Meet Alicia Collins: The Vision Behind Nuzzle & K9 Activity Club

Behind every great pet care company is someone who truly understands both animals and the people who love them. For Nuzzle and K9 Activity Club, that person is Alicia Collins—a Santa Rosa entrepreneur whose unique background shaped a completely new approach to professional pet care.

From Corporate Executive to Pet Care Pioneer

Alicia's path to pet care wasn't conventional. Before founding K9 Activity Club in 2014, she ran a successful commercial lighting company. The corporate world taught her about operations, quality control, and building systems that scale—skills that would prove invaluable in an industry often lacking professional standards.

But her real education in animal care started much earlier.

Raised by a Professional Dog Trainer

Alicia grew up with a professional dog trainer for a parent. While other kids learned to ride bikes, she learned about:

• Animal behavior and body language
• The importance of structure and routine
• Positive reinforcement techniques
• The responsibility that comes with caring for another living being

This foundation gave Alicia something rare in the pet care industry: deep, intuitive understanding of what dogs actually need—not just what their owners think they need.

The Frustration That Started It All

Despite her background, Alicia experienced firsthand what millions of pet parents deal with: disappointing pet care options.

When dropping off her own dogs at traditional daycare facilities, she found herself asking uncomfortable questions:

"Are they really being supervised the way they should be?"

"Is anyone actually engaging with them, or are they just confined to a room?"

"Why does my dog seem more anxious after daycare, not less?"

The problems were clear:

• Overcrowded playgroups where supervision was impossible
• Limited mental stimulation beyond basic exercise
• Inconsistent care quality depending on which staff was working
• No enrichment or training integrated into daily routines

Rather than accepting the status quo, Alicia asked a different question: "What would structured, enrichment-based pet care actually look like?"

Building Something Different

When the opportunity arose to purchase a struggling dog facility in Sonoma County, Alicia took a significant risk. She didn't just rebrand it—she completely shut it down and rebuilt it from the ground up.

The renovation was both physical and philosophical:

• New facility layout designed for proper supervision and small group interactions
• Enrichment programs woven into every aspect of daily care
• Staff training standards that exceeded anything else in the region
• A philosophy that puts the dog's actual wellbeing first

The result was K9 Activity Club—now voted #1 in Sonoma County for daycare, training, and boarding.

The Philosophy That Guides Everything

At the core of both K9 Activity Club and Nuzzle is a simple belief: exercise alone doesn't create balanced, happy pets—mental stimulation and structure do.

This means:

• Structured playgroups with guided interactions, not chaos
• Enrichment activities that engage dogs' natural instincts
• Professional training integrated throughout the experience
• Intentional care where every interaction has purpose

Serving Two Customers

Alicia's business insight was recognizing that pet care businesses actually serve two customers: the pet and the owner.

Dogs experience the environment directly. Owners decide whether to trust and return.

Sometimes doing right by the dog means having hard conversations with owners—recommending training before daycare, setting boundaries about behavior, or suggesting a different environment for dogs who aren't thriving in group settings.

This approach prioritizes long-term trust over short-term revenue. It's why families stay with K9 Activity Club for years, and why Nuzzle Pros are held to the same uncompromising standards.

Expanding the Mission with Nuzzle

K9 Activity Club serves Santa Rosa families from its physical location. But Alicia saw that the same problems—inconsistent quality, lack of professionalism, owners not knowing who to trust—existed everywhere in pet care.

Nuzzle extends that mission beyond facility walls. By carefully vetting and training Pros who share this philosophy, more pet parents across Sonoma County can access the caliber of care that was previously only available at a handful of exceptional facilities.

The Core Values

Whether at K9 Activity Club or through Nuzzle, three values guide every decision:

1. Fun – Pets should enjoy their care experience, not merely tolerate it
2. Safety – Proper supervision, small groups, trained professionals
3. Enrichment – Mental stimulation, structure, and purpose in every interaction

What This Means for You

When you book a Nuzzle Pro, you're tapping into a network shaped by someone who has:

• Spent their life understanding animal behavior
• Built the highest-rated pet care facility in Sonoma County
• Refused to accept the low standards common in this industry
• Created training and vetting processes that ensure consistent quality

Your pet isn't just getting "watched." They're getting cared for by professionals held to standards most pet owners don't even know to ask for.

Ready to experience the difference?

Find a Nuzzle Pro Near You →