Blog — Writer_MaryBeth_Bittel

Top Five Tips to Help Maximize Dog Park Safety If you’re a canine lover from Chicagoland, you’ve probably got a favorite local dog park. These open-air, off-leash havens are popular places to let your pooch roam free. They can also let you switch up your daily walking routine, while still enjoying the spring and summer sunshine. And the greater Chi-Town area offers so many options: from the fenced-in Grant Bark Park; to the 3.83-acre Montrose Dog Beach; to outlying alternatives like Naperville’s sprawling Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve Dog Park. Here at Sparky Steps, we believe these numerous Rover-friendly retreats can...

9 Ways to Keep Pets Safe from Coyotes Here at Sparky Steps, our animal-loving pet care team is out walking dogs all the time. We also offer in-home pet sitting, so we visit all sorts of home environments. And no matter where we go, we often hear stories about coyote sightings. According to the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, coyotes are traditionally most active in rural areas during nighttime and early morning hours. But with ongoing development happening across the greater Chicagoland area, coyotes are sometimes displaced from their natural habitat. So you may spot them in lots of...