A 6th generation Texan with ancestors who fought at the Alamo, Ann grew up in Corpus Christi living with her parents and older brother. She attended the University of North Texas where she graduated with a degree in Sociology. Ann joined us at Zoot in May of 2015 with five years of prior experience working with animals in boarding facilities as well as experience caring for her own pets. Ann currently has two dogs named Abigail and Riker, four chickens, and some pet fish. In her spare time, Ann enjoys hiking, reading, and playing the electric bass. Ann’s favorite part about working at Zoot is that she gets to spend time both getting to know the dogs and working outside!

After growing up on a cotton farm outside Muleshoe, Texas, Cindy’s family moved to the Austin area. Cindy went on to the University of Texas and earned her B.A. and M.A. in German and taught German language courses. After studying and doing research in Germany, and halfway through her dissertation, she left academia to stay home with her children, who are now teenagers.

Cindy loves to camp and hike with her husband, daughter, and son. She is also an avid knitter and loves to read. In addition to being involved in Girl Scouts, the Orchestra Booster Club, and volunteering at her kids’ schools, Cindy and her daughter have volunteered their time at the Humane Society of Williamson County in Leander. Her family dogs include Lucy (a Lab/Vizsla) and Max (a Rat Terrier adopted from the Humane Society).

Cindy’s love of animals brought her to Zoot. Her mission at Zoot is to make sure that doggie and kitty guests feel as much at home as possible during their boarding stay and that their moms and dads can feel confident in the care that they receive here. In addition to her other duties, she provides returning families with a report card to let them know how their furry family members did during their absence. She also gladly sends e-mails with photos to moms and dads of special needs pets, during extended boarding stays, or to those folks who just need a bit of reassurance that all is fine with their loved one.

Jennifer Shelton graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She’s lived in Georgetown since she was two and graduated from Georgetown High School in 2003. She has loved animals her entire life and looks forward to meeting the pets that visit the facility. Jennifer’s other interests are writing and drawing. She writes fantasy poetry, short stories, and novels, and hopes to someday publish. During her five years in college, she sang in the choir at the Catholic Student Center, often cantoring. She is a member of the choir at St. Helen’s in Georgetown. Jennifer lives with her parents and younger sister Kimberly. Her mother Therese is a professor in the math department at Southwestern University. The family has lots of fish, including an outdoor pond, and her sister Kimberly has two parakeets: Twitter and Flip. Jennifer hopes to soon have a rabbit.

Barnes was born and raised in Austin, Texas. In 2008, Barnes and his wife, Julie, relocated to Dublin, Ireland where his wife took on a new job. After an extended “European vacation,” Barnes happily returned home to Texas. The Greek cats were beautifully fearless, the German dogs were extremely “groovy,” but there’s nothing like coming home to your own lovable critter! Barnes also decided that he wanted a job that would be a joy to go to. Barnes relishes the opportunity to spend time meeting and playing with the animals visiting Zoot. In addition to his fondness for tennis and the perfect Tex-Mex meal, Barnes enjoys spending time with Julie and his faithful canine, Sawyer (from “Lost”, not “Tom").

Austin joined the Zoot team in 2016. Austin started working with animals in high school by volunteering at the humane society in Ann Arbor, MI. He came to Texas by way of transferring from the University of Michigan to UT. His family has always had pets and currently shares their lives with Callaway, their Newfoundland. Austin loves working at Zoot for all the learning opportunities as well as getting to play with dogs, especially Great Danes. He also enjoys helping shy pets come out of their shells. When not working, Austin can be found doing anything active such rock climbing, yoga, martial arts, dancing, and running.