Our Story
Houston's local team for dog training, walks, and everyday care.
I'm Kourtenay Dolmos. I started Hearth & Hounds because Houston families shouldn't have to juggle a trainer, a walker, and a sitter who've never met each other. We're one team, and we actually know your dog.
"With training, I like to focus on building real communication and keeping it fun. For pet sitting, I'm honestly just trying to hang out with your dog."
⭐ 5-Star Rated · 🌿 LIMA-Informed · 🤝 CGC Evaluator · 🛡️ Fully Insured
Meet Kourtenay Dolmos · CGC Evaluator
She kept meeting the same dog.
Kourtenay founded Hearth & Hounds because she kept meeting the same dog: reactive, anxious, or labeled "difficult," not because of who they were, but because of what they'd experienced. She saw owners who'd been told their dog was hopeless. She knew better.
"I do this because I love dogs, and I love to teach communication," she says. "It's honestly a wonderful feeling to help someone learn how to communicate with their dog, not just controlling them. I feel like both the dogs and people always end up happier because of it."
She leads her own sessions personally, using BAT (Behavior Adjustment Training), private lessons, and field trips built on a LIMA-informed approach: Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive. And she's upfront about what that process actually looks like. "Behavior modification isn't pretty, but the long-term results can be beautiful," she says. "It's not linear, but there are very real, measurable steps to success."
Her background is in canine nutrition, and that whole-dog view shapes everything she does. "I truly believe it requires looking at the whole of the dog, inside and out," she says. "That's also why I started the care side of things: I wanted dogs to actually feel comfortable while their parents are away, because the long-term benefits are amazing."
"I think it's a privilege to know dogs, and this career has led me to be involved with so many dogs and so many amazing people."
What We Believe
How we approach every dog we work with
Science-based approach
Every technique Kourtenay uses is rooted in current animal behavior science: methods that actually work with how dogs learn, not against it.
Trust over speed
Dogs learn on their own timeline. We never rush progress or push a dog past their comfort zone to hit an arbitrary milestone.
Your home, your rules
We work around your schedule, your dog's personality, and your real-life goals, not a one-size-fits-all curriculum.
Built for Houston
We're a local operation, not a franchise. Our sitters are Houston residents who know the city's neighborhoods, parks, and summer heat.
Real dogs. Real results.
A few of the dogs we're lucky to know
Recognized On
You can find us, read what Houston pet parents have to say, and get to know us better, on:
Ready to meet us?
Start with a free discovery call: tell us about your dog and we'll take it from there.