Insured & Bonded - Dog walks, Cat Sitting Dog Daycare Dog Boarding Specialized Care Pet Taxi Chicago
About Us
Hello and Thank you for your interest in 4 Paws and Whiskers! My name is Eva Gelfand. I started 4 Paws and Whiskers because I knew there was a better way to provide impeccable service to animals. I have first hand experience in using companies for my own animals, that employ multiple, less than qualified individuals. Needless to say, I was incredibly motivated to start my own pet care business. My very first job was dog walking and training when I was 12 years old, I have never stopped. My father trained dogs for the United States Army; my love of animals and working with them has always been with me. While my professional life centered around the construction industry for more than 20 years, I started my pet care business part time in 2006. In 2018, I left the construction industry in order to take my part time pet care business full time, and I have never looked back.
4 Paws and Whiskers is an individually owned and operated small business. I am bonded and insured and put ALL of our clients personal safety and care at the top of my priority list. It is my mission and goal to make sure your pet is safe, happy and well taken care of when you can't be there. I keep our client base to a manageable number, as to guarantee each day is perfectly laid out to ensure your pet has ample amount of time and attention devoted to him/her. No dog is left sitting in a crate waiting for their "play time." The dogs are outside; they run, play, swim, explore and build bonds with one another that create a unique pack family, that I am extremely proud of. I have had many of our clients since they were puppies, I take so much joy in watching them grow and develop into the wonderful, social, sweet, intelligent, well-rounded animals they are today. That is why I do what I do. It brings me immense happiness that their human counterparts are thrilled with my work with their beloved companions. While I give my clients animals a wonderful experience and incredible care, ultimately, I give their human counterparts a better quality of life, not having to worry about your pet is invaluable.
At 4 Paws and Whiskers, all animals are loved. Whether big or small, feline, canine, equine or small critters, I believe all pets should get as much love and attention as we can give them. I believe in socialization and behavior that reflects good doggy citizens. Our client's dogs are thrilled and exhausted each and every day. I have no anxious, worried or unsocial clients. Some of my clients who left indoor facilities, left due to their dog shaking in a corner all day because it was overcrowded, loud and incredibly hard for the dog to feel at ease in that setting. I can't count how many dogs I have had come from indoor facilities that were having anxiety behaviors that ranged from chewing the walls in their homes to social anxiety with other animals, that was not present before going to indoor facilities. The difference with 4 Paws and Whiskers and those places is, I am with your dog constantly, interacting with them, playing with them, making sure they are happy and safe.
My emphasis focuses first and foremost on your animal, while simultaneously creating an open line of communication and responsibility to their human counterparts. In our busy world, calls and emails sometimes don't get returned. Not at 4 Paws and Whiskers, I keep in constant communication with all of my clients, giving daily updates and progress reports, so that you may rest assured your pet is being put first and given the highest quality care available. 4 Paws and Whiskers firmly believes in treating others how we wish (and our pets) wish to be treated.
If a dog is coming to us from an indoor facility, I ask the client to please wait for 2 weeks before their dog starts service with 4 Paws and Whiskers, to ensure their pets are not currently sick or carrying any of the many types of infections found in indoor facilities.
Temperament Testing - All clients interested in doggy daycare, dog walks and boarding will need to be observed for 1 day to adequately review the dog's personality, social cues, pack behavior, potty training and overall presence with other dogs.
We are happy to go out of our way for our clients: Hygiene maintenance is one of the important things we can do for our clients, depending on your dog's grooming tolerance:
- Ear cleaning and clipping of excessive inside hair that groomers generally won't do, to provide preventive care with animals who have chronic ear infections.
- Skin treatments and eye issues
- Grind/file nails
- Teeth Brushing
- Administer medication
- Brush, de-shed, groom and bathe
- We are happy to pick up food, medication and other necessities.
We provide services that go above and beyond traditional kennels
- Geriatric Care - In Home visits to animals who are aging and need special assistance- medications/IV Fluids
- Puppy Care - Multiple Daily Visits and lite training
- Special Needs Animals Welcome