The Team at Wags 'n Whiskers | Brimingham, Alabama

About Us

MEET OUR TEAM

Merritt Milam, founder and head trainer at Wags 'N Whiskers, Birmingham, Alabama

Merritt Milam

founder & head trainer

Merritt has always had a passion for animals and has been training for over a decade. She's a graduate of Birmingham Southern College and  is an ABC Certified Dog Trainer who has also successfully completed a marine mammal course. An active member of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance and the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, Merritt was a vet tech before pursuing her dream of opening Wags 'N Whiskers.

Natalie Johnson

assistant groomer/kennel assistant 

Natalie makes sure all our campers have a safe, clean, and happy experience during their stay at Wags ‘N Whiskers. She has completed classes at the University of Alabama and Jeff State as a theater major and her customer service experience is a real plus. She loves about her job at Wags Natalie and says, “I love being greeted by all the happy dogs and building a relationship with our regulars and newcomers.” Her own pets include 3 rescue cats, Pepper, Scarlett, and Atreus, a ball python named Manda, a corn snake, Aoda, western hoh nose snake named Choji, and a beta fish - Swim Shady.

Britta Jones

groomer

Britta brings to Wags over 13 years’ experience as a professional groomer. Additionally, Britta’s past work as a kennel manager and vet tech provides an added benefit to our furry friends. Britta says she loves her work at Wags because, “my favorite part is getting to meet all the different breeds. I love making their experience stress-free and relaxing.” Her family is currently without a pet since her English Bulldog Bleu passed away, but they are looking to adopt a new pet as soon as her daughter turns 3.

Jill Sentenn, director of operations at Wags 'N Whiskers, Birmingham, Alabama

Jill Becker

director of operations & head groomer

In addition to managing the day-to-day operations at Wags, Jill founded and administers the Wags ‘N Whiskers Rescue. She is the proud owner of several rescue pets – Louise, Gucci, Stella, Squirts, Buddy the cat, and Gene Wilder a sweet poodle – and has wanted to be a part of the rescue and pet community since a young age. After graduating from Auburn University, she met Merritt while they were both techs at a local vet – the rest is history!

Kelly Darden

 kennel manager

As a kennel manager, Kelly helps with our Wags campers and the care of all our boarding pets. Her favorite part of the job is playtime with our furry friends. She loves seeing the dogs get so excited to come and play. Kelly majored in fine arts with a concentration in photography from the University of Montevallo. She recently worked at the boarding stables in Oak Mountain State Park. Kelly is the proud parent of an off-track thoroughbred named Spyder and a cat named Kitten.

Meredith Cosby

director of business development

Meredith manages our social media pages, helps with day care and boarding pets, and daily office duties. She is a Communications Management graduate of UAB, with a concentration in PR & writing. Meredith loves working with animals and the opportunity to be creative. Her pets include 3 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 tortoises…all rescued from different corners of Alabama.

 

"LJ" (Lauren-Jada Whitehurst)

 receptionist

"Welcome to Wags" is the friendly greeting LJ gives with a smile as you enter Wags. But greeting our furry friends and their paw-rents is just part of her job at Wags. LJ also takes care of our suite dogs, from cleaning to helping with Day Care. Her experience is rooted in customer service, having worked in retail and restaurants. When asked what she loves about working at Wags, her answer is simple..."Everything". LJ's pets include 3 dogs (Lucy, Marshall, and Harvey) and 3 cats (Ramona, Joplin, and Vega).

THE WAGS WAY

For your furry friends, there’s only one way – The Wags Way!

The Wags Way is our promise that your pets will always experience positive reinforcement, compassionate care and a clean environment while with the Wags team! Your pets will be treated like family and we will never use force or intimidation tactics to modify their behavior. We will consistently foster a happy and fun atmosphere where our trainers and counselors are genuinely engaged and active with your furry friends! Safety is a top priority at Wags, and by utilizing a low counselor-to-pet ratio (1:5), we are able to devote more time to each animal while ensuring the safety of all.

Fetch Find Approved

Wags ‘N Whiskers is proud to be a FetchFind Approved business! This means all of our employees receive professional-level pet care education and continue to take classes throughout their career with us. All of our staff training is via FetchFind Monthly Pro, the premier educational resource for pet industry professionals. This science-based and animal-centered curriculum has been developed by certified experts with decades of experience in the field.

HEAR WHAT OUR CLIENTS HAVE TO SAY!

Hear what our Birmingham, Alabama clients have to say! 'We always feel confident that Wags 'n Whiskers will take care of our pets as their own.', 'It is so nice to have someone that I can trust with my pets.'

TOUR OUR FACILITY

The Wags ‘n Whiskers facility is conveniently located in Birmingham, Alabama in the heart of Homewood and offers unrivaled comforts, state-of-the-art technologies and valuable conveniences for both our four-legged friends and their loving owners! Interested in seeing our facility? Come see us! We are always happy to give owners and guests tours. 

Our indoor facility is climate-controlled for comfortable temperatures year round and has plentiful skylights for a generous amount of sunshine!

Wags 'n Whiskers, Birmingham's comprehensive pet care facility, has an indoor, climate-controlled, canine grass play area.

Canine grass covers our animal play areas, providing a clean and safe environment for playtime.
Our plush boarding suites include spacious accommodations with soothing music and video monitoring so you can check on your pets while away!
 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO WAGS ‘N WHISKERS RESCUE!