Marcie (right) started this company 8 years ago and has always had a big love for animals. She has raised dogs, cats, rabbits, and she used to feed the raccoons in her backyard every night. Marcie received a bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, IN and during her pursuit of a Master's Degree; she discovered that working with animals was the only thing that could truly make her happy. She decided to start her own pet sitting company and since starting Chicago Urban Tails, she has never looked back and is thankful everyday to have such a dream job!
Mary (left), originally from Michigan came to Chicago in pusuit of a life full of adventure. She has always been an animal lover, but she never dreamed that she could find a job that allowed her to follow her passion. She became a dog walker for Chicago Urban Tails and because of her outstanding work, she was quickly promoted to our head management position and now she has just accepted a partnership at Chicago Urban Tails! Now, she is the spokesperson for Chicago Urban Tails and spends her days chatting with all of her favorite clients!
Alex graduated from the University of Wisconsin/Madison, with a degree in Botany. If Alex is walking your dog or visiting your cat, he's always more than happy to make sure your plants are watered and well-tended as well! Alex grew up in north-western Wisconsin, and on the acres of land his family owned, they always had some assortment of Border Collies, Blue Heelers and German Shepherds playing. Not content with just these playful dogs, Alex's list of pets also include a chicken, a water snake, a tarantula and a whole variety of fish! Alex came to Chicago to try the big city life, and loves to spend his free time gardening, biking and hanging out with his Urban Tails adopted pets!
Anna is a home-grown, Chicago south-side girl. She went to college at Ohio State where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art, and lived for a time in California, but she knew she had to come home. She missed the Chicago winters! Now Anna gets to enjoy her favorite city's ever-exciting seasons while playing with her Urban Tails friends! Anna has a big Lab-mix named Nico and loves to take him out to explore the city. When Anna is not out with her canine pals she can be found volunteering as a tutor at her church or working on her art form of choice; jewelry. Anna is a metal-smith, and loves working with solder and fire! Once her volunteer work had her spend a summer in Peru teaching Art and English, and she hopes to go back some day.
Having grown up in Northeastern Ohio and then attending school in Michigan, Annamarie decided to move to Chicago to work on her art and writing. She worked in an office setting for four years before realizing that animals and art were her calling! Annamarie also has a "big, fluffy cat" named Dostoy that keeps her great company in the city, but the company that always holds a special place in her heart are her Chicago Urban Tails dogs!
Annie is a recent transplant to Chicago from Michigan. She attended Michigan State University for undergrad where she studied literature. In East Lansing, she adopted a cat, Finnegan, who made the move to Chicago with her! When she's not walking dogs, she hangs out with friends, tries to see as much live music as possible, and takes graduate classes at DePaul. She's happy to be in Chicago and loves spending time with all her new furry friends!
Ben has always lived with and loved animals. He had lots of dogs growing up including Airedales, Boxers, Dobermans and Irish Setters, as well as a number of cats, frogs, lizards and pet rodents. Ben took this passion for pets and got a degree in Biology from North Park University. He loves to spend his days romping around Chicago with his Urban Tails pups, and he's working on getting into a program for music with a focus on piano, composition and education. Some day he hopes to live in a place where he can have lots of his own pets again, and make his living thorough music.
David came to work for Chicago Urban Tails in April of 2008. David is originally from the Northwest suburbs and went to college in Ripon, WI, but decided to move back to the city after graduation to work with art and animals. David loves his cat, Mama, and spending his days walking the wonderful pups on his route!
Emily developed a deep love of animals while she was growing up on her family's farm. She cared for dogs, cats, horses and cows and missed the animal and farm life after moving to the city. She was very excited when she discovered Chicago Urban Tails, which not only allowed her to exercise her outstanding animal skills, but to make some new friends too! Emily also graduated with honors from Aquinas College with a BA in English and she was just accepted into the MFA program at Columbia College. When Emily is not getting lots of puppy kisses from the wonderful dogs on her route, she can be found tutoring adults and children. Emily also loves to spend time with her husband, and her 2 cats Petey and Weena.
Jill is our Canadian friend that moved to Chicago after falling in love with and marrying an American gentleman. Jill has a Master's Degree in Architecture and owns an independent set design and film company. Jill had a part-time job walking dogs in Toronto and she knew instantly when she moved here, that she would have to find a similar job. Jill had owned a dog when she was a young child, and was thrilled when she became an independent adult and could finally adopt her own pup. Louie, her rambunctious, lovable Labradoodle has been her companion, and also moved to Chicago to live with their new family. Now, Jill spends her days exploring Chicago with her Urban Tails friends, and dreams of one day opening a year-around, Disney-scale haunted house, and maybe finding time to go sailing!
