Category Archives: Chicago Catch

keep up with what’s happening at Out-U-Go Chicago.

Happy September Parents!

doggy-school-bus-costume
It’s hard to believe it is September and another summer has flown by all too quickly! The human kids have sharpened their pencils, are sporting their new backpacks, and have headed back to school. We “grown-ups” are very quickly settling back into our normal work / life schedules. New routines don’t only affect the small and large humans in our homes, they impact our dog kids as well. (Cats too, though they very well may welcome some peace and quiet). Cesar Milan wrote a great article on the Back to School Doggie Blues. – One of his suggestions for alleviating puppy blues is an afternoon walk and visit.

Let us know how we can help make your fall transition a little easier.

– Your BFFs at Out-U-Go!

September’s P.O.T.M. is…

Wrigley

wrigley-oug-sept-2015-potm

Type: Newfoundland-ish
Age: 4 years

fun fact:
Wrigley is known for laying on his back, paws straight up in the air, to stay cool on a warm summer day. He also enjoys long walks in the park, when bacon accidentally falls on the ground, and anything that squeaks!

Photographing Black Dogs and the Black Dogs Project

Why is it so doggone difficult to take a decent photo of a black dog? Those of us with dark-furred pets—be it kitties, pups, or gerbils—know exactly how impossible it is to snap photos of our best friends.

Our newest office staff member, Chris Causgrove, joined our team this year and brought with him his incredibly beautiful pup, Sophie. The first time Sophie graced the OUG! Central office with her presence, not only were we all TOTALLY IN LOVE, many of us attempted to take photos of her. How tricky could it be to get a picture of this cutie as she stood still as a statue with her head in our laps, asking for chin scratches?

Answer: super tricky, for two reasons. One, it’s hard not to immediately want to pet her sweet head when she approaches our desks, so keeping her waiting while we took a gazillion photos was a challenge. Two, no picture was able to capture her actual appearance! As we swiped through an afternoon’s worth of photos taken on our phones, flash-free captures were too blurry and offered no contrast where it was due, while flash photography sabotaged her gorgeous coat coloring and showed glowing neon green crazy alien orbs where her beautiful brown peepers should have been.

Having photos of our pets is important to humans for a number of reasons: holding onto precious memories, showing total strangers in line at the grocery store how cute your furbaby is, …you get the picture (pun intended). But what about pups and kitties whose futures start out relying on decent photographs, such as those waiting in shelters or foster care, hoping to be found on adoption websites?

We soon coincidentally stumbled upon this fascinating photography series called simply “Black Dogs Project.” Pet photographer Fred Levy started the project after noticing a trend of black dogs experiencing more difficulties getting adopted than their peers. Levy’s images are crisp and captivating, actually able to convey colors and contrast. Set against a black background, the pups featured in this project really let their personalities—and fur—shine! Remarkable!

Black Dog Project

As for Miss Sophie and our camera phone photography skills here at OUG! Central, we’ve got some practicing to do. If you’ve got a professional camera, check out Levy’s tips and setting suggestions in this tutorial video on how to photograph black dogs!

Do you have any great photos of your dark-furred doggie or tips for capturing that perfect picture of your sable kitty? We’d love to hear about your adventures in pet photography!

Chicago pet sitter Dannielle

Meet Chicago Pet Sitter & Your B.F.F. (Best Friend’s Friend!), Dannielle!

Dannielle is an awesome Chicago Pet Sitter who biked her way through the Polar Vortex. She takes care of pups & kitties in the Loop!

My Favorite Animal (other than pups & kitties, of course!): Horses

My Favorite Game: Taboo, or anything that involves shouting funny things at my friends!

Best Gift Ever: A house cleaning coupon from a friend!

My Superpower Would Be: Flying.

Life Philosophy: Every single living being has something about them that is lovable.

Chicago & Oak Park pet-sitter-party

Out-U-Go! Chicago & Oak Park Pet Sitters Celebrate Surviving the Polar Vortex!

After biking, driving, and walking pups all through this epic Polar Vortex of winters, we thought our awesome pet sitters deserved some serious celebration. Those of us in the office thought it was a tough Winter, but would NEVER be caught complaining about it in front of those that were actually OUT there doing the visits! Are they amazing or what?

In addition to celebrating Sara’s soon-to-be motherhood and Chris’s addition to the OUG! team, we toasted our tough-as-nails team for surviving the sub-zero temperatures Oak Park served us up these past few months.

It’s always great to get together and swap dog stories, share photos of our favorite furry friends, and just have a good time with people who love pups & kitties as much as we do!

