drop-ins alone

And because they return home afterward, they still get to decompress, eat, and sleep in the environment they know best. ❤️

🐕 Flex Boarding does have some requirements!

Dogs need to be friendly and safely manageable, comfortable riding in the car, and current on required vaccines/preventatives. Since they’ll be spending time in my home and potentially around my personal dogs or other boarding dogs, they also need to be an appropriate fit for that environment.

Dog interactions are always based on personality and compatibility. Flex Boarding doesn’t automatically mean your dog will be thrown into a dog party. 😂 Some dogs may socialize, while others may simply enjoy exploring the house and yard, getting one-on-one attention, sniffing around outside, and benefit from having a change of scenery.

Flex Boarding is available on a limited basis for clients located within my local service area around Seven Hills.

It’s not the right setup for every dog, but for dogs like Zoe & Flo, it can be a pretty great middle ground: home sweet home + a little daytime field trip. 🏡🐕🚗💕

09/04/2026

🐾 A quick boarding reminder for current & potential new clients!

I’ve had quite a few new boarding inquiries lately, so I figured it was a good time to post a quick reminder about some of my basic requirements and what types of dogs are the best fit for boarding in my home.

My boarding setup is a little different from a traditional kennel. Dogs stay in my home alongside my own pets and, at times, other carefully selected boarding dogs. Because of that, compatibility is a huge part of deciding whether I’m the right sitter for a particular dog.

🐾 Dogs must be spayed/neutered and up to date on core vaccines.

🐾 Dogs must be dog-friendly and able to safely coexist with other dogs. I do have the ability to separate and rotate dogs when needed, but I’m not set up for dogs who require complete isolation from other dogs throughout their entire stay.

🐾 Dogs must also be safe around cats. I have a resident cat, so dogs with known cat aggression or significant prey drive toward cats are not appropriate for boarding in my home. If your dog has simply never lived with or been around cats, feel free to ask! That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re automatically ruled out. A dog that chases to play is not a problem. A dog who is trying to actively seek out a cat to kill cannot stay here.

I do make some exceptions for sighthounds, particularly retired racing Greyhounds and other dogs who are reliably muzzle-trained. Because I have experience with sighthound prey drive and can utilize basket muzzles and other management measures when needed, these dogs may be considered on an individual basis even if they aren’t completely cat-safe.

🐾 I’m unable to board bully breeds/bully-breed mixes and larger sized herding breeds (a mini Australian Shepherd, for instance is welcome). This is not because I dislike these breeds! My own dogs simply aren’t as comfortable or tolerant with certain breeds and play styles. Since this is their home too, I have to take their comfort and compatibility into consideration when choosing boarding guests.

🐾 Giant breeds are considered on a case-by-case basis. Age, size, activity level, temperament, and compatibility with my resident pets all factor into whether I can comfortably accommodate them. A mellow senior giant, for example, may be a completely different fit for my home than a young, high-energy one. We watch a lot of small and senior dogs, so their safety is important to us.

I know my home won’t be the perfect boarding environment for every dog, and that’s completely okay! My goal isn’t to accept every dog. It’s to make sure the dogs I do accept are a good match for my home, my own pets, and the other dogs in my care. ❤️

And if your dog isn’t a fit for my particular setup, please don’t hesitate to reach out anyway. I have several local pet sitters I’m happy to recommend who have different home environments and don’t necessarily have the same breed or size restrictions. 🐶🏡

08/14/2026

08/14/2026

🐾 Pet Sitting & In-Home Dog Boarding in Seven Hills! 🐾

Hi everyone! I wanted to introduce myself and put my pet-sitting services out there for anyone looking for care for their pets. I’m located in Seven Hills and have 11+ years of experience as a veterinary nurse, along with many years of professional pet sitting and boarding experience.

I offer:

🐶 Boarding in my home
🏡 Drop-in visits for dogs, cats & other pets
🚗 Flex Boarding for local clients, where your dog can spend part of the day at my house but sleep/eat at their own home
💊 Care for senior and medical-needs pets, including medication administration, insulin, SQ fluids, etc.

A little about my boarding setup:
My home is geared especially toward calm adult, senior and geriatric dogs. I have baby gates, ramps, night lights, multiple dog beds, kennels when needed, and a guest room that can be used as a comfortable gated space for dogs who prefer some quiet time away from the group.

I do board younger dogs too! They just need to have an “off switch” and be able to respect the boundaries of older or less playful dogs. My goal isn’t to run a big free-for-all doggy daycare. 😂 I keep things relatively calm and make sure each dog has a setup that works for them.

