The Team
Who We Are
Alisha Bryden
General Manager
Alisha was born and raised in Del Valle, TX, and has been with Barking Springs for 13 years!
She started working at Barking Springs part-time in high school and fell in love with it and has loved being able to grow with the business from the beginning.
Outside of work, she enjoys golfing, reading, and spending time with family! Her favorite part about the job is getting to know the dogs and clients! She loves getting to know the dogs and seeing them year after year, and especially loves building relationships with the clients and helping them always feel like their pups are in the best hands. She says Barking Springs has such amazing and loyal clients and it's so great to see them so often and get to know them and their dogs!
Rick Bryden
Kennel Manager
Rick has loved getting to know the dogs and being able to work outside! It's great to get to know the pups and their unique personalities and seeing them year after year.
Outside of work, he enjoys golfing and spending time with his family. Rick is originally from California but has lived in Texas for over 10 years.
Crystal Arzola
Assistant Manager
Crystal is a Texas native, long-time ATX local, and a Del Valle resident since 2007.
She is a proud owner of 2 beautiful cats named Aussie and Alita. Crystal has a big heart and much love to give when it comes to animals! Her life motto comes from Neil deGrasse Tyson who said: “Dogs have an equivalent life ratio to humans of 7 to 1. One day is equivalent to one week. Which means, if they only get one day for a week, they make every day count.”
After trying out different career paths- the pet industry is where she found her passion. Crystal has been with the Barking Springs Team for 4 years, working her way up from Kennel Technician to Assistant Manager. She says her goal “is to give the dogs the best days of their lives when they arrive at the Ranch! Striving to give the best care and experience possible."
Eddie Colbert
Kennel Tech
Eddie has been working for Barking Springs for 5 years. He was born and raised In Bastrop Texas and has always had dogs, cats, and all kinds of other animals growing up. He has always liked taking care of them and learning about new ones.
Eddie rescued his dog Anita as a stray and took her home to give her a great family! Eddie’s favorite thing about working at the Ranch is taking care of all the pups and watching them play and have fun. Outside of work, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family.
Matthew Hensley
Kennel Tech
Matthew grew up with a wonderful Great Dane named Peanut (short for Peanut Butter) who was his best friend for 13 ½ years!
He has worked in the pet care industry for 6 years and has been with Barking Springs for a year. He says it has been the absolute best job ever! Seeing the dogs grow and come out of their shells, watching them make friends, and have fun is so rewarding.
Matthew grew up around dogs and his family has provided quality dog training services for many years. He says “I have always had this spark in my soul for all animals and it shines real bright for dogs. They have always been my passion. Some people are born to be artists or teachers, for me, its always been the puppers!”