Eric Bleile
Founder, Owner, Dog Hiker
Originally from Maine, Eric grew up in the great outdoors where he and his family always had dogs. Eric founded Active Dog in 2011 with his right hand dog, Tobias. Tobias was a 140 pound, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog who loved to hike! He was a gentle giant, an amazing companion and crossed the rainbow bridge at the age of 10.5, on Easter morning of this year.
Eric currently lives in Weston, Connecticut with his wife Tara, son Casen and their Golden Retriever, Cooper. Eric enjoys playing golf, skiing and performing with his modern-country band, Hazzard County. He has a graduate degree in Financial Risk Management from the University of Connecticut.
Emma Wheelhouse
Media Director, Manager, Hiker
Originally from England, Emma moved to Cos Cob, Connecticut three years ago, with her husband and two sons, Elliott and Oliver. She got her first dog, a Yorkshire terrier, when she was only a year old and has had dogs as a family pet ever since. Emma currently has a Goldendoodle named Chester. Emma has been dog walking for over three years and has a true affinity for the job.
Alicia Andrianus
Manager, Dog Hiker
Alicia grew up on the East Coast loving everything outdoors. Her love for dogs was not discovered until she moved to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The island was highly populated with dogs that had no where to go. There was one dog that stuck out to her--Mr. Mac who seems to be part Hound, Jack Russell, Dachshund. Mr. Mac was just a few weeks old when she took him in. After that, Alicia dedicated her life to the quote, "I work hard so my dog has a better life". Alicia also enjoys hiking, coffee, succulents, gardening and the state of Colorado.
Pedro Landrau
Dog Trainer & Hiker
Born and raised in Springfield, MA, Pedro moved to Stamford 2 years ago. From Labs to Chihuahuas, Shepherds to St. Bernards, Poodles to Pitbulls, Pedro has lived most of his life around or with multiple breeds of dogs. Pedro also enjoys hiking, CrossFit and teaching Judo classes in his spare time. Aside from being a dog hiker Pedro is a Chaplains Assistant in the Army reserves.
Paul King
Dog Trainer & Hiker
Originally from Chicago, IL, Paul’s love of dogs began as a child with his family’s loveable and rambunctious terrier rescue. After deciding to make a career transition some years ago, he began as a dog walker and immediately fell in love. Having moved to North Carolina, he continued to pursue this passion by taking on a position as the general manager of a dog daycare and boarding facility. Most recently, after moving back to Connecticut, he has expanded his knowledge and experience into the realm of dog training. He also happens to have a healthy obsession with the great outdoors and has hiked on trails and climbed mountains all over the US and while traveling abroad. Just this past summer, he and his wife took their 2 1/2 year old pit bull mix, Althea, on her first multi-day backpacking trip in the Dolly Sods Wilderness of West Virginia and plan on making it the first of many!
Tiffany Knapp
Dog Hiker
Tiffany grew up in Southern California, always hiking / camping on the weekends with her family. After graduating from the Art Institute with a degree in design, Tiffany and her now husand moved to New York City where she worked in fashion for 7 years. Now living in Connecticut with their two goldendoodles Astor and Winston, Tiffany wants to share her love for dogs and nature. Her off time is spent doing Crossfit competitions, traveling, cooking, and anything active.
Stephanie Facciola
Dog Hiker
Stephanie grew up in Garnerville, NY and currently lives in White Plains. She was brought up in a family of dog lovers and has been around dogs for her entire life. Stephanie graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a degree in Graphic Design. Her interests include hiking, the beach, and photography. She likes to spend her free time exploring new places and finding that perfect shot. Stephanie decided to leave the corporate world to pursue her passion for animals and her love of the outdoors.
Cristen Heavens
Dog Hiker
Originally from Connecticut, Cristen lived in Boston and NYC before moving back to her home state. She lives on a boat with her boyfriend in Stamford and enjoys the freedom and challenges that come with living aboard. Following her passion for education policy, she graduated with a masters degree in public policy in 2015. Cristen was raised by a family that encouraged her to love all animals, and she has wonderful childhood memories with her many furry siblings. She loves being active, rock climbing, yoga, reading, DIY projects, and swapping dog stories!
Christine Andre
Dog Hiker
Christine grew up in New Jersey and spent a lot of her childhood with family in Portugal. Raised around farm animals and dogs, she felt a connection to their compassionate personalities and knew that she wanted to make a difference in their life too. She graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Nonprofit Development and is passionate about sustainability, alternative medicine, holistic nutrition and animal rights. During her free time she loves to spend time with friends rock climbing, mountain biking, cooking and doing anything outdoors with her rescue pups Lucky and Mavie!
Clare Smith
Dog Hiker
Clare is from Pelham, NY and earned a Bachelor’s degree in sociology from Manhattan College in 2017. During her time in college, Clare started walking the dog of a family friend. After a few weeks she had many more pups to take care of. Soon she was servicing the town of Pelham and beyond. Five years later, Clare is still out there walking the pups everyday. You can typically find Clare spending time with the love of her life, her adopted 10-year-old dog.
Jessica Killoran
Dog Hiker
Jessica grew up in the countryside of Ontario, Canada where her favorite pastimes were full of exploring nature and caring for animals. She attributes her animal-loving tendencies to her mother, who took in many rescues and aided in rehabilitating wildlife over the years. Jessica spent time in Dallas working for a marketing company but recently relocated to Connecticut where she has enthusiastically joined the Active Dog team. Jessica is looking forward to working in a position where she can employ her passions for nature and animals. In her free time, Jessica enjoys painting, figure skating, skiing and caring for her beloved Australian Shepherd, Blue.
Dan Cassens
Dog Hiker
Dan grew up in New Canaan, CT and has spent the last few years working and living in New York. He has always had a love for the outdoors and after getting married he and his wife decided to head back to the Fairfield County. In his spare time, he can be found on his family’s boat in South Norwalk or fishing at any one of the local beaches. Growing up with dogs, Dan has always had a love for animals, even much so that he rescued his own pup while in college and surprised his parents by bringing her home during Thanksgiving break!
Lyndsay Manson
Dog Hiker
Lyndsay is originally from Michigan and obtained her Bachelor‘s degree from Michigan State University. She then attended graduate school at Louisiana Tech University where she met her wife, Jenna. After graduating and getting married, she and Jenna began searching for a place to plant their roots. Jenna had always loved the Fairfield County area so Lyndsay began searching for a place to work. Lyndsay is so excited to be a part of the Active Dog team because the people are fantastic and caring for animals has always been her passion, especially her dogs Ogie and Beau. When she’s not out hiking with dogs, Lyndsay is usually building furniture or attending the theater.