For boarding, dogs must:
• Be generally dog-friendly or able to coexist appropriately with other dogs
• Be safe/manageable in a home environment
• Be able to settle and spend some time separated if necessary
• Not have severe separation anxiety that makes safe rotation or separation impossible
• Complete a meet & greet/trial when I feel one is needed before a longer stay

I’m very comfortable with senior dogs, medications, mobility limitations, blind/deaf pets, anxiety, and dogs who need a little more individualized management. Dog-selective dogs may also be considered depending on their specific needs and whether I can safely accommodate them.

I’m happy to talk through your pet’s personality and needs to see if we might be a good fit. I’d much rather be upfront if my home isn’t the right environment for a particular dog and help point you in another direction than put a dog into a situation where they won’t be comfortable.

📍 Located in Seven Hills, serving Seven Hills/Parma and surrounding areas.

Feel free to message me for rates, availability, or more information! 🐾
[email protected]
330-858-5290

08/12/2026

Molly is 17 years old but still has ✨spunk✨

08/08/2026

I realized recently that maybe I don’t talk enough about just how much of my boarding setup is designed around senior dogs.

Someone recently told me they wished they could have found someone like me when their senior dogs were still alive, and it made me realize that I probably need to do a better job explaining exactly what I offer.

Before moving back to Ohio, I ran a pet sitting business in the South for about 10 years. Eventually, most of my clients came through word of mouth and I barely had to advertise anymore.

Over those years, I figured out the type of boarding I really wanted to provide: calm adult dogs, seniors and geriatrics, and the occasional younger dog who has an “off switch” and understands when another dog wants to be left alone.

And I do want to clarify that I absolutely still board younger dogs! If you follow this page, you’ve probably seen plenty of them. Age itself isn’t the deciding factor. What matters much more to me is personality and whether a dog fits comfortably into the environment I’ve created here.

Younger dogs can absolutely be playful, silly, energetic and enjoy playing with other dogs. I just look for dogs who also know how to settle, respect another dog’s boundaries, and understand when an older or less social dog is saying, “No thank you, please leave me alone.”

My goal isn’t to have a house where nobody plays. It’s to have a house where the dogs who want to play can play, and the dogs who would rather nap for six hours are allowed to do exactly that.

Now that I’m back in Ohio and essentially rebuilding my clientele, that’s still exactly what I want Hounds in the Hills to be.

I’ve been a veterinary nurse for over a decade, but beyond my medical experience, my actual house has slowly become a place designed around one question:

“How do I keep your old dog comfortable?”

There are night lights throughout the house for dogs whose vision isn’t what it used to be.

There are baby gates everywhere so stairs and unsafe areas can be blocked off.

Getting outside requires only one larger step, and I have a ramp for dogs who need it. I also keep an additional portable ramp for other steps.

There are dog beds in practically every size imaginable, including elevated beds so older dogs don’t always have to get all the way down onto the floor.

I have kennels when dogs are comfortable using them, but I also use my guest room as a gated dog room. That gives dogs who need their own space somewhere comfortable to relax without necessarily having to be crated.

Every area where dogs spend significant time has a TV or radio for background noise.

I keep prescription gastrointestinal food on hand because sometimes older dogs decide that going on vacation means their regularly scheduled food is suddenly unacceptable, and having a gentle option available can help get them eating when appropriate.

And then there’s Ralph.

Ralph is my 14-year-old Chihuahua mix and basically the resident old-man welcoming committee. He barely bothers anybody, but many of my senior guests seem perfectly content knowing another little old dog is nearby. They can curl up in the living room with him and have some quiet companionship without being expected to play or interact.

Senior dogs don’t necessarily need a traditional boarding environment filled with activity and constant interaction.

Sometimes they need someone who understands that they walk a little slower. That they may need medication on a schedule. That they might need help getting outside. That they may wake up confused. That eating can become an entire negotiation. That slippery floors, stairs, darkness, noise, and younger dogs can suddenly be much bigger obstacles than they used to be.

And sometimes they just need a comfortable bed, a quiet room, and someone who understands old dogs.

That is a huge part of why Hounds in the Hills exists.

So no, you definitely don’t have to have an old dog to stay here. Younger dogs are welcome too, and you’ll continue seeing plenty of them on this page. I simply choose dogs based on whether their personalities work well in a home where respecting each other’s space is important.

The young dogs can wrestle and play. The adults can join in or supervise. The old dogs can sleep through the entire thing.

Everybody gets to vacation at their own speed.

But seniors and geriatrics will always have a very special place here.