Kelly grew up in Rockford, IL. Growing up, Kelly owned a dog named Freckles, and he has been in love with animals ever since! After attending Northern Illinois University and then earning his BA in Journalism from DeKalb, Kelly moved to Chicago to pursue his passion for music and animals. Kelly came to Chicago Urban Tails in August of 2007, and has thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his furry friends! In his free time, Kelly plays in a couple of bands and is working on a second bachelor's degree in web design.
Luke grew up in Wooster, Ohio, but after getting his degree in Philosophy from DePaw University, he decided to move to Chicago to be in a big city-setting. His love for animals rivals his love for music and biking. He plays the guitar and is currently venturing into the world of song writing while spending his days with the Chicago Urban Tails dogs and cats. He has two cats of his own, Pancake and Goose, who are the loves of his life!
Mary is an artist, entrepreneur and life-long animal lover! She grew up with two cats named Martini and Rossi, a Shih Tzu named Murphy and a parakeet named Mr. Nibblers. She attended the Columbus College of Art and Design where she studied glassblowing and printmaking. Now that she lives in Chicago, she co-owns an art gallery called Fill In The Blank with four female artists! She couldn't leave her love of animals behind though, so not only does she hang out with all her Urban Tails doggy pals, but at home she has two cats named Oscar and Esteban, a dog named Stewart and a fish named Captain Wiggles-Worth! Her dream is to one day own a property big enough so she can also have a horse and a glassblowing studio, while still living close enough to the city to have her gallery.
Mary will tell you that one of her favorite things to do is making friends with any dogs she meets! She always stops to say hello to the friendly canines she passes on the street, and she is so happy to have found a place where she gets to befriend lots of friendly Chicago Urban Tails pups! Mary just started graduate school at the Art Institute of Chicago after finishing her degree at the University of Minnesota. Mary grew up with a dog and four cats, enjoys the company of her Pit Bull roommate named Blue, and she lavishes all of her puppy love on her Urban Tails friends!
Matthew had been a dog walker at a previous job and loved it so much, he decided to make it a profession. Since signing on in July of 2008, Matthew has become a hot commodity with our Chicago Urban Tails clients. Not only has he thoroughly enjoyed his time with his dog clients, we also discovered he has quite a knack for pleasing his purring feline customers. He has become our most requested cat sitter!
Nick joined the Chicago Urban Tails team to add a new fun chapter to the story of his life. Nick is a natural-born story teller and avid writer, and loves to fill his day with adventures with his Urban Tails friends! Nick graduated from Columbia College Chicago after studying audio engineering and fiction writing, and now divides his time between his passion for animals and his other job as a storyteller, reader and audio technician for a theater collective in Chicago. Growing up Nick had a number of pets, including a Dusky-Headed Conure named Maxi. Currently Nick has his beloved rescue dog India, who despite her age has the most irresistible puppy-eyes if you are holding food! When Nick is relaxing, he loves to read, play guitar, and hopes to one day write a book.
A Chicago Urban Tails walker since 2006, Rebecca is a native Chicagoan, who has two loves; animals and biking. As a strict vegan, Rebecca refuses to eat, wear, or use anything originating from any animal products. She is a true friend to every dog that she has ever encountered! Rebecca is a big advocator of animal rights and considers her dog walking job not only a part-time job, but a true hobby.
Sarah became a walker to fulfill two needs in her life: to spend more time outdoors, and more time hanging out with animals! When she was a child she grew up with a parakeet and a guinea pig named Buttercup. Now she has all her great Urban Tails pups, and at home a wonderful feisty kitty named Ashland. Sarah graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and is currently pursuing her degree in electrical engineering. When Sarah isn't out with her canine friends, she can be found enjoying Chicago with her partner Steve, or acting as a leader of a training group for the Chicago marathon!
Tori, a Chicago Urban Tails team member since January 2008, has a natural charm and affection for her dogs. From Iowa, Tori is a warm person whose dogs always feel at ease in her care. Tori also has a second job where she interacts with playful children all day, but she truly feels that her puppies at Chicago Urban Tails are her adopted children. She couldn't live without them!
