Simplifido Dog Walking & Pet Sitting

We can not say enough wonderful things about Rachel! From the very first meeting, I knew we had found the perfect pet sitter! We have a cat and a dog. They are our babies and we are VERY picky who we let watch them. I used to board Scooter at very nice dog boarding places but I would still worry when we were away that he was not comfortable. I have gone away several times now and had Rachel watching our babies and did not have ONE worry! It’s so refreshing. She even sends texts or emails asking what time we will be home or leaving to make sure she lines up her visits perfectly. She has SUCH attention to detail. She also was a life safer when we just had our baby (actual two-​legged one) over the summer. She was on standby waiting for our word that I was in labor to start watching the pets. With such a busy schedule, she made sure she was available the few days we were in the hospital and that meant so much to us! I would HIGHLY recommend Simplifido to anybody and we are so happy we found Rachel and hope she never leaves:)

I’m so happy to have found Rachel! She’s stable and clearly loves animals.
I have unbelievably high standards when it comes to my dog family because of my longtime experience of being on both ends of pet care.
It’s wonderful and reassuring that Rachel provides a GPS of dog walks and time/​length of walks because I’ve heard about and witnessed too many other dog walkers in the area who either don’t come when they say they will, don’t stay the allotted time, don’t come at all, don’t clean up after themselves or the dog, or participate in behaviors which freak a dog out for years.

Love Rachel! She is great, my dogs love her and I feel totally safe leaving them in her hands. I also love the way she gives a GPS track of where they have walked. I would totally recommend Simplifido!

This is the first time I have utilized these services. I found Rachel to be extremely professional from the beginning at the initial meeting. She listened carefully to all the information I shared about my cat’s idiosyncrasies and then used that information to successfully trouble shoot behavior issues while I was gone.
She provided emails and photos of my cat which calmed my concerns about how much anxiety my pet may be experiencing while I am gone.
She spent time brushing my cat every day so that her coat was shiny and fluffy when I got home. Now my cat demands to be brushed every day :).
I feel complete confidence in Rachel and her services so will be using Simplifido again in the future.

Rachel is a dog whisperer!
My yellow lab, Cody, usually gets very nervous and anxious when I travel. He has a sweet disposition, but I’ve heard mixed reviews about Cody’s behavior from other dog sitters. Feeling unsettled, he’s been known to chew up things and bark a lot while I’m gone. He also used to jump up on people when he’d get excited, pull on the leash, or try to dash out the door.
Those days are done, though, now that he has Rachel for a dog sitter! Cody eagerly runs to her and (admittedly bitter-​sweet) could care less now when I leave and return! In her care, Rachel has taught him calming commands in just days that I’ve been unsuccessful training Cody on over the past nine years. He clearly feels very comfortable, secure and happy with her.
When I first met Rachel, she went through a very thorough questionnaire with me about Cody’s personality, medical history, disposition with other dogs and people, likes/​dislikes, and commands understood. She uses gentle, loving positive reinforcement with Cody and she showers him with attention. Rachel takes him out for so many swims, ball toss games, and long walks that Cody is happily exhausted each time I return. She also made great recommendations about his diet that have improved his overall health and energy.
When I’m on longer business trips, Rachel often surprises me with texts and photos of Cody relaxing and exercising. It puts my mind at ease and puts a big smile on my face to know that he’s on a five-​star dog vacation!
Simplifido has my highest recommendation. Rachel is truly passionate about her work. This is not just a job for her, it’s definitely her calling.

I don’t trust my dogs with many people (they are a bit quirky), but Gus and Ollie immediately felt secure with Rachel. She is patient with them and gives them the exercise they need (especially since I work so many hours). It’s easy to doubt whether or not your dogs are getting the full 20 minute walk — but I know for a fact that Rachel gives you every minute that you pay for. (love the app she uses — it’s fun to see the route they’ve taken… and where Gus and Ollie have done random stops/​turns/​about faces.)
Rachel is an animal lover. You can see it from the moment she encounters an animal. And she is incredibly responsible — making sure she’s trained for emergencies, able to provide care for your pets and able to understand them more comprehensively. And, she doesn’t care about the vast amount of pug fur that Gus and Ollie leave her as a gift. ;)
I wish she hadn’t moved away from Chicago!