Click to view more party photos on Facebook! Cheers to our Pet Sitting team!

Out-U-Go! Celebrates National Pet Month

When you see us out in your neighborhood, you have probably noticed that no matter how much we love movin’ & shakin’ on our walks, we can’t help but stop and sniff the May flowers with your pups. With blossoms in bloom, we get to thinking about how much we love our furry kiddos and all the love they give us back (usually in the form of sloppy kisses and wiggly behinds!).

In honor of this special bond, we’re on Facebook & Twitter celebrating National Pet Month! We’re sharing some surprising benefits that our four-legged family members offer us, in addition to top tips for humans to further better the lives of our beloved furbabies. Get in on the conversation!

Animals around the world

Rescuing Isn’t Just For the Dogs: Earth Day Edition!

Happy Earth Day Month, Pet Parents!

Typically when we talk rescue stories, it’s in reference to our beloved pup and kitty pals. Earth Day, though, provides a great opportunity to consider a broader spectrum to include our wildlife pals, too!

Like pets, there are animals in nature needing human love and support. Sea lions are one such example, and The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago has an incredible program to rescue them. The aquarium notably adopted a blind sea lion pup, Cruz, who wouldn’t have survived in the wild on his own. With the help of the Shedd team, he’s found a safe home filled with friends, both human and fellow sea lion. To see more about Cruz, check out his story.

Shedd Aquarium sea lion pup rescue, Cruz

Extra special wildlife wags this month!

montrose dog beach chicago

Chicagoland Pet Events: Montrose Dog Beach Earth Day Clean-Up

Join the Mondog Board and others at Montrose Beach Dog Friendly Area on Saturday, April 26th between 9am-noon to help clean-up the dog beach! Gloves, garbage bags, and some garden tools will be provided. Please bring rakes and shovels if you’ve got ’em! Visit Mondog Earth Day Cleanup event for more info.

Spring Changes are in the Air at OUG! Central

Hello Out-U-Go! Pet Parent Gang!

Change is in the air this spring at OUG! We are thrilled and excited to announce that our Top Op’s Dog and GM, Sara Lorenzo, is expecting a human baby at the end of April. The whole OUG! pack is excited for her, with the possible exception of her furry-toddler pooch-son Vern. While we feel for Vern as his only-child gig comes to an end, we often remind him that in the near future he can look forward to a constant distribution of food on the floor (and everywhere) thanks to the tiny Lorenzo human. As Sara transitions to motherhood she will be taking time off to spend with her new addition then later returning to the OUG! team in a part time capacity.

OUG! Central General Manager Sara, her husband Dan, and the brother-to-be, Vern!

OUG! Central General Manager Sara, her husband Dan, and the brother-to-be, Vern!

With that bit of exciting news, we are thrilled to introduce our newest OUG! team member Chris Causgrove. Chris joined our team in early February and has been in deep OUG! immersion preparing to take over as Top Ops Dog and GM when Sara’s new addition arrives. Chris brings many talents to our organization, in addition to his own rambunctious and delightful fur-child, Sophie!

Chris and his pup Sophie

Exciting news all around. We are thrilled for Sara and excited to meet her new furless bundle of joy and doubly excited to have Chris join our expanded team.

Happy Spring,
David & the OUG! Gang

David & Lucy

Out-U-Go! Chicago General Manager Sara stands at our event table talking to Village Green's Fisher Building residents about their pet care needs!

Out-U-Go! Chicago Meets Furry Residents of Village Green’s Historic Downtown Fisher Building

Out-U-Go! recently established an exciting, exclusive pet care partnership with Village Green Property Management! To kick off the relationship in Chicago, we met some of their Fisher Building City Apartments residents last month.

We made lots of new friends human and canine, and we can’t wait to start dog walks, cat care, house sitting, and puppy care in this beautiful Historic landmark!

Meet Mallory, our Chicago Lincoln Park neighborhood pet sitter!

Meet Chicago’s Lincoln Park Neighborhood Pet Sitter & Office Assistant, Mallory!

Mallory not only takes care of our pups & kitties in Lincoln Park, she helps us out here in the office! You may see her name on your Doggie Diary or email! 🙂

Nickname: Mal

My furry family: Black Lab named Buddy, Kitty named Tennessee

My favorite animal (other than cats & dogs, of course!): Elephant

Favorite game: Pool

Best gift ever: Anything handmade!

My superpower: I would love to be able to fly and see the world from that perspective!

Life philosophy: Follow your heart!