Because your old dog deserves a vacation that moves at their speed, too.

Photos: senior dogs I’ve watched (or Ralph).

08/08/2026

Boarding doesn’t have to mean being around other dogs 24/7.

Beau and Emma are back for their second stay with me!

Until about four months ago, their owners really didn’t travel. Beau is a rescue, and both dogs are a little selective about their canine friends and aren’t the type of dogs who would enjoy being thrown into a big group of unfamiliar dogs. Emma also has some resource guarding tendencies, which means managing her environment is important.

Their owners weren’t sure traditional boarding would work for them, so traveling just wasn’t something they felt comfortable doing.

Thankfully, we’ve found a setup that works really well for them.

Beau and Emma have their own room here. They’re perfectly happy relaxing together in the guest room, they aren’t destructive, and they’re comfortable spending time there. Throughout the day, I rotate them out for potty breaks, outside time, attention, and couch time without requiring them to constantly interact with the other dogs staying here.

They can also comfortably coexist with my very senior dogs, like Ralph, who is approximately 97 years old in spirit and has very little interest in anybody’s business.

The goal isn’t to force every dog to become a social butterfly. The goal is to figure out what makes each dog feel safe and comfortable and manage their stay accordingly.

For Beau and Emma, that means having their own quiet space and getting plenty of one-on-one time while limiting interactions with other dogs. They’re comfortable, I’m comfortable managing them this way, and most importantly, their owners can finally travel knowing their dogs have a boarding arrangement that works for them.

This type of setup can be a great option for some dog-selective dogs, but it isn’t appropriate for every dog.

Dogs who need to be separated from others must also be comfortable being separated. A dog with severe separation anxiety, destructive behavior when confined, or an inability to safely stay in a crate or separate room may not be a good candidate for rotational boarding.

For dogs who need separation but struggle significantly when alone, I may recommend another type of care or suggest talking with their veterinarian ahead of time about whether anxiety medication during boarding would be appropriate.

I never expect every dog who stays here to love every other dog. They just need to be safe, manageable, and comfortable with the setup we create for them.

Sometimes successful boarding isn’t about making new friends. Sometimes it’s having your own bedroom, getting your turn on the couch, and being allowed to peacefully ignore everyone else. And that’s perfectly fine here.

07/28/2026

Meet the Owner (and the Pack!) 🐾

Hi! I’m Jordan, the owner of Hounds in the Hills Ohio, and I thought it was about time I properly introduced myself again and the little crew that helps make this place feel like home.

I’m 35 years old and grew up here in Ohio before spending 10 years living in Savannah, Georgia. Eventually life brought me back home, where I now split my time between working as a veterinary nurse (for over 10 years now!) and caring for pets through Hounds in the Hills.

Animals have always been a huge part of my life. I grew up surrounded by everything from dogs and cats to small mammals, exotics, and horses. I showed horses competitively for nearly 20 years, and over the years I’ve volunteered with several dog and cat rescues, including greyhound adoption groups.

One of the most rewarding parts of my journey has been fostering. I’ve taken in many dogs with severe neglect histories, behavioral challenges, or medical needs, helping them learn that people can be kind before finding homes of their own. A couple of them, however, never quite left…

🐾 Bernie (11) is my Cocker Spaniel/Schnauzer mix. He came from a hoarding case involving around 50 dogs and 40 cats. He was originally supposed to be my foster, but he was so emotionally shut down that I couldn’t imagine sending him through another transition. He stayed, and watching him become the happy little dog he is today has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had.

🐾 Ralph (14) is my tiny Chihuahua mix and another foster failure. He had been abandoned in an apartment with severe skin disease and undiagnosed heart disease. Today he’s the senior supervisor of the household and takes his job of monitoring everyone very seriously… usually from his cot bed in the living room.

🐾 Ricky (8) is my Silken Windhound. Unlike the other two, Ricky isn’t a rescue. After many years involved in the sighthound community, I fell in love with the breed and knew one day I’d have one of my own. He’s gentle with other dogs, goofy, and a wonderful addition to our pack.

My background in veterinary medicine, rescue, fostering, and behavior has shaped the way I care for every pet that stays with me. Whether they’re young or senior, confident or anxious, my goal is always the same: to provide a safe, calm, home-like environment where they can relax while you’re away.

Thank you to everyone who has trusted me with your pets. It truly means the world, and I can’t wait to meet many more of you (and your four-legged family members) in the future.

07/19/2026

And morning vibes at our drop in visit for Sophie and Sammie. 🫶🏻

07/19/2026

A day in the life of Minnow and Malfoy. 😍