About us
Andrea Jezovit
Co-founder
Born in Toronto, Andrea made Hamilton her home in 2021 after spending more than a decade in London, UK. Shortly after moving, she and her husband welcomed an Irish Doodle named Cholula, followed by an Old English Sheepdog rescue, Pepita. Through daily walks and conversations with other local dog owners, she discovered how dogs can spark connection and community – and became passionate about helping build a more dog-friendly city. This led to connections with kindred spirits who shared her passion, and Dog-Friendly Hamilton was born.
A former product strategy and service design consultant turned entrepreneur, Andrea now co-runs a successful medical practice with her husband. When she’s not modernizing the clinic or growing Dog-Friendly Hamilton, you’ll find her cooking, gardening, hiking along the escarpment with the dogs, and exploring dog-friendly spots. She’s excited to connect with more Hamilton dogs and dog lovers to say hello and learn about how we can improve our city.
Devon Smith
Co-founder
A proud Hamiltonian for 7 years, Devon joined the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA as Manager of Humane Education in 2024, where she has been a passionate advocate for animal welfare and responsible pet ownership – and teaching the next generation about this. Her 17-year-old Chihuahua mix, Buzz, is a regular visitor to dog parks, trails and sunny patios; Redmond, a young Chihuahua/Cattle dog mix whom she recently adopted, will be joining too once he learns his puppy manners!
Devon is passionate about helping pets and their people live their best lives together, and is keen to establish a dog-friendly community here in Hamilton. She looks forward to seeing a city where people and their pets are welcome anywhere – from housing to transit to events – and hopes to contribute through the HBSPCA and Dog-Friendly Hamilton’s partnership.
Cholula
Chief Play Officer
This 3-year-old Irish doodle lives for movement: walks, hikes, park visits, and especially fetch. Every evening, at the same time, she appears at the door with her ball in tow, ready for a marathon session. Her drive and enthusiasm have pushed her humans to get outside year-round, exploring favourite Hamilton spots like Gage Park, King’s Forest, Dundas Peak, and Nathan Cirillo Park. A fast runner who has held her own against greyhounds, Cholula plans to add canicross and agility training to her repertoire next.
Buzz
Chief Senior Pup
Buzz is the elder statesman of the team, an approximately 17-year-old Chihuahua mix rescue who has perfected the art of being a very good boy while still more than keeping up with the young pups. He accompanies Devon to work many days, has years of experience posing patiently for photos, and takes his role as ambassador for tiny and senior pups seriously. Buzz brings both energy and years of hard-earned wisdom to the Dog Friendly Hamilton crew.
Pepita
Chief Snuggle Officer
This Old English sheepdog arrived in Hamilton from the streets of Mexico and hasn’t stopped spreading joy since. A fan of every dog and every human she meets, she has mastered the warmest, most generous hugs and hands them out freely. She’s equally happy at the office, on a patio, or rolling in the grass at Heritage Green Park. Pepita is excited to explore bringing her gentle nature into therapy-dog and pet-visiting work.
Red
Chief Puppy
Redmond (Red for short) is the newest and youngest member of the team: a smaller rescue pup with some Chihuahua & Cattle Dog heritage with a big personality to match. At less than 2 years old, he’s still working on his puppy-manners through training classes at the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA. Red love toys of all sorts, and is always ready for a game of fetch! Red brings curiosity, optimism, and a true puppy’s-eye view to Dog Friendly Hamilton.
In partnership with
