NEW PET PARENT?
If this is your pup’s first time at Dogtopia, there are a few things pet parents should prepare prior to rewarding your dog with the most exciting day ever!
At Dogtopia, our passion is giving every single dog the best-individualized care with their health, safety, and comfort as our top priority! Our home away from home environment is the perfect place for your pup to learn, play, and socialize with their BFFF (Best Furry Friend Forever).
Meet the Team
Mercedez Ortiz, General Manager
Mercedez joined Dogtopia of Upland in 2022 when it first opened. Since 2011 she’s been working closely with animals, her background includes working at various daycare, boarding, grooming, training, rescue, and veterinary facilities. She has not only worked with thousands of dogs over the years, but also has experience working with cats, birds, reptiles, and exotic animals. Mercedez has a natural talent and passion for working with animals and loves the opportunity to not only connect with each dog individually, but also with the pet parents. She has 3 pups of her own at home who are daily guests here at Dogtopia; Minnie (8-year-old Miniature Pinscher), Athena (3-year-old Dogue de Bordeaux), and Gucci (1 year-old American Bully). When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her pups, hiking, horseback riding, riding motorcycles, and helping people in need.
Alicia Vargas, Operation Manager
Alicia has been with Dogtopia since we opened back in November of 2022. She is someone who has always been extremely driven and hardworking in achieving her goals. After graduating high school at 16, and college at 18, Alicia did a variety of jobs that included 8 years of management experience and 4 years working in the animal industry. Alicia started out as a front desk associate, got promoted to our lead front desk, and is now our Operations Manager. When Alicia is not working at Dogtopia, she enjoys relaxing at home with her 2 fur babies Maia, a Shiba Inu, and Daisy, a miniature Australian Shepherd.
Armando Hernandez, Pet Parent Relationship Manager
Armando, aka “Junior” has a natural talent with dogs. He is professionally trained with 10 years of veterinary experience as a practice manager and veterinary technician. He has been training dogs since 2010, and has been educated in various training approaches, but uses the positive reinforcement training method. He recently began working in the doggie daycare industry and joined Dogtopia of Upland as a Pet Parent Relationship Manager in October 2022. He enjoys training canine coaches, educating pet parents and seeing the pups flourish in a positive, open-play environment.
Junior has a 2-year-old Doberman “Nolan” and 4-year-old Pitbull “Sybil” who join him at daycare. As a part of the family, Nolan and Sybil run, hike, and join walks alongside his kids. He loves to train dogs, and has a particular gift for working with dogs that have behavior challenges. Aside from his time with dogs, Junior loves working with his kids on projects (such as rebuilding old electronics) or being involved in their sports on the weekend.
