Our Team

Denise, CVT, MBA

Owner, Operator

Denise has spent the majority of her life in the company of animals. See that picture? Yes, that is Denise at 3-years-old, but no, Tiny isn’t the oldest Siamese in the world. That cat, although extremely similar, was the family cat named Simon.

Denise grew up in the Skagit Valley, WA and was in 4H from the age of 12 until 18 and showed horses every summer. Afterwards she worked in dressage and show barns as a caretaker. In 1992 she moved to Vancouver to attend a Veterinary Technician Program. In 1994 she graduated and passed her CVT boards. She’s worked in some form of the Veterinary business ranging from Technician, Lead Technician, Veterinary Pharmaceutical Sales, and Practice Manager.

In 2019, she decided it was time for another change and began building Tiny’s Place Luxury Cat Boarding. She has always enjoyed working with cats, and Tiny has been an ongoing example of how great cats can be… but that is another bio for you to read!

Kendrick

Associate Facility Manager

Kendrick was born in the Skagit Valley, WA and moved to SW Washington in 1990. Since graduating high school in 1996 he has done a variety of jobs including roofing loader, truck driver, delivery driver, restaurant worker and finally Veterinary Kennel Assistant. In addition to living with a menagerie of pets, which includes 2 cats, he found he had a knack for working with animals and that is what he enjoys doing with his life. That makes him a perfect fit for Tiny’s Place Luxury Cat Boarding

Cats find his calm demeanor soothing and familiar. Kendrick is the purfect associate for Tiny’s establishment!

Emmi

Emmi has been a lifelong animal lover and cats are her absolute favorite! She grew up here in Vancouver, WA and unfortunately was never able to have pets growing up due to a parent with allergies. After completing a transfer degree at Clark College, she graduated from UW Seattle with a Bachelor’s in Arts, focusing on Geography. Before Tiny’s she worked at a dog boarding and daycare facility for two years until she realized that she would much rather work with cute cats all day instead.

Emmi started riding horses in 2020 as a Covid-friendly outdoor activity and hasn’t stopped since; when she isn’t at Tiny’s she stays at the barn all day long working for the trainer there.

In her spare time she enjoys horseback riding, cuddling barn cats, and indoor rock climbing at The Source on Main Street.

Tiny

Proprietor

In 2012 Denise’s mother’s dog passed away suddenly. Since she was elderly with dementia, oftentimes a pet was all she could relate to. She had always continued to talk about Simon the family cat from Denise’s childhood, so Denise looked for Siamese on the OHS website. As luck would have it, there was the picture of the rare Siamese kitten! She drove directly there and adopted Tiny that evening.

When he came home, Tiny only weighed 3.5lbs (thus his name). He had just been neutered and Denise wanted to keep an eye on him before turning him over to her elderly parents. She got the flu during that time and during her time on the couch Tiny crawled under her chin and slept there with her during her recovery time. The flu went away, but the love was there to stay. Denise went back to OHS and got her Mom a different cat…Tiny stayed with Denise!

Since then Tiny enjoys his carrier and the car. He is very fond of his dogs and wants to go where they go. As a result he has gone to work several times as well as camping at the beach. He is looking forward to meeting YOU from his “Purr”esidential Suite in the lobby of Tiny’s Place Luxury Cat Boarding.

Raylan

Apprentice to the Proprietor

Raylan, a Bengal, came to live with Denise, Kendrick and Tiny in November of 2019. Tiny’s cat friend had passed away at the age of 17 and Tiny needed a new cat friend. She found Raylan with a breeder in Oregon City, and found him charming on sight.

So far Raylan doesn’t seem to mind traveling in his carrier and he also loves the dogs. He really likes canned food and playing with his new brother Tiny. He looks forward to meeting you at work as well when he accompanies Tiny to the “Purr”esidential Suite!