Our Pack

Michael Hughes has been in the pet business as long as he can remember! Michael is a graduate of Randolph Macon College. He successfully ran our Invisible Fence dealership for 13 years before it was sold to Invisible Fence of Virginia. Michael is now the “Head of the Pack” for Holiday Barn Pet Resorts. You are likely to see him at one of our locations helping our Pack, our guests, or one of our customers. Michael enjoys seeing the Pack develop as we strive to deliver on our mission of “Creating Joy in the Lives of Pets and their Families.”  Michael is an accomplished retriever trainer and is the proud owner of Lucy and Trapper, yellow Labrador Retrievers, and Tucker, a designer dog adopted from the Richmond SPCA who’s only job in life is to be cute. In addition to working at Holiday Barn, Michael enjoys being involved in the community and is currently serving on the Richmond SPCA Board, the Greater Southport Business Association Board, and the ChamberRVA IMPACT Committee. Michael has previously served on the CMoR Board, as the IMPACT Committee Chair, and on the St. Michael’s School Board.

Ryan is the Resort Manager at the Glen Allen Resort. He joined the Holiday Barn pack in May of 2014 as the Pet Care Manager. Ryan has been working closely with animals of many types since graduating from University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 2001. He has worked in a variety of animal settings, most recently as the Medical Services Manager for a shelter in Madison, WI. Ryan is very excited to have joined such an amazing pack and to play a role in ensuring all our guests receive top-notch care and services. Most days you can find Ryan and his dog Dexter (Weimaraner/lab mix) exploring a hiking trail and enjoying the beautiful Virginia weather.

Glenda is the Resort Manager at the South of the James Resort. Glenda joined Holiday Barn in 2002. Glenda is owned by her Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and is a member of the AKC Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club. As an owner she handles her champion dogs in AKC Conformation dog shows. She is a Certified Pet Care Technician. Glenda serves on the advisory board for Hermitage Technical Veterinary Science program, and is the National Fundraising Director for the ACKCS Rescue Trust. Glenda has over 20 years experience in executive and management positions in the corporate world. She now has the “most awesome job of her life” that allows her to do what she is most passionate about — working with pets and people in a customer service and quality focused environment.

Dickie Martinson is a Professional Dog Trainer with 10 years of professional experience. Growing up he always loved animals and loved having a variety of different pets at home. It wasn’t uncommon for Dickie to bring home animals to keep. He decided to take his passion for animals and make it his career. He is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and began his career at Happy Hollow Pet Lodge in Ozark, Missouri where he trained police K9’s for four years. He continued his career by starting his own company Camp Aussie Posse and ran that for six years. At Camp Aussie Posse he specialized in the rehabilitation of dogs with aggression or fear issues. Dickie joined the Holiday Barn pack in 2018 and is devoted to using his training skills to enrich the quality of life for both dog and humans.

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Chesney Smith grew up in Richmond, VA. Growing up there was always a dog or cat underfoot. She began her career at Holiday Barn in June 2017 in the Pet Care department. During her time in Pet Care, Chesney was a volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions. She raised one puppy full time and assisted with several others. After three years, she moved over to Day Care where she learned how to read dog body language and manage groups of dogs at play. In the span of a year, she was promoted to Day Care Coordinator. In January of 2024 she had to opportunity to attended Starmark Academy in Hutto, Texas where she received her Professional Dog Trainer certificate. When not at Holiday Barn, you can find Chesney exploring with her two dogs Bond and Iris.

Melaina Russell grew up in Richmond, VA and graduated from James Madison University with a BBA in Business Management. She joined the Holiday Barn pack in August 2015 as a member of the Customer Experience team and was shortly after promoted to Customer Experience Coordinator. In 2018 she had the opportunity to attend Tarheel Canine School for Dog Trainers where she received a certification in professional obedience training and behavior modification. She enjoys helping pet owners achieve stronger bonds with their own pets through training and inspiring them to do more with their dogs! When not training dogs at Holiday Barn, you can find Melaina training or competing with her three dogs Rory, Posey & Coastal in various companion and performance events.

Jenna Tarcha grew up in Binghamton, NY and studied at SUNY New Paltz. While in school, she found a job at a boarding facility and fell in love with working with animals. She took special interest in the training classes offered at the facility and decided to make a change in her career path. In 2020, she attended Starmark Academy for Dog Trainers where she received a certification in canine training and behavior modification. Since receiving her certification, she has held a few different positions training dogs in shelters, veterinary practices, and a board and train facility. Jenna joined the Holiday Barn pack in March 2023. She enjoys teaching dogs and watching them learn new skills while also helping pet owners create a bond that will last a lifetime. When she is not training dogs, Jenna can be found with her dog Achillies on the couch or out exploring the city!

