Hi there! I'm Jake, a lifelong dog lover. I was raised to believe that animals are part of the family, so when I take care of yours, I take care of them as if they were my own. I spent most of my formative years in the country, which gave us the freedom—and the privilege—to have lots of animals; at one point we had ten dogs, three horses, two cats, and a potbellied pig named Betty Boop, so I’m very comfortable and experienced with caring for many types of animals. I'm kind, patient, reliable, responsible, and show every dog the same level of care, love, affection, and respect that I show my own. I'm very observant and sensitive of how each dog I care for is communicating through subtle behavior signals and I adjust to their vibe accordingly. I'm very experienced with dogs with special needs as my sweet old lady was fearful, anxious, and dog-dog leash reactive. As I know your time is short and I want to be as respectful and mindful of it as possible, I've organized the rest of this content by sections—feel free to skip around to find what you're looking for and don’t hesitate to say hi if you have a question I didn’t cover below. I look forward to meeting you and your dog! Also, if this is your first time using Rover, welcome! And good news: You can take $20 off your first stay with me by using this code: JAKET25694 I. My Experience II. House Sitting III. Rates IV. FAQ’s I. My Experience For a little more about me by the numbers: 31: Years spent with dogs. I've lived with dogs for my entire life, except for around five years while I was living in a teeny-tiny apartment in NYC. I grew up with them, was a professional dog walker, volunteered at CACC (Chicago Animal Care and Control, aka the city shelter) and Safe Humane Chicago, and my former partner and I fostered dogs frequently through various rescues throughout the city. (P.S. Fostering is an amazing experience and one I highly recommend. Lots of folks don't realize that sometimes fosters are only needed for a short duration, such as a long weekend! Please consider giving it a shot!) 3: Years spent as a professional dog walker in NYC and Chicago (I made it through three winters!) 2 – 3: Times a year spent volunteering my time as a photographer for animal advocacy charity events. 2: Average number of times my dog gives me high-fives, per day. (No, really—it's a trick she knows!) Bio I'm originally from Palo Alto, raised in equal parts PA & TX, and moved here from Chicago in 2023. I’m an English major, studied classical acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, was an actor in NYC, then a relationship brought me to Chicago in 2014. I recently moved to Ashland to be closer to family. I'm currently starting a new career as a product designer (I make apps and websites easier to use—if you're curious, you can find my design portoflio at [my name].com. When I'm not working, you can usually find me outside trail running, hiking, camping, or rock climbing. I enjoy reading, yoga, taking photos, and spending time with my loved ones. I love all dogs—all sizes, breeds, and temperaments. From six-pound Papillons to 120lb+ Great Danes and everything in between, I have experience with them all. My last dog was a cattle dog mix named Harriet. As a dog sitter, my primary goal is to give your dog the same experience they get at home. I match the dog's routine, from basic things like what time they typically get up and go to sleep to more advanced things like the methods you use to reward or correct their behavior. Five qualities that set me apart from the pack (sorry, dog pun!): 1) Experience with advanced canine behaviors Between having had a special-needs dog at home, fostering, volunteering, as well as my past professional experience as a dog walker, I'm experienced with dogs who have more challenging and advanced behaviors. I have experience with and am completely at ease with managing: leash reactivity, dog-dog reactivity, separation anxiety, and resource guarding. My dog Harriet was never properly dog-dog socialized, so was dog-dog leash reactive. Some refer to this simply as "leash-aggression," but did you know that "aggression" is a misnomer in almost all cases? What typically presents as aggression is typically fear, anxiety, or over-stimulation. I learned a ton about dog behavior from her over the years and how to safely manage her environment to keep her (and everyone else) safe on our walks. While out together, my awareness had to be extremely heightened: hyper aware, always anticipating and problem solving what might happen next while proactively taking every precaution to keep her safe and under threshold. If you have a reactive dog, you'll totally get what I'm talking about! People who are used to living with behaviorally-normative dogs typically don't understand the skills it takes to safely walk a more behaviorally advanced dog. If your dog has any behavioral issues, we will cover those in-depth at our first meet and greet and you can rest assured that they'll be safe while under my care, as I've cared for countless dogs over the years who fit this bill. 2) Location I stay at your home, which means greater comfort for your dog, as they're in a familiar environment and their daily schedule is not impacted in any way. 3) Responsible, empathetic, a stellar attention to detail, and highly communicative – I always arrive on time (When I can, I try my best to live by the idea that 15 minutes early equals on time.) - I treat your space like it’s my own. I’m extremely respectful and conscientious of it—I always clean up after myself and leave everything as it was when I arrived. – I pride myself on being very communicative. I'm not attached at the hip to my phone, but during the day I'm typically able to respond within an hour or less. That having been said, I'm not on my phone much on the weekends and often partake of Screenless Saturdays or Sundays. I'll still send you an update on those days of course! – I'm really good at putting myself in someone else's shoes: I know how stressful it can be to leave your dog—who you dearly love—with another person you don't know too well, so I always go above and beyond to do whatever I can to put your worries to rest so you can enjoy your time away. 4) Love of dogs Okay, I know this is akin to saying "I love helping people" in a med school admission essay, but it's absolutely true. Some dog sitters unfortunately treat this as a means to an end or a way to make a quick and easy buck, but I truly love dogs, take this very seriously, and strive to provide professional and excellent care. I truly believe it's a privilege to be entrusted with the care of a dog and am fully aware (and grateful) for the trust that people have placed in me over the years to take care of their animals while they're away. II. House Sitting House sitting helps your dog feel safe and happy in their own home environment; it's a great option for most dogs, but especially those who experience separation anxiety, general anxiety, and for others who find the process of boarding too stressful. This includes a minimum of three 30-minute walks per day (or whatever they're used to), feeding, medicine where required, one-on-one attention, play, light training, tons of TLC, and copious amounts of "Good boy!" and "Good girl!" while you're away. I work remotely, so I will follow your dog's normal routine as much as possible. While you're away, your dog will be active and will receive plenty of enrichment and stimulation in the form of play, games, and behavior reinforcement/light training. I'm also happy to pick up your mail and water your plants, too. Are you a runner? Me too! I'd be thrilled to take them on short runs that are an appropriate distance and pace for them based on their level of activity and conditioning. If you're interested, we can talk about this at the meet and greet. III. Rates My rates are competitive, given my experience. Please note I take home 85 percent of the rate you see while Rover takes 15 percent. House Sitting (all rates are per night) – $125 – $20 each additional dog – $100 for extended stays (seven days or longer) - $135 for puppies - $150 for holidays Note: If fostering a dog in addition to your own, please let me know when you contact me. The full rate of $125 per night only applies to the first dog, while the foster dog's care is free. IV. Frequently-Asked Questions What does a meet and greet entail? I'll meet you at your home, where we'll have a chance to chat, you can tell me everything about your dog, and you can get to know me. We can discuss the ins and outs of what I provide, what you can expect from me, as well as answer any questions that might come to mind. They usually takes around 30 – 60 minutes and there's no charge. I have a retractable leash, is that okay? I never use retractable leashes as they've been known to be unpredictable and unsafe. If that is the only leash you have, that's okay! Just let me know and I'll bring my own leash. When are you available to chat? I'm available Monday through Friday 9am – 5pm but as I spend the better portion of my day in front of the computer, I'm very intentional about making a point of getting away from screens outside of this time frame. So please contact me anytime, but if it's before 9am or after 5pm, please expect a delay. And if it's on the weekend, I'm a little slower but will always get back to you within 24 hours. Misc (Things That Would Typically Be in the Fine Print) Holiday 2024 Rates – Martin Luther King Day (Jan 12 - 15) – President's Day (Feb 16 - 19) – Memorial Day (May 24 - 27) – 4th of July (July 4 - 7) – Labor Day (Aug 30 - Sept 2) – Indigenous Peoples' Day (Oct 12 – October 14) – Thanksgiving (Nov 28 - Dec 1) – Christmas and New Year's Day (Dec 21 - Jan 1) How holiday rates work If your booking includes dates within a holiday period, holiday rates will be applied to the first dog for the entire booking. For example, the holiday period for Martin Luther King Day is Jan 12 - 15. Let's say you'd like for me to dog sit your two dogs from January 14 to January 18. Since the booking overlaps with this holiday period, the holiday rate ($150) would apply to the first dog for all four nights. Cancellation policy* – A full refund is available if you cancel by 12:00pm three days before the stay begins. 
 – If canceled later than 12:00pm three days before the stay begins, Rover will refund you 50 percent for the first seven canceled days of the stay and a 100 percent refund is available for any additional days. *Why is there a cancellation policy? I clear my schedule for you. As I often get numerous requests for the same dates, when a stay is cancelled, I've then lost out on work as I've already had to turn down other people.