I recommend Kari without reservation. I had real concerns about using a pet service because my cat, Sol, can barely suffer strangers when I bring them into our home as guests - she remains under the bed terrified until they leave - so I worried that having a stranger entering twice a day for several days would be upsetting to her. Kari came over to meet me and Sol before I hired her, and I had an immediate sense of her expertise in animal care, her deep love of animals, and her holistic approach to caring for them. I knew without a doubt that she was not just going to come in to feed and water Sol, but would actually get to know her. Imagine my relief and gratitude when Kari sent pictures, daily, of Sol at first peeking out from behind the bed, then Sol sitting across the room "visiting" with Kari, then Sol sleeping on the back of the couch behind Kari's head - her preferred spot when I'm at home! I could almost hear her purring. Kari invested her time very generously in cultivating a bond with Sol, and it turns out with me too, because she made allaying my anxiety a priority. I got back to my hotel at 8:00 one night and texted Kari "Can I call?" and within seconds she was on the phone updating me. She goes way above and beyond just tending to creature needs, she brings a lot of love to the job. Kari is a real professional. She has given me good advice about Sol's care and comfort from day one, that I value and take. She sends updates and photos during her visits, observes the agreed upon schedule, and is completely dependable and trustworthy. If you love your pet and want her to be in the best possible hands, you won't do better than Kari. read more

Conscious Pet Service - Sol - Dog Walkers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Kari has control issues. After speaking with others she is very delusional. Kari job was to feed the dog. My dog was never crated as she claims. She lies and causes conflict. Kari wanted to keep my dog at her unsanitary house. We said no. She would feed my dog on her walks what she wanted her to eat. After the walks my dog would poop all over the house 30 minutes after dropping her off. She would text my daughter and claim she over heard me on the phone talking about her. This became too much. She constantly talk about her customers and how they lived that's why I stop communicating with her. I do not trust her. read more

Conscious Pet Services is a wonderful pet sitting business. Kari has watched my cats for over 10 years and has done a remarkable job. She provides excellent care and spends quality time withy my cats. She also provides medicine to them as needed. Kari is dedicated to pet care, knowledgeable, and an overall great person to watch pets. I highly recommend her and so do my pets! read more

Had a very traumatic experience with hiring Kari and Eddie to watch my dogs while I went on vacation for the first time since the start of the pandemic. My youngest dog has separation anxiety since we got him as a "pandemic puppy" so I was nervous about leaving him for the first time, but Kari led me to believe that he would be in good hands with her and Eddie after I thoroughly explained my concerns to her. Less than 24 hour after I left for vacation my neighbors started texting me saying that my little guy was really distressed and barking for hours. I confronted Kari and Eddie about it and tried to give them suggestions of how they could sooth him, but instead of coming up with a solution they suggested that my little guy should probably just go to a boarding facility and said they would refund me the money that I had pre-paid ($400). So then I was left scrambling to find a boarding facility that could take my little guy on such short notice (which was very stressful while I was already on my trip out of the country). It was very frustrating because I had hired Kari and Eddie for in-home pet sitting so that I WOULDN'T have to board my dogs. But apparently Eddie is only available to be home with the dogs between the hours of 10pm and 6am, so they were alone and distressed for hours at a time, which was not what we signed up for. Finally I found a place that was able to take my baby, and Kari agreed to drop him off in the evening. Then hours went by and I didn't hear back from her. Finally by 9pm I asked for an update on if they had dropped of my little guy. Kari finally responded to confirm he had been dropped off and then proceeded to send me a series of long insulting text messages accusing me of terrible things like being an unfit and negligent pet owner, saying that my dog's distress while under her care was all MY fault, and that my dog deserves to live on a farm instead of with me, etc. She also strongly criticized the boarding facility that I sent him to even though it was HER fault that he had to be sent there on emergency in the first place. It was such a distressing experience, worse than I could have ever imagined when searching for a caretaker to trust with my fur babies. Then Kari proceeded to only refund $70 of the $400 I had paid her, claiming over $300 of fees for only 24 hrs of service. She listed completely bogus charges that were nowhere to be found in the contract that we signed - such as "texting fees" (for texting her about the emergency situation during business hours), "extra long walks" (that we never agreed to), expensive treats and toys that she decided to purchase for the dogs (even though we had already provided ample treats and toys for them), and for "early cancellation" of the contract (even though SHE was the one who initiated breaking the contract and had promised to refund me). All in all I am left feeling absolutely swindled by this business. I experienced them to be a highly unprofessional and untrustworthy business who took my money and gave me nothing but heartache, stress over the safety of my fur babies, and double the expense of pet care between the money that they erroneously charged and the money that I had to pay for emergency boarding. I should have seen the signs when in the hiring/interview process Kari spent a substantial portion of our time together complaining about her other clients (one of whom is apparently a hoarder) and how much they tip her. I recommend finding a more legitimate business to entrust with your loved ones so that you won't suffer a similar fate as we did. read more

Kari did a great job walking my dog while I went on vacation. I also really appreciated how knowledgeable she is about dogs.

