Out-U-Go! Pet Care was recently featured on Chicagoland’s ABC 7 News! The news crew accompanied us to a dog walking visit with Old Town neighborhood darlings, Chloe & Belle, to explore what it’s like to work outdoors in our chillier temperatures and snow!
Ever wonder what a winter moment in the life of our awesome pet sitters looks like? Click the video below to watch:
In looking for ways to share a memorable Thanksgiving dinner with our pups sans slipping table scraps, we’ve stumbled upon this genius treat recipe in which two cornerstone Turkey Day dishes join forces to become:
Yield: wiggly bodies and waggly tails (…and 45 treats)
Halloween is a pretty great holiday to share with your pet. Not only does every pup’s favorite word occur within its most popular exclamation, “trick or treat,” it is a day (…or week…or entire month) where a furry body running around in a little hot dog suit or carrying out an entire neighborhood watch shift, a.k.a. walk, wearing a skeleton outfit is not considered absurd.
Meet a few of our Chicago and Oak Park pet pals who are donning their best dog Halloween costumes in the spirit of the spooky!
This is Otis, Pack Leader Nicolette’s pup! Here Otis is dressed as his favorite Futurama character, Nibbler. Otis and Nibbler share not only a striking resemblance, but also personality traits as well. They both like to eat a lot of food (and will chow down on just about anything), they like to sleep, and their favorite thing to do (other than eating, of course) is to cuddle with Mom. While Otis was not as accustomed to wearing a diaper like Nibbler is, he was a good sport and showed only a mild disdain for the costume.
Here, Otis proves that being a superhero is exhausting. After a morning filled with getting chin scratches for looking too cute in his bat wings, he takes a snooze under the coffee table at OUG! Central. Surely, he is dreaming about flying around outside to scare all of the squirrels out of his trees! Bat doggie to the rescue!
Vern is General Manager Sara’s two year old Terrier mix that LOVES food and has a history of thievery here at the OUG! office. So when Executive Canine Strategist Laura saw this Hot Dog costume she just knew she had to bring it in for Vern! The first time Sara put it on him at home he strutted around like the little Hot Dog he is. She took it off and put it on the end table. Next thing she knew, Vern was chewing on it! VERN! It’s not a REAL Hot Dog you silly pooch!!!!
What are your four-legged kiddos dressing up as for Halloween?
Halloween is the perfect excuse to let your furry buddy explore her spirit animal through costume. From experience, though, we warn you: some of our canine friends have connected too strongly with their spirit animals.
Last year, our buddy Vern sported a little piggy get-up. Using his disguise as an incognito sow, he ate his way through an entire box of human cookies!
Our friend Lily, on the other hand, stepped away from her normally sluggish demeanor to take on that of a bouncy bunny.
Have a spooky October, everybody!
Our awesome Wicker Park pet sitter bikes his way into the hearts of your four-legged friends! Chicago dog walker, Scott, is one cool cat.
AKA: Scotty B., B. Fresh
My Furry Family: Calliope the Black Labski
My Favorite Animal (other than cats & dogs, of course!): Green Sea Turtles
My Favorite Game: Disc Golf
Best Gift Ever: Socks!
My Superpower Would Be: To see through the eyes of pups & kitties!
Life Philosophy: “If you build it, they will come!”
On your mark, get set…
This month, Out-U-Go! is woofin’ about pet health! We’re offering tips and tricks for caring for your furry kids, highlighting fun wellness facts (did you know pet parents are less stressed?), and sharing our favorite Pet of the Week portraits! Trot over to our Facebook and Twitter pages to see what the neighborhood pups are wagging their tails about!
Speaking of tail-wagging, we know your four-legged friends love to Get Out & Go! Is Bullet your #1 workout partner? We’re looking for the cutest, toughest, silliest, most slobbery photos of you and your furry fitness coach in action! Enter our pet health photo contest here for a chance to win $100 in free Out-U-Go! visits!
Get the leash!
It is with a very heavy heart I share that earlier this month we lost our dear friend Dini. Dini had been part of our family and a fixture in the Out-U-Go! office since 2000, and her absence leaves a huge hole in all of our hearts.
