%252520(1.png)
WHO WE ARE
Anissa Joy & Lyra Anderson
Anissa Joy - Team Leader & Store Coordinator
anissa@playdogvt.com
Anissa is a born and raised Vermonter who has always had a passion for dogs. She grew up around various sport breeds and at the age of 15 she began working part time as kennel cleaner at a local boarding facility. After graduating high school early in 2013, Anissa threw herself into her career with animals and became a manager at a boarding-only facility in northern Vermont.
In 2016, Anissa joined Play Dog Play as a dog handler. She was looking to expand her knowledge about dogs, daycare environments, and truly loved what the company was about. Anissa became Team Leader in 2018. One of her favorite parts about her position is the teaching and growth component; she loves to cultivate a safe environment for our dogs and staff to grow in.
When she’s not working, Anissa can likely be found at home with her family. She’s a wife, mother and dog owner herself. She loves to explore the outdoors and is working on creating her own little homestead with gardens, chickens, goats and as many other farm animals as her husband will allow her to have. In addition to her love for dogs, she enjoys photography, cold beers and our cold Vermont winters.
Lyra Anderson - Owner
Lyra joined Play Dog Play as a part-time dog handler in 2012. Over the last 10 years, Lyra has played a role in every aspect of the company, from cleaning kennels to running the front desk to ordering retail for the Pine Street supply store. Lyra became part-owner in 2016 and has been improving upon the company's approach to group socialization ever since.
Lyra's goal for Play Dog Play is to provide exceptional care for each dog on the individual level while meeting the needs of every dog on a large-scale social level. She feels that this is best accomplished when we, as handlers, take both the dog's physical and emotional needs into consideration. Lyra is the first to advocate that a daycare environment should primarily be used for socialization and as a supplement to a dog's normal exercise routine. Lyra is proud to have her company contribute positively and without judgement towards the quality of life each of our four-legged family members deserve.
Lyra lives in Shelburne with her partner, daughter, and dog where they can be found hiking around Vermont as much as possible (provided that the Vermont weather cooperates!) or cheering New England sports teams to victory.
Front Desk Supervisor
Floor Supervisor
Lauren was born and raised in Vermont and has grown up with a parent in the dog training world. She has a passion for dog behavior, nutrition, and training and has made it her goal to continue to gain more knowledge on all these aspects.
Lauren joined the PDP team in 2018 and has worked positions including dog handler, front desk member, and shift leader. After briefly leaving in 2020 to expand her knowledge on dog nutrition and gain some new experiences, she came back on with her new role as Floor Supervisor in early 2022 and could not have been more excited about it! Lauren’s goal is to provide a comfortable and productive environment for all the dogs who attend the facility for daycare or boarding.
In her free time Lauren enjoys hiking and training with her own dog, as well as multiple artistic endeavors and spending time with friends and family. Her future plans include attending college for animal science to further delve into her passion. Her personal goals entail adopting “less adoptable” shelter dogs and providing them the stability, training and support they need to live happy and healthy lives.
Mallorie joined the PDP team in 2019 as a front desk team member. Since 2012, she has worked in front-of-house food service as well as design and print production services. Mallorie graduated from Champlain College in 2018 with a degree in Graphic Design, but decided to pursue work opportunities in other avenues because of her love for working with people.
After two years supporting our clients directly at the front desk, she became Front Desk Supervisor. Though not as present directly behind the desk, she loves spending time supporting our clients face-to-face when presented with the opportunity. Mallorie's favorite part of PDP is the fluidity and transparency of our environment (as we work with owners to find the best fit for their dogs in our care) as well as feeling like she makes a positive long-term impact in the dogs’ lives.
Outside of work, you can often find her in the kitchen cooking and baking, bringing goodies in to share with the team when she overdoes it and her fiancé tells her they can’t eat everything she makes. She enjoys spending time with close friends, playing video games and board games together. She also enjoys working on handmade books and refreshing older furniture when their small home allows for it.