I moved to Chicago about three years ago, relocating from a ranch where my dogs could roam as they wished, and where leashes were a foreign concept, much less dog walking. When I moved here, I was desperate to find a reliable care giver for my two "children". The first two I tried out failed miserably, both ending up being completely unreliable (and later I found out, were borderline negligent in their care). Thus, when a friend recommended Kari's services to me, I had more than a little trepidation. Let me say that my fears disappeared upon my first meeting with Kari. Not only was she far more professional than any other dog walker or pet sitter in the past (had great paperwork, insisted on detailed profiles of each dog, really showed she knew the business end of her business), but she really demonstrated she took her work seriously and passionately. I could tell right off that she started her business due to her dedication to animal care and not because of a "gosh, walking dogs can't be that hard, can it?" mentality that is unfortunately too prevalent in the industry. Kari has proven to be beyond reliable and dedicated to the care of my dogs. She walks them about three times a week and has stayed over to care for them when I'm out of town. I rest easy knowing that they are in phenomenal hands. I can't say enough good words about her dedication to their care and the absolute trust I have in her. Yes, she's that wonderful. She has received training on pet first aid and medical care of "special needs" pets, which really came in handy when one of my dogs came down with cancer last year, and then the other with Cushing's this year. She's become an integral part of my dog's healthcare team. I was able to rest easy when I had to go out of town and leave them during a rough patch in their health, knowing that Kari would take care of them and keep me in the loop, with daily updates. I can't recommend Kari & Conscious Care enough. It's rare to find a dog walker/pet sitter who cares for one's animal companions just about as much as you do! read more

Conscious Pet Services is fantastic. Kari goes above and beyond to keep our dog Max, an older dog with some health issues, happy and healthy. Besides the daily walks, she helps us track his GI health, give him meds, and even clean the occasional mess he makes. I'm constantly impressed with the amount of attention and care she gives him. Rates are competitive and between Kari and Eddie they're pretty much always available for an extra walk. I can't recommend them enough. read more

I found Conscious Pet Service on the Nextdoor app while browsing pet sitting topic threads. My neighborhood thinks highly of Kari and Eddie as people and as professional pet sitters so I thought I'd reach out. Kari was very prompt in speaking with me and suggested an in home interview to see if we'd all be a good fit for each other. I should note that our five cats are our babies who we love more than anything or anyone!!! An interview process with us is probably annoying, too. We only want the best! Kari and Eddie came by and met our cats in our home and it went very well. We ended up hiring them and Eddie stayed overnight with our cats taking on responsibilities of feeding, litter scooping, light clean up and I'm assuming lots of playtime and great company for our babes. Our cat Figaro also needs a pill everyday and Eddie got him to take it in a treat without a problem! We got lots of updates and photos while on our trip and we felt as ease the whole time. When we got home our place was spotless and our cats were happy and content. I'd recommend them to just about anyone and they have great other references as well. Kari and Eddie really love cats and have the sitter qualifications to match! read more

I've known Kari for more than four years and have worked with her for more than three, and have always found her to be absolutely outstanding at everything she does. As a consultant with many clients, I always recommend Kari and Conscious Care Petcare whenever possible. Kari is a natural at what she does, and exemplifies outstanding care and consciousness. The pride that Kari takes in her work is always evident. Kari's training and expertise and the warmth that she brings to her work is a true testament to her endearing qualities. Without question, I can not recommend Kari highly enough. She is a true and valuable part of my life, and the life of my pets. read more

Kari is the best! She is our favorite, and our dog's favorite too. She always goes above and beyond the duty and is a true professional and animal lover. We would always trust her to sit for our pets and walk our dog and would recommend her to one and all. If you are the northeast side of Chicago or in Evanston, you could not pick a better dog walker or pet sitter. read more

Again, Kari did a great job for us! She texted us pictures of our cats while we were out of town, which is really amazing service. I can't say enough good things about her! read more

Conscious is an accurate term for this business name. They exude that sentiment at every interaction with my boys. I had two large dogs that have passed, but making certain that they had the best care possible was essential to my piece of mind. Kari was more than just a dog walker to us. She became part of the family. I never worried about my boys. One was a German Shepherd that had former owner abuse issues and required a more "conscious" understanding for his needs. In Kari's hands, he would melt like butter. She was firm and fair when needed and ALWAYS loving to my boys. My boys lived long past their prime and I firmly believe that one reason why I got so much extra time with 'em was because Kari was around. read more

I contacted Kari about her cat sitting services, and she sounded like a good fit for us over the phone. We set up a consultation visit for that day at 6:30pm, and I texted her the address and the time. 6:30 came and went and I thought maybe she was having trouble finding parking. At 7:00, I still had not heard from Kari. By 7:24, with no calls or texts from her, she didn't seem like a good fit. Being late for whatever reason is excusable, however not contacting us to notify us for an hour is not. I'm still not sure if she would have ever shown up as she never responded to any of my texts. It's really too bad because she sounds very knowledgeable about taking care of cats and their various diet requirements. Unfortunately, it would have felt irresponsible of me to leave my two cats with someone who doesn't show up to a scheduled consultation visit and lacks the communication to notify me. read more

Kari is first rate: gentle and reliable. I trust her totally with my two dogs, a golden retriever and a standard poodle.

Kari has watched my cats often during the past year. She is extremely professional and takes excellent care of them. One of my cats needs daily meds and I trust Kari to make sure he gets those while I'm away. I highly recommend her. read more