Mary has been with Holiday Barn since 2011 and became Pet Care Manager for our South of the James Resort in 2014. Virginia has a hold on Mary… she was born in Northern Virginia, but grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, and then returned to Virginia and attended VCU. Throughout college, Mary did English as a Second Language (ESL) volunteer work with students in Elementary school as well as adults, while also working at KOHLS. After graduating from VCU with a major in International Studies and a concentration in Latin American Studies, Mary continued working for KOHLS as part of their management team until she left to pursue a career and work full-time at Holiday Barn. Mary says that she loved everything about Holiday Barn from the moment she started, “I knew I loved animals but taking care of other people’s pets like my own became a dream come true.” Mary has two bad cats, Rucifor Ruford Rupert (a.k.a. “Bear”) and Baloo Boo Bear (a.k.a. “Little Man”), as well as a family dog, Diego, who’s the cutest Chihuahua on earth.

Kaitlin grew up in Mechanicsville, Virginia and was heavily involved in 4-H while growing up. Always an animal lover, Kaitlin pursued her passion by receiving her Bachelor’s Degree from Virginia Tech in Animal Science. She focused her studies and career in the Equine Industry, working at and managing boarding and training facilities in Southwest Virginia. While in Southwest Virginia, she pursued an opportunity to grow her professional expertise and customer service passion for 10 years through Dish Network. At Dish, she wore many hats, including the Manager of their International Department and Voice of Customer Analyst. While working, she also owned her own farm, raising and breeding Mini Rex Rabbits and helping to found the Southwest Virginia Rabbit Association, raising Kune Kune pigs, and competing her horses in dressage. Kaitlin is excited to combine her customer service and animal experience into her career at Holiday Barn. Kaitlin is the proud mom to a Mini Aussie named Chloe, two cats, Mo and Butters, a Goffin’s Cockatoo, Captain, and her horse, PB.

Sarah joined the Holiday Barn pack in January of 2022 as the Glen Allen Daycare Manager. She came to Richmond from Northern Virginia in 2002 and has a service industry background, bartending for various Richmond staples. She moved to Austin, Texas in 2016 where she began her career in the pet care industry as a Kennel Manager. She also worked closely with an Austin sanctuary caring for rescued farm animals. Unable to deny the magnetic pull of Richmond, she returned in 2022 to join the team at Holiday Barn. In her free time she enjoys attending baseball games at the Diamond, relaxing at the Pipeline and snacking at local eateries. She is owned by Hawkeye, a retired racing Greyhound, Rose, a Great Pyrenees mix and two mildly overweight cats, Cheshire and Riley. She has a particular fondness for dogs with quirky personalities and enjoys cultivating individual bonds with the campers in her care each and every day.

I was born and raised into a family all about our fur friends! I grew up with a lifelong experience in breeding, training, showing and grooming. My mother shared her love of dogs educating her children with knowledge in as many aspects in the world of dogs as she could. This resulted in her training my brother and sister to be master groomers and gearing up my career in showing, dog behavior, training, grooming and management. I started with Holiday Barn February of 2022 as a Pet Care Coordinator and as of August of 2023 I am proud to be managing the grooming team. I am certified in dog first aid and CPR, Hair and Skin 101, the AKC Advanced S.A.F.E. Program, Dog Guru’s Knowing Dog’s 101 & 201 and an educator to teach the Knowing Dog’s courses. I am owned by Einstein, my 15 year old American Eskimo Dog, Stink, my 13 year old Toy Poodle, and Squishy and Six, my two sassy lady cats. I live and breathe all things dogs and fur babies and I strive everyday to make your fur babies happy and beautiful with healthy skin and coats!

Brittany grew up on a farm in Hanover, Virginia where she always had loveable cats and dogs around her. She has had over 13 years of retail management experience, starting off as a part-time keyholder and working her way up to a Store Manager/District Manager for a high volume retailer. There has always been a soft spot in her heart for animals, especially her two babies Halo and Suki. Halo is an 18 year old Cockatiel and Suki is a 7 year old rescued Siberian Husky/Chow Mix from Henrico Animal Police Shelter. Brittany joined the pack in May 2024 with a passion for giving each pet and their owner a pawtastic experience.