🐾 Sparky Steps Update: From Solo Walker to Building a Dog Walker Community

For the past year, I’ve been walking dogs, caring for cats, and looking after other beloved pets all over Chicago, pretty much by myself. Just me, my leash, and the daily rhythm of paws hitting the pavement. It’s been rewarding, challenging, and enlightening in more ways than I imagined.

Sparky Steps has had the privilege of serving the Chicagoland area for almost 10 years, and it has been a joy, a journey, and, at times, a serious challenge. To our loyal clients who have trusted us over the years, thank you, we could not have done it without you. For those who reached out but we had to turn away, we are now taking steps to change that.

There were times when I had a full team of dog walkers. Then the pandemic hit, and simply keeping the business alive became the challenge. For a while, it was just my partner Maaya and I caring for every dog that came our way. It has been a long road, but now I have decided it is time to expand again — in the best way possible. I am ready to transform my solo dog walking career into a thriving dog walker community right here in Chicago.

Yes, the truth is, you can make good money as a solo dog walker. But it comes at a cost. The biggest challenge? Time off.

😷 No Sick Days, No Safety Net

One of the biggest pain points of being a professional dog walker is not being able to take a break. If you’re sick, you still have to work. If you want to take a vacation, you risk losing clients. If you don’t have a solid backup, your clients might move on. It’s not personal, it’s survival. Pet parents need reliability, and if you can’t offer that, someone else will.

I’m lucky. Some of my longtime clients have stuck with me through vacations and time off. I’m deeply grateful for their trust. Thank you so much my amazing clients, you know who you are! But unfortunately, not everyone will wait patiently while you have emergencies going on, or just need some time off. Especially newer clients, they’ll find someone else, and sometimes, that’s the last you hear from them.

So I started asking bigger questions:

• How do I take time off without guilt or fear?

• How do I build a career, not just a gig?

• And can I help others do the same?

Throughout my years of dog walking I've come across a lot of solo dog walkers, new dog walkers, and new businesses. I always see the same love and dedication that they have towards their clients and animals. They genuinely love what they are doing, but they almost always see it nothing more as a gig, or something temporary. Mostly, because of the low pay, lack of consistent clientele and work, and really no time to take leave. It's like a job that you continue to work and work until you get burned out, find something new with benefits, sick, or injured. I've been thinking there has to be a better way. 

💡 The Vision: A New Ecosystem for Dog Walkers

That’s when the vision for Sparky Steps 2.0 came together. What if we built a community of dog walkers and pet sitters who support each other, cover for each other, and still get paid when they take time off?

Let me explain what we’re building:

🔁 Paid Time-Off Support System & Good Pay for Walkers

Walkers keep 80% of the fee we charge clientele for every walk. If they need to take a day off, they can still earn 50% of the walk rate they usually get by setting up and securing a trusted backup for each service. The backup gets 50% of the usual fee they normally get. The client gets a secure backup that has already been background checked, vetted, and approved beforehand to be your dog's backup. That means no more scrambling, no more guilt trips, no more lost clients, and for the clients, more access to awesome pet sitters who will work for you for a long time because they have the chance to take off work from time to time.. That means no more scrambling, no more guilt trips, and no more lost clients.

🛡️ Protection, Policies & Peace of Mind

We’ve implemented clear, friendly policies, like our cancellation deadline of Sunday at 9 PM for the week ahead, to give walkers more stability and prevent surprise losses. Walkers get paid for last-minute cancellations, and clients know what to expect.

We're also making a conscious effort to attract clients who understand that hiring a dog walker is not just a convenience, it’s providing someone with a job—someone who depends on those hours to pay their bills. I’ve talked to plenty of walkers, and the amount of last-minute cancellations or week-long pauses is staggering. The goal is to find thoughtful, communicative clients who understand that our walkers are real people with real responsibilities. At the same time, we believe flexibility is important too, which is why we think this is a truly fair cancellation policy.

🤝 We’re Building a Real Community

This isn’t about running a gig app. It’s about building a trusted network of walkers and sitters who want to help each other, grow together, and treat pet care like the professional career it deserves to be.

📈 Support to Grow Your Route

From marketing materials to referrals and community training, we’re helping walkers build better, more efficient routes and earn more without burnout.

📣 Why I’m Sharing This Now

Because this past year taught me so much:

• How hard this work is when you're doing it alone

• How important rest, backup, and community are

• And how much I believe in creating something better for all of us

Sparky Steps has been serving Chicago since 2016, but this next chapter is personal. It’s about making dog walking a viable, sustainable, dignified career, not just for me, but for others who love this work and want to stay in it for the long haul.

So yes, we’re hiring. But more than that, we’re inviting.

If you're a current walker, sitter, or animal lover who wants to join a movement that puts people first, pets second (but still close!), and profits (for the business) third, we’d love to hear from you.

Honestly, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re already a dog walker, does this sound like the kind of company you’d want to be part of? What’s on your wish list for a pet care company? Are there pain points in the dog walker or pet sitter life that we could tackle together? Let’s swap ideas and see how we can make this work better for everyone. Let’s chat!

🐕 Ready to Join Us?

📍 Visit SparkySteps.com to apply and learn more
📧 Questions? Email: info@sparkysteps.com

We’re building something beautiful here. Let’s take the Sparky Steps toward a brighter future. 🐾