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About Us

    Red Rover is a family owned business created to complement our dogs’ natural behaviors and instincts. We continually create a less stressful environment for our dogs using years of observing them run, rest, and play with us and other social dogs.

 

    Our team engages dogs throughout the day, letting dogs do what they do best, be DOGS!

Family Owned since 2004

Svea, Heidi, & Robert

Family Owners
Here’s a little history written by Heidi, our CEO & General Manager.
Heidi Dixner Founder of Red Rover Pet Services LLC Dog Daycare and Boarding

Let’s go waaaaaay back!

  • At 6 our local ASPCA allowed my parents to adopt a dog, against their rules of placing pets in families with young children, because they were blown away by my rapport with the dogs. They even allowed me to crawl into a kennel of puppies to calm and bring out our next dog Dumpy, mix between a Beagle and a traveling salesman – as someone once said. LOL That would never happen today, liability! Dumpy was my best friend until her death from old age.
  • At 12 my parents brought in a veterinarian friend to tell me why I couldn’t pursue my very vocal dream of being a vet. Why? Because I was just a girl. It was the 70s. They expressed their regret later.
  • At 21 I walked with an honors degree from the University of TN in French Literature with a minor in business. Wait. WHAT?
  • At 34 I opened my first dog daycare in East Nashville with a friend. It was called Four Paws @ Five Points and letting it go after a few years is one of my greatest sadnesses to this day.
  • Robert and I married in 2004 and, God bless him, I had an epiphany. It was time to quit my day job working for a nonprofit that facilitated affordable housing in Nashville.
  • On January 1st, 2005 I changed focus to training as my life’s path, an interest that quickly negated the need to continue volunteering with a veterinarian as an assistant and pursing pre-vet classes leading to re-enrolling at my alma mater to pursue my DVM.
  • On June 1st, 2005 I took over Red Rover from its founders, Donna and Tiffany – thanks you guys! – and ran it for 3 more years in a little yellow house in Lockland Spring, East Nashville.
  • SIDEBAR: On June 5th I found out I was pregnant and Robert and I managed not to panic about the lack of maternity insurance. Then we got excited about welcoming a new member of our family. You may know her as one of our key team members today.
  • On October 1st 2008 we moved Red Rover to a 7000 ft2, run down building in Germantown. Rent was too high and it was a challenge but it connected Heidi forever to Oktoberfest in Nashville and for that she is extremely grateful! She also met and created relationships with many customers in East Nashville and Germantown, who Red Rover still enjoys today. You know who you are and I’m ever grateful for your loyalty and support.
  • On September 1st 2013 Robert dragged the heavy rubber mats to glorious Hermitage Avenue and threatened Heidi if she ever chose to move them again. (Don’t worry, we sold most of them!)
  • On October 1st 2023 Heidi and Robert will move Red Rover out to the country where they can continue offering boarding on a smaller scale. Here Heidi will be able to return her focus to training and learning more about how to support our companion animals: the dogs, the cats, her 7 year old Arabian mare Freyja, and whomever else needs her help.
Heidi Dixner, general manager of Red Rover Pet Services LLC, is pursuing a lifelong dream of building bridges between companion animals and their humans.

Red Rover continues to focus on creating something unique Nashvillians can be proud of.

We continue to create something truly unique for dogs that Nashvillians can be proud of, paving the way for other care providers. Using LIMA – least intrusive, minimally aversive – standards to supervise healthy play and rest, we place dogs with friends of similar size and temperament. We know there is no need to force and bully other animals. Red Rover is working diligently to usher in the next chapter in dog care!

Poodles