About Us

Briana Stringer was born and raised in the wonderful city of Austin, Texas. She has always had a love for animals and a fascination with animal behavior. Growing up, she managed to bring an array of them home with her to “study”. Her childhood pets included dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, a red-tail boa, a king snake, ferrets, a cockatoo, an African gray parrot, macaw parrots, horses, chickens and even a water dragon! Working at the Town Lake Animal Shelter in Austin, Texas, motivated her to become a dog trainer. It became apparent that dogs were being brought to the shelter by their owners because of bad behaviors, which could have been easily corrected with proper training. She also had the opportunity to work with a variety of breeds by providing foster care for some of these abandoned dogs. After working at the shelter, she trained at an Austin area boarding/training/agility facility where she learned the fundamentals of dog training. She then began providing all levels of dog training at a national pet superstore, where she had the opportunity to work with even more wonderful dogs and their owners. After a year of teaching group dog training classes there, Briana wanted to provide a wider range of services and activities, including agility classes. In 2003, she started Sublime Canines to better serve her canine friends and their humans. Briana’s passions in dog training are working with the anxious, rowdy, reactive or “aggressive” dogs. She loves the challenges and the variety of skills it takes to find what works best with each dog/owner team. “Teaching them how to go through life as a cooperative adventure instead of a test of wills is much more fulfilling for both the dog and owner, and I love seeing it when it all just clicks. It really makes life with a dog much more enjoyable. I know that first hand, by my own experiences, and I want all of my clients to experience it as well”, Briana says. In order to better serve her clients, she has traveled to numerous dog training seminars and workshops to continue her education, including Ted Turner, Ian Dunbar, John Rogerson, Terry Ryan, Pat Miller, Jean Donaldson, Gail Fisher, Kathy Sdao, and Trish King, just to name a few. She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, a professional member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), the largest organization of positive dog trainers in the world, and a certified AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator. Briana was voted “Most Awesome-ist Dog Trainer” in 2012 by the Austin Pet’s Directory. Her dog, Camber, was recognized in Fit Magazine’s “2015 Austin’s Fittest Dogs”. Briana also helped to create the Williamson County Kids-N-K9s program, helping at-risk youth improve their lives by training shelter dogs for adoption. “I truly love what I do! I am deeply committed to improving dogs’ abilities and their relationship with their owners through proven positive methods”. In 2015 Briana came upon the opportunity to open her dream boarding/daycare/training facility and she jumped at the chance. A year later she found the perfect property in Pflugerville and DogJoy was born. “DogJoy is the best possible place for your dog to spend their days, either at daycamp, vacationing while you are away, joining our group classes or maybe you just want to come play in our Splash Park, built specifically with the dogs in mind,” Briana says. Briana shares her home on the DogJoy property in Pflugerville, Texas with her Border Collie, Camber. Briana’s favorite hobbies include wake-surfing, kayaking, mountain biking and camping and you can rest assured that her Border Collie accompanies her in every one of these activities, a goal she hopes to help all dog owners attain – to include their dogs in everything they do, and everywhere they go.

Tatiana Huslage was born in Bogota, Colombia and moved to the states when she was 14. “Growing up in Colombia taught me a lot about life but it gave me the greatest lesson of all: dogs are amazing,” she says. She had two great dogs growing up and spent many days having fun in their company. “It was these moments that made me realize when I grew up I wanted to do something with dogs, something special. When Briana told me about DogJoy ranch I knew immediately this was what I had been looking for. It would allow me to combine my passion for dogs and customer service in one amazing job.” Tatiana has spent the better part of the last two years learning all about nutrition and holistic foods for dogs and says that she is eager to push her learning and training further under the tutelage of Briana. “To me, DogJoy represents not just a place for dogs to enjoy running around but also a training ground for both dogs and adults to maximize the most out of the partnership between pet and pet-parent. It will push everyone further towards happy and healthy lives.” In her spare time Tatiana enjoys hiking, reading, spending time with her husband and being a dog mom to her two very spoiled fur-babies, Ghost and Grace, who always keep her on her toes.

Mark is a proud dog owner of a small rescue dog by the name of Jet. His hobbies include caring for and playing with his own dog, golfing and going to the movies. Mark has been working with dogs at dog boarding and daycare facilities since early 2016. “Working with dogs is highly enjoyable and fulfilling. I am stoked for working at DogJoy!”

Mia was born in Pensylvania, but moved to Texas before she was 1, so considers herself a native Texan! She always had a passion for living creatures and has loved dogs since she was little. As a child, in an attempt to gain a canine companion, she put together a presentation for her parents as to why a dog would benefit the whole family. Her passion for animals flourished in her teens when she began working with livestock and horseback riding. She has always been called “the girl with the zoo” due to her many pets. She’s cared for hermit crabs, lizards, birds, horses, and more, but dogs will always hold a special place in her heart. Mia knew she wanted to build a career that would allow her to continue working with animals and was delighted to join the DogJoy team!