For me personally, Dini was my shadow. By choice, and by necessity, Dini was rarely more than 5 feet from me. The one exception to this was when she was at the OUG! office, where she felt happy and comfortable spending her time with everyone else. For the most part, though, Dini was always at my feet. This started from the day I adopted. That night she slept in bed with me. I quickly found out that just being in bed wasn’t close enough for her—she also needed to be touching me the entire night.
Dini’s original shelter name was Houdini, and we shortened it to Dini. It wasn’t for weeks that we really figured out how she “earned” her name. She was a natural born adventurer and escape artist. When she was young, she proved her ability to escape from any crate. Gates and doors? Hardly a challenge for her. Dini was even able to figure out how to escape situations by swimming away (twice).
Of all Dini’s ridiculous—her escapes, her rodent hunting, her undeniable talent for finding the grossest stinkiest thing around, then rolling in it—she was the sweetest and gentlest dog I have ever met. She always played perfectly with other dogs and was so child tolerant it was hard to believe. When my son Pierson was one year old he would use Dini as a step stool to get up on our couch. He’d put his little foot on her head and prop himself up there. Dini wouldn’t budge. She’d just sweetly lay there, with a slightly disappointed look on her face.
Dini touched so many people in her life, many of them during her 13 years at the OUG! office. She always made sure to greet all new people to the office by sitting next to them during interviews and meetings, happily offering herself up for pets and scratches. For so many people, she offered a warm welcome. For some, like the sales people in black suits, she offered the same—it just wasn’t received quite as warmly.
Dini even touched the people in our neighborhood. We live on a high traffic street in Chicago. Dini used to love hanging out in our front yard. She was just the right size to squeeze her head through the fence and look all the way up and down the sidewalk to see who was coming. After many years, Dini made many friends. People in the neighborhood would often bring their children and puppies by to see her and pet her through the fence. She was such a staple in our yard that you can even see her laying there on Google street view.
Not long ago my son asked me what kind of dog Dini was. I explained to him that she was a mutt and a mix of all kinds of dogs. He responded, “so you mean she’s one of a kind?”
Dini really was one of a kind.
Thanks to all of you who have been so kind and loving to Dini over the years. Dini was a very lucky pup who had a wonderful life. She gave out a whole lot of love, and it was returned to her many times over. And really, that’s all that we all want from life.
Heavy Hearted,
David
Whether you walk, run, jump, or swim with your pet, being active together is a great way to stay happy and healthy! We also know some of the best photos come out of a pet play session. That’s why we’ve created the “Get Out & Go!” photo contest. Entering is simple: submit a photo of you and your pet getting fit. The winning photo will receive a $100 gift card to use at Out-U-Go! The deadline for submissions is September, 13.
Sound easy enough? Click here to enter! And follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest in adorable and informative pet news and photos.
Back to school means dog walking & cat sitting schedule changes for many furry families; it is also an exciting but challenging time for furkids! After a full summer of sleeping past noon, kitty litter zen gardening, and cannonballing at pool parties, it takes extra motivation to get classroom ready.
One way to get your four-legged child prepared for teacher’s pet status is to send him off with the tools needed to succeed. A few necessities to include in Willie’s doggie backpack are:
If your furry family’s schedule is changing this fall, schedule your dog walking and cat sitting visits here (existing OUG! pet parents) or request more info about our awesome pet care here (new pet parents)!
Class is in session!
We are so lucky to have Anna on staff!! Anna works in our Oak Park location every Saturday morning during the school year and helps out in Chicago over the Summer.
My Furry Family: Lucy, a 12 year old, three-legged black lab. My family has had her since she was 3 months.
My Favorite Animal (other than dogs & cats): Penguins and Owls
Best Gift Ever: If I’m thinking recently, then it would be an orchid from one of my students. It totally brightens up the room and makes me smile when I see it.
My Superpower Would Be: Definitely telepathy. Communicating by reading someone else’s mind would be awesome.
Life Philosophy: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. ” From my favorite book The Lorax by Dr. Seuss