[News] Caring for Your Dog Can Be Just A Walk in the Park
 

When Calvin, a 17-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, lost his hearing and vision, he needed constant attention and care. His owners needed help with their beloved pet so they could spend time with their children.

They called A Walk in the Park, a pet sitting business offering customized pet care.

"We fed Calvin with a syringe," said owner Renee Bachand, describing just one of the duties they performed. She added that she would spend hours with Calvin so the family could get out and spend time together.

Bachand said that offering hospice services for animals is just part of their services.

They also offer dog walking, waste removal, park visits, pet sitting, feeding and training. The in-home care is available for $15 per day for one to four days a week, or $60 per week for five days a week. Hospice care runs $25 per hour and up, depending upon the level of care.

"The hardest part of this job is the hospice care," she said, "but it is also the most rewarding."

They Grayslake-based pet business, A Walk in the Park, helped the family deal with their pet's special needs. The pet care business serves Lake, Cook and McHenry Counties and portions of southern Wisconsin.

The dog hospice is just one of their services.

"The reason I started this business is that I didn't want to kennel my dogs," Bachand said of founding the business over two years ago. Her seven employees are assigned to specific animals, providing care in the owners' home.

They can act as a pet taxi service for elderly owners who can't drive their pet to the vet.

A side branch of the company is Ms. Dolittle's Cookies which are gourmet doggie treats dipped in carob or yogurt coatings, said office manager Rosalyn Chavez. They come in three flavors and can be customized for meatless varieties, wheatless varieties for dogs with allergies, and diabetic varieties.

A Walk in the Park has seven employees who can provide care 24 hours a day. They have about 200 clients. All employees are bonded and insured and have undergone a criminal background check, Chavez said.

They have helped dogs rescued in Hurricane Katrina. They found homes for two dogs, and still have four others awaiting adoption.

Bachand has also developed a free pet awareness program to help first-grade students overcome their fear and misconceptions about animals.

For information, call (847) 912-2018 or visit www.awalkintheparkwithrenee.net.

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/...06-825792.html

That's cool..............I doubt if I would ever use it, but it would be nice if we had something like that in my area (just in case). Plus, it is nice to know that there is a place that can take care of them instead of a kennel, etc.
Kudo's to those who started this!!!

And that is exactly why I run a petitting service of my own where dogs stay with me in my home, have other furbabies to play with, they get brushed and cared for, unlike the "care" kennels like to say they offer.