Meet Kenny Hills

We recently connected with Kenny Hills and have shared our conversation below.

Kenny , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I found my purpose by realizing working with animals gave me life. I enjoy going to work everyday, the money was never a focus for me.

Of course we need money to survive, but there’s a lot higher paying opportunities out there, but those jobs never fulfilled my happiness. As long as I had food in my stomach a roof over my head, and my pets have food in their bowls, we were happy.

I have friends who are successful, make good money, but they still didn’t fill happy, or fulfilled. That’s something I always try to avoid. I’ve worked many jobs growing up, but none gave me the life that working with dogs has.

I ran a dog rescue and no matter how much money I spent, when the dog we rescued was rehabilitated and adopted to a loving family, that feeling of seeing that animals second chance at life was far better than any other payment. That’s when I knew my purpose was to help save animals and to work with animals.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I knew from a very young age that working with animals is what I wanted to do, finding which career path to follow was the challenge. I worked many jobs trying to find what would stick. I volunteered at our local animal shelter The SPCA of Monterey County, I worked at petco as a bather brushed in the grooming department and quickly grew a liking to the reptiles and became a reptile specialist while there, I then got hired to work at the same shelter I volunteered at as a kid. I worked at a veterinary hospital as a kennel tech, but after college I moved to LA where I introduced to the world where pets were almost treated like royalty. It was such a different experience than where I grew up.

My first 14 years in Los Angeles I worked at a dog hotel called D Pet Hotels Hollywood. This is where I found my correct path. I like to tell people I was raised in Seaside, Ca but I grew up in Los Angeles. That meaning I went through the biggest growth in my life while living in Los Angeles.

While working at D Pet Hotels I was able to try different paths working with dogs, such as dog training. That’s is where I learned so much about how dogs think, what makes them happy, etc. I saw the way I approached situations vs how others in my field did were very different. My approach was to ensure the dog was happy, this way the owner was happy and it took away stress of the owner while they were away and their dog was boarding with us.

I look at myself as a life learner and someone always looking to grow, once I felt I hit the ceiling of growth with the company I decided to start my own pet service company.

I’ve had a ton of opportunities that I will for ever be grateful for, but I needed more growth and what better way than to do it on your own? So when Covid hit the Hotel took a huge hit as many businesses. I was there to keep things moving and when everything reopened I looked at this as a time to leave and start my own business, The Lazy Hound Pet Service Co.

Our mission is to provide top tier pet services, such as dog walking, pet sitting and dog boarding. Our main focus being dog walking. I was blessed to lead a team who shared the passions of working with animals and when I left many of my old employees who worked for me at D Pet but left before me contacted me looking to work with me. So my team of walkers are people I trust with my own dogs.

Dog walking/pet sitting started as a side hustle for me while working at D Pet, My first few clients would call me Uncle Kenny to their dogs, so I started there with the name of the business, Uncle Kenny’s Pet sitting and Dog Walking, but in 2022 with the growth of hiring more walkers and having an impact in the Los Angeles area, we rebranded as The Lazy Hound.

We provide services all over Los Angeles, from the valley, to Hollywood/mid city, and even downtown Los Angeles.

One thing I am very excited about is just the room for growth the company still has. We are looking to open a facility where we focus on the dogs needs. Working in the pet industry you see a lot of things and me also having a background coaching youth travel basketball, when our team traveled out of state I would find a day where I could go around the city we traveled to and find dog businesses and I would see what they offered and see what great ideas we could bring back to Los Angeles.

At the moment, we are getting ready to launch a partnership with Angel City Pit Bull rescue, we have a t shirt design getting to launch in August 2024 and each purchase of a t shirt will help sponsor a dog in their care.

Giving back has always been my important to me, whether with time or being able to help donate ti these animals and rescues in need.

We launched a podcast called Sometimes they Rescue us, which is focused on stories like mine where animals help us get through obstacles, find our purpose, or just impacted our lives in such a way we were able to get out of what ever obstacles that were stopping us before. Sometimes when we rescue animals, it is actually the animals who rescue us.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three main qualities that were most impactful in my journey early on was being resilient, never quitting seeing things through, being brave enough to try new things, stepping out of my comfort zones.

Second I would say is being empathetic to people and their dogs needs. Understanding everyone has different needs and to focus on those needs for each client and their dog.

Lastly would be faith. I was raised that as long as we are blessed to wake up we have choices that lead us to our purpose. But we can’t focus on things that go wrong, or feel like victims. No matter what happens I have always been able to take the good of any situation. Sometimes it can be scary, but I always know I will figure it out as we go. I can’t look at the future of what ifs. Another things I learned working with dogs is how to live in the present. Nothing behind me or in front of me is important, it’s what’s happening right now. Even during some of my biggest battles, people would ask how I’m doing and my response was always “I’m Good” understanding with faith that as long as I’m breathing I will always be good because the rest can be figured out.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

When I moved to LA within my first year I adopted a dog from the shelter I once volunteered at and even worked at. Her name Kaiya, a tiny pit bull puppy that I just bonded with from the second I laid eyes on her. She over all the people taught me the most and helped me overcome some of my toughest challenges. She taught me loyalty, resiliency, empathy, and so much more. When I adopted her, the breed Specific legislation was trying to be passed all around the states. She was my first pit bull I’ve ever owned. She wasn’t allowed in businesses, to family events, etc. all because her breed. At the hotel she was treated different than other dogs based off of her breed. So being able to use her to help lift that stigma off of her breed and her impacting people who may have been uneducated when it came to the subject. Her impact will forever be legendary in my eyes.

All things I learned from her, I have been able to incorporate in life but also in how we operate as a company.

Our mission statement has always weighed heavy on me because dogs are such simple animals and with love comes loyalty.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.thelazyhound.co
• Instagram: @thelazyhound.co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelazyhoundcompany?mibextid=kFxxJD
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/N6nfXANPkk
• Other: TikTok: @thelazyhound.co

Image Credits

Hannah