About Uptown Pup

Welcome to Uptown Pup! We use the latest and best in canine science to create the happiest, healthiest environment for dogs in Indianapolis. Our Dog Boarding Resort & Dog Grooming Salon use proven Adaptil Dog Appeasing Pheromones (DAP) to promote calm and reduce stress. In addition, Resort guests enjoy Through a Dog’s Ear music and Thunderease scent therapy. And our Dog Daycare & Canine Fitness areas offer doggie games, enriching activities, and loving humans. Lastly, our Dog Training Team is Karen Pryor Academy certified and adhere to proven positive-reinforcement methods, creating smart, confident, and happy pups.

Our strongest asset, however, is our staff. The Uptown Pup team has extensive animal care experience and a passion for dogs. In addition, our owners and management team are Fear Free certified and Pet Tech Canine CPR & First Aid-certified, and our entire staff is trained through the renowned Dog Gurus system.  

The Uptown Pup Team

Owners

Mandy Stetzel, Owner
Mandy has loved dogs for as long as she could talk. (One of her first words was “dog” — you can ask her parents.) After a lifetime of owning dogs, she began studying them and working in the animal welfare field. Knowing dogs bring so much joy to our species, she and Kathleen created Uptown Pup to offer dogs as much joy as possible in return. Mandy is Canine CPR & First-Aid certified, Fear-Free Boarding certified, and the proud owner of four rescue dogs (and a rescue kitten who grew up at Uptown).

Kathleen Schonsheck, Owner
Kathleen is a lifelong dog lover with 10+ years working in the daycare, grooming, and shelter worlds, as well as a background in human rehabilitation and personal training. She and Mandy founded Uptown Pup with a mission to create a wonderful place for people to work with dogs and their owners. After becoming a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer in 2018, she now enjoys helping dogs live longer, healthier lives.

Managers

Katie Genier, General Manager
Katie, a graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy and a Fear-Free certified dog trainer, has an incredible gift for understanding canine psychology. She spent years as a trainer, greatly improving the life of every dog she worked with. With her incredible skills in training and conditioning dogs, it came as no surprise that she was wonderful in training and managing humans, so she transitioned to the position of General Manager of our facility. Our staff knows Katie as the human equivalent of a ray of sunshine. She’s the proud owner of dogs Havoc and Gypsy, and her goal is to empty animal shelters everywhere

Jimmy Maxwell, Training Manager 
Jimmy began his life as a dog trainer in 2010, when he and his lab Lambeau became a search-and-rescue team. He quickly learned the power of positive training, and used those skills in search-and-rescue & service-dog training throughout the country. With 9 years experience working with youth, Jimmy has a heart for dogs and people. He unites those passions by helping humans and dogs communicate and learn from each other. Jimmy is a graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy, a charter member of Hoosier State Search and Rescue, and leads our dog training program as Training Manager. He lives in Speedway with his wife Kelli and their pups Kodi and Copper.

Brooke Huntzinger, Assistant Manager
Brooke started working with dogs in 2016, when she found her passion for positive-reinforcement training. She brought her talent for training to our Day School and Boarding School, where she ran the programs and expertly managed everything from teaching puppy skills to addressing challenging behavioral issues. As with Katie, Brooke’s ability to teach, train, and manage wasn’t limited to one species. Her skills and strengths led her to transition to Assistant Manager of our facility. She’s the proud mom of Rottweiler mix Koda and Husky mix Shoo, but also dreams of owning a corgi because of their big personalities and legendary rear-ends.

Alyssa Franklin, Grooming Lead
Alyssa is a natural with all animals and has spent her life caring for dogs, cats, hamsters, ducks, turkeys, and more. Her heart for animals and exceptional work ethic makes her critical to every part of our building. She began as a Team Lead in our Daycare and Resort areas, and her favorite part about our profession has been learning to understand dogs’ language and make them comfortable. These skills have helped her transition to full-time Groomer, where she trained in the Salon @ Uptown and is now employing her skills to create a positive, calming groom experience for dogs. Alyssa is the proud owner of rescue pup Karev (aka Kurd or Karot), 3 kitties, and a spider Fiona. 

Team

Bree Reeves, Front Desk, Event Coordinator, Daycare, Resort
Bree has a B.S. in Exercise Science from U. of Indy and is currently working toward her Masters in Special Education. She came to us with experience working with children in ABA Therapy and as a nanny. Her brother worked at another dog daycare facility, and she realized she would love it in this field. We are lucky to have her on our team, where she works in Daycare, Resort, Front Desk and as our Event Coordinator. She says working with dogs is similar to working with children with autism, and she loves applying her knowledge and experience to caring for our dogs. Bree is Fear Free certified in Daycare and Boarding, owns her own pet-sitting business, SitBarkSleep, and is working on adding dog training to her list of skills and business services. She’s also the proud mom of Bruno, a cinnamon boxer/pitbull/chow mix, Whiskey, a black and brown tortoiseshell cat, and her sister Tequila, a blue-cream tortoiseshell.

Meg Owens, Enrichment, Tummy Rub Club, Resort, Daycare
Meg was one of the original motivators behind launching Uptown Pup, and we wouldn’t be here today without her. She works with our Enrichment, Resort, Little Dog Daycare, and Tummy Rub Club guests, giving them lots of love, attention, and belly rubs as possible. Her long history with dogs began as a toddler, when she helped care for her first family dog. From there, she adopted her dogs Wynnie, Mokey, and now Rolo the Yorkie mix. 

Josiah Cox, Resort Lead
Josiah started in the veterinary assistant field, and we happily recruited him to be part of our team. His calming presence and demeanor help in even the toughest situations, and his skill-set and experience make him among the best at what he does! He loves working with dogs because they are unconditionally loving, and finds it especially rewarding to work with the shy and reserved pups. He knows under that anxious shell, there are lots and lots of tail wags and love just waiting to emerge. As dad to the biggest baby (in the form of a pittie mix), and a drooling cat who thinks he’s a dog, Josiah is a gift to every pup and works hard to make every dog happy!

Hannah Kern, Daycare & Resort
Hannah has always had a passion for animals and desire to learn more about them, so she started working with dogs in 2018. She fell in love with watching dogs learn and grow, and finds it incredibly rewarding to give them all the comfort and happiness they deserve. She especially enjoys helping nervous dogs come out of their shells and ensuring stressed dogs get the attention and love they need. Her ultimate goals are to become a dog trainer and open her own boarding and training facility. She is the mom to a 3-year-old pittie mix named Bruno, who loves bubbles, balls, and snuggling with his kitten sister.

Olly Day, Daycare & Resort
Olly was 8 when his family adopted their first rescue pup, and the love for dogs was ignited. The pup could be a little spicy and required patience, which Olly understood and grew to love and bond with him. In 2021, Olly started working with dogs professionally and loves watching dogs grow from puppies to awkward teens to confident adults. Olly is currently studying psychology and looking into getting a Masters in social work, and hoping to incorporate therapy dog work into his professional life. He’s the proud owner of Juno, a great Dane mix who can do no wrong, and Toby, a dachshund who is a typical second child that brings chaos for sure.

Shep Burke, Daycare & Resort
After walking dogs and volunteering at the local animal shelter in high school, Shep began working in his first dog hotel in 2021 and fell in love with literally every breed there. He loves absolutely everything about working with dogs (minus the poop-scooping, to which we can all relate) and has loved every puppy his whole life and just never stopped. His goal is to be a service dog trainer and help those in need. He’s the proud owner of Panda, who received his angel wings in 2024, and Jean-Luc, a pittie mix with a big head full of “rocks and love,” per Shep