Island Puppy Paradise

Tina Sportschuetz, Esq.

Owner

Tina opened Saint Simon's first dog daycare in 2012. A native of Germany, Tina moved to the United States in 1998 and now makes Saint Simons Island her home. Tina's love for animals led her away from a career as an attorney. She remains licensed to practice law in the State of Florida. Tina owns a Rottweiler named Iza, and two horses, Zorro and Noble. She is happily married to an Army Officer.

Colleen Sosa

Operations Manager

Colleen joined Puppy Paradise in March 2020, shortly after moving to Georgia from O’ahu, Hawai’i. She shares her home with her five rescue dogs, all regulars at Puppy Paradise. Prior to accept her position as operations manager, Colleen was a sailor in the United States Navy as a Master-at-Arms (Military Police) where she worked and trained with Military Working Dogs. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree (Magna Cum Laude) in Criminal Justice with a specialization in Criminalistics from Saint Leo University. Colleen and her active duty husband adopted Military Working Dog (Ret.) Hopski after his third and final deployment beside her husband in Afghanistan.
Colleen is certified in: Vaccines 101 Safe Pet Handling Pet Care Infection Control Safe Group Play
Dog Handling 101
Canine Social Cues and Safety
Client Relations

Kirsten Ryals

General Manager

Kirsten was born and raised in Brunswick, GA. She started her career at Puppy Paradise as a dog attendant in 2018 and is now our general manager. Kirsten is currently working on her degree in Psychology at College of Coastal Georgia. Kirsten has rescued over 15 dogs and countless wildlife critters. Currently, Kirsten has 4 personal dogs. In her spare time, Kirsten enjoys volunteering at several local animal shelters.
Kirsten is certified through Dog Handler Academy: Dog Handling 101Canine Social Cues and Safety Client Relations

April Clark

General Manager

April was born in Okinawa, Japan and moved to in Brunswick, GA when she was three years old. She grew up working on her grandfather’s farm where she found her passion for hard work and the animal industry. April began working for St. Simons Puppy Paradise, as a dog attendant in 2015. She quickly fell in love with the business! April's work and unwavering devotion makes her a valuable asset to the management team.
April and her family, live at home with her three dogs, Grace, Eve and Trauma.
April is certified through Dog Handler Academy: Dog Handling 101Canine Social Cues and Safety Client Relations

SamKennel Supervisor

Julianne

Lizzy

Taylor

Caroline

Lauren

Morgan

Charles

DeniseVolunteer Extraordinaire

Kathy ThriftCertified Trainer

Roy ScarboroughCertified Trainer

Ashley BarreraGroomer