Services Jon Provides: 

•  Daily Visits
•  Taxi Services
•  Home Check Services
•  Mid-Day Services
•  Weekend Visits

“That’s the secret of life: life…is a series of dogs.”  — George Carlin

Hello! My name is Jon. I grew up in Wilmette, and I now live in Mundelein with my wife, Autumn; sons, Edward and Harris; and two dogs: Gracie, a Chihuahua-Rat terrier mix, and Odin, an Australian Shepard-lab mix. The one consistent throughout life? Dogs. Lots of them, of all shapes, sizes and breeds. I’ve been a dog walker for a total of seven years: first with a Chicago-based company called Second City Pet Care, then with dog-walking app Wag! But my life journey with four-legged friends begins much earlier than that.

Growing up, trips to Wisconsin, where some of my extended family lives, were punctuated by the boundless enthusiasm utterly unique to Golden Retrievers. Back home, my family dog was a Westie named Lacey, after the fact that she pounced on my brother and my shoelaces when she was a puppy. Caring for dogs became secondhand nature to me as a result of time and practice, both in my personal and professional lives.

Those instincts for pet care have been honed to an even greater degree as a result of years of work experience walking terriers, retrievers, Labradors, St. Bernards, Chihuahuas, and many more, in city neighborhoods and suburban landscapes. My main animal care experience is with dogs, who make for wonderful walking companions by virtue of their pack animal instincts. They want to feel like they’re part of a group. They want to be your friend, and, if you read a dog’s cues correctly, you can be. Dogs possess kindness that most other mammals would do well to emulate. Walking dogs is an utter delight, and it’s good for the dog’s health as well as your own.

But there are other aspects of life besides walking and dogs. When I am not working, I like to spend time with my family, either walking my own dogs; reading books or streaming movies and TV with my wife; and taking my son to our neighborhood park. In addition to being a dog walker, I’m also a musician, and play bass in two groups: one based in Mundelein, the other in Chicago.

Speaking of locations, I’m thrilled to be back with a local company now. There are advantages to working with an on-demand application, but working with a local company means you can have a more consistent and concrete relationship with your clients. It means you see the same dogs every day and build trust with them over time. It means that you have actually met your fellow walkers, and that you can text with them directly, as opposed to through a third-party online application. It means that clients not only know who their walkers are, but their substitutes as well. I can’t wait to meet your doggies and embark on our adventure together!