Katie D.
Dunning, IL
Your dog is our family :)
Pet care experience
* In our care, your dogs are our family * Hi! I have been caring for, fostering, boarding and walking dogs for nearly 20 years! For the past 7 years, I have fostered dogs through Chicago Canine Rescue, One Tail at a Time, and German Shepherd Rescue of Illinois, where I have helped provide a safe and loving environment, basic training, exercise and socialization for dogs until they are ready for their forever homes. ***We have experience with handicapped dogs (having had two of our own), and we are happy to take care of your handicapped dog at no extra cost (including stroke/FCE, IVDD, paralysis, bladder and bowel expression, carrying around stairs or gravel to prevent skin injuries, harnesses/slings, wheelchairs, you name it).*** While I work as an emergency nurse, I am passionate about dogs and other animals, and I keep trying to find ways to enjoy my passion without completely changing my profession. My husband Steve is a manager at Trader Joe’s, and yes, he does bring the bizarre contentment that Trader Joe’s employees have home :) My husband Steve and I are huge animal lovers- we are chronically adding pets to our home in the form of adoption, fostering, or babysitting! We live in a 2000 sqft home in a quiet neighborhood with a fully fenced yard for your babies to stretch their legs, run, play, or relax. We have 4 stairs leading into the home, and a ramp if needed, but we can also help lift your dog up and down the stairs if that’s what they need. We have a sweet as can be, handicapped 6.5 year old German Shepherd named Lemmy and two friendly, dog savvy cats named Karma and Ozzy. **We ask that your dog is dog friendly, but your dog does not need to be cat friendly- we just have to know about it, and we can easily separate our cats comfortably** Steve and I work opposite hours and coordinate schedules well, so the dogs don't get lonely! We also have a pet camera to see how the dogs are doing if we are away. Feel free to ask us to connect with any past clients we have had on and off Rover- we have had exceptional experiences and reviews, and we can’t wait for your dog to join us!
Reviews
Katie and Steve took really great care of our GSD. From the moment I met them I knew they really cared about the pets they take in. Their dog Lemmy is great. An amazing and welcoming dog that our pup really got along well with. We had constant updates from both Katie and Steve which included photos and videos. Thanks for letting our pup stay with you guys! Super happy we found you.
Katie was a fantastic, responsible, and responsive host! She made every accommodation for Carly including how to feed her and when to walk her. She sent me tons of great photos too. As a plus Oaklee is such a playful and well mannered dog, he and Carly got along super well. I will definitely be booking with her in the future!
Katie was awesome with my dog Franklin. He stayed with her over Christmas and he had a blast. She sent lots of photos and updates and took him on walks multiple times a day. She gave him his medicine and followed all my instructions. Franklin had such a good time that he didn’t even want to leave her place!
Great hostess for my pup. Very friendly, communicative, and accomodating. Plus she shares tons of pics of my girl having fun with her pup.
About Katie D.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
We have a spacious and secure home with a basement and two floors and fully fenced yard in a quiet and safe neighborhood. Even with a fully secure, 6 foot tall fence, dog(s) will never ever be left in the yard without our supervision. Our 3 pets are well behaved and incredibly friendly and will gladly give your pet space or hang out!
Home
Information Katie D. would like to know about your pet
We would like to know how your dog is with other dogs, with cats, any medical problems, any aggression issues. We would like to know anything you feel you need to share with us to feel confident leaving your dog in our care. We don't have any breed or gender preferences.
A typical day
We looove walks! We can walk around the block, through the park, to the dog park (depending on the dog), along the lake- living in Chicago makes dog walking a blast! If your dog likes fetch or playing with my dog- we have a fenced yard to enjoy that :) We regularly walk my dog about 30min- 1 hour/day including as many potty breaks and as much yard time as needed ( he is handicapped so more exercise is tough, but we can given your pet whatever exercise you tell us they need)
Services
Katie can host
Katie can watch in your home
Availability
We are incredibly fortunate that our schedules are super flexible!! Every week is different for me on a nursing schedule, and Steve works a set “waterfall schedule” with the same days off weekly. Our pets and your pets will be spoiled with care, but they need to be ok to be left alone for about 4 hours, 6 max. If they are not ok with this, we just need to know about it so we can flex our schedules to accommodate.
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About Katie D.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
We have a spacious and secure home with a basement and two floors and fully fenced yard in a quiet and safe neighborhood. Even with a fully secure, 6 foot tall fence, dog(s) will never ever be left in the yard without our supervision. Our 3 pets are well behaved and incredibly friendly and will gladly give your pet space or hang out!
Home
Information Katie D. would like to know about your pet
We would like to know how your dog is with other dogs, with cats, any medical problems, any aggression issues. We would like to know anything you feel you need to share with us to feel confident leaving your dog in our care. We don't have any breed or gender preferences.
A typical day
We looove walks! We can walk around the block, through the park, to the dog park (depending on the dog), along the lake- living in Chicago makes dog walking a blast! If your dog likes fetch or playing with my dog- we have a fenced yard to enjoy that :) We regularly walk my dog about 30min- 1 hour/day including as many potty breaks and as much yard time as needed ( he is handicapped so more exercise is tough, but we can given your pet whatever exercise you tell us they need)
Location
Chicago, IL
Pets
Katie D.
Dunning, IL