Hike Doggie Comes to the Front Range

Some People Build Customer Lists. Phoenix O’Hara Builds Communities. How an Eight-Year-Old Dog Walker Became One of Colorado‘s Most Connected Champions for Dogs, Their Owners, and the Communities They Call Home.

(DENVER, CO) Every community has one. The person who seems to know everyone. The one who connects neighbors, supports local businesses, remembers names, celebrates successes, shows up when help is needed, and somehow turns strangers into lifelong friends.

Along Colorado’s Front Range, that person is often Phoenix O’Hara. Some people build customer lists. Phoenix O’Hara builds communities. Over the years, she has become one of those rare people whose influence extends far beyond her business. She knows the people behind the businesses, the stories behind the organizations, and often the dogs behind the front doors.

Her network throughout Colorado’s Front Range wasn’t built through networking events or business cards. It was built one relationship at a time, through decades of showing up, helping others, and connecting people who could make each other’s lives better. Long before she became the Area Representative for Hike Doggie’s Front Range Colorado territory, Phoenix was building communities and caring for dogs.

Hike Doggie isn’t a traditional dog walking service. Every day, while their owners are in meetings, answering emails, managing businesses, or sitting in traffic, Hike Doggie dogs are out exploring Colorado trails, splashing through streams, chasing new scents, and making new friends. Dogs are picked up and transported to carefully selected outdoor destinations where they can run, explore, hike, and enjoy the physical and mental enrichment that comes from spending time in nature.

For busy pet owners, it’s peace of mind. For the dogs, it’s often the best day of the week.

Phoenix’s vision started at eight years old. Armed with bright yellow 4×6 business cards and a well-rehearsed sales pitch, young Phoenix went door-to-door offering dog walking services to neighbors. Most childhood businesses disappear when summer vacation ends. Phoenix simply never stopped. More than forty years later, her mission remains remarkably unchanged: create joy, build trust, and give every dog the best day ever.

“Some people spend their lives searching for what they were meant to do,” said O’Hara. “I figured it out when I was eight years old.” Phoenix moved to Colorado to attend the University of Colorado Boulder. Like so many who arrive at the foot of the Rockies, she fell in love with the state and never left. The mountains, trails, open spaces, and vibrant communities became the perfect home for someone whose life has always revolved around animals, adventure, and people.

Today, as Area Representative for Hike Doggie, Phoenix combines all three. Hike Doggie provides professionally supervised outdoor adventures, exercise, enrichment, and socialization experiences that help dogs live happier, healthier lives. Each day, dogs are picked up and transported to carefully selected outdoor destinations where they can run, explore, play, and experience the freedom that comes from being a dog in Colorado.

For Phoenix, however, the business has never been just about dog hikes. It’s about relationships. Whether she’s introducing a new resident to her trusted pet resources, supporting local charities, helping fellow business owners connect, participating in community events, or simply offering advice to a nervous first-time dog owner, Phoenix has become a trusted and familiar presence throughout the region. “People think we’re in the dog business,” said O’Hara. “We’re really in the relationship business. The dogs just happen to be our favorite customers.”

That philosophy has helped her create something far greater than a client base. She has helped build a community. One where dogs have friends. Pet owners have support. Local businesses have advocates. And neighbors become connected through a shared love of animals.

“Phoenix is a force of nature,” said John Hewitt, Founder of Loyalty Brands, the parent company of Hike Doggie. “She is passionate, driven, demanding, and completely committed to excellence. But what makes her truly special is her ability to bring people together. Some people build customer lists. Phoenix builds communities. She has spent a lifetime creating connections, supporting local businesses, championing pet owners, and making Colorado a better place for dogs and the people who love them. That’s not something you can teach. That’s who she is.”

As the pet industry continues to grow nationwide, entrepreneurs like Phoenix are proving that success isn’t simply measured by revenue or territory growth. It’s measured by impact. It’s measured by trust. It’s measured by the relationships built along the way.

“The dogs are why people find us,” said O’Hara. “The community is why they stay.” The little girl carrying yellow business cards door-to-door may have thought she was starting a dog walking business. What she was really building was a community. Four decades later, that community is still growing. About Hike Doggie Hike Doggie provides professionally supervised outdoor adventures, exercise, enrichment, and socialization experiences designed to help dogs live happier, healthier lives.

“Through carefully planned outdoor excursions, Hike Doggie helps busy pet parents ensure their dogs receive the activity, engagement, and companionship they deserve. About Loyalty Brands, founded by entrepreneur and franchising pioneer John Hewitt, is a family of franchise brands dedicated to helping entrepreneurs build successful businesses while fulfilling its mission of “Having Fun Improving Lives,” O’Hara added.