Meet the Team
At P.S. Pup Struts, we take great measures to hire the most dedicated, kind, compassionate pet care professionals imaginable.

Let us introduce you ...


 

Nicole (Owner, Manager) grew up in Allentown PA and moved to the Philadelphia area 15 years ago. She has been living in Philly for the last 5 years. She grew up surrounded by dogs of all kinds, knowing they were a true part of the family.  The word "pet" didnt fit exactly.  She loves all animals, from the backyard chickens she raised to the lovable pittys she cares for at PAWS and everything in between. She can't imagine a life without the love and kinship of animals. 

When she isn't walking, playing with, and cuddling your pups, she is a holistic health counselor, helping people improve their lives through health and nutrition and assisting people to adopt a healthy vegetarian/vegan diet - fostering compassion for all animals great and small.

 

 


Jodi (Walker, Overnight Pet Sitter) is a full time mail carrier and has been with the postal service for 24 years.  She will be walking pups in the afternoons.  She originally hails from Alpharetta, GA. She loves animals so much that she's gone totally vegan!  She has experience with many breeds of dogs, cats, birds and hamsters... 

 

Here she is with Wall-E one of our adored pet clients. She cant wait to snuggle with one of your pets too!



Stephanie (Dog Walker & Pet Sitter for all areas) was born and raised in Philadelphia and has always loved animals.  Coming from a family with six children, they always had at anytime a dog, a cat and maybe a bunny or two - which added to the love and sometimes chaos in our house.  With a background in Marketing and few years in a cubicle, she is looking forward to having fun, keeping moving and taking care of your dogs as if they were her own.  As an avid runner, she enjoys being active and believes that an exercised dog is a happy dog.  Steph and her dog, Lex, can be found walking around her neighborhood, hanging at Penn Treaty Park and on the trails of the Wissahickon.



Dan was born in New York, grew up in Baltimore and after a year in Portland, Oregon moved to Philadelphia to open an art gallery in Fishtown called Extra Extra with fellow grads of The Maryland Institute College of Art. Growing up with a menagerie of animals - cats, iguanas, chameleons, tree frogs, fish, mice, snails and most memorable of all Harley, my australian shepherd - was a necessary dose of nature in the city. Having bounced across continents, moving from coast to coast and having my apartment as my studio, a dog of my own was sadly out of the question. Having a day full of waging tails, excited eyes and wet noses is, as Ferris Bueller would say: "So choice."

 


Zoe

Zoe (Founder) started PS Pet Sit / Pup Struts in 2006.  She has a background in animal health care as a Veterinary Assistant, as a Volunteer at Animal Wildlife Refuges and is an avid reader and researcher. She grew up in the theater world in her home town of Key West Florida and studied acting, dance and lighting design. She received a BA in Drama & Dance from Colorado College in 2000 (where she met Scott at a dance audition -- he was trying out for her dance piece!). Since then she and Scott have lived in Oregon, Europe, NYC, Alaska, Massachusetts and back in Key West, where in 2003 Zoe formed and produced works for The Brazen Hussies Dance Company. Always drawn to the arts and the welfare of animals equally, she has always found a way to support her love of both....

 

In late 2011 she and her now husband, Scott moved to North Carolina to further their education.  She is attending Forsyth Tech earning requirements for Veterinary Medicine School and teaches at The Hot Yoga Therapy studio in Kernersville.


Scott (previous Co-Manager) Now in North Carolina with his wife, Zoe, he is attending North Carolina School of the Arts in the Graduate program for Design & Production. He and Zoe volunteer at the local Humane Society and foster puppies that need training and homes until permanent owners are found.  So while he isnt hanging lights, building sets or managing technical theater, he is caring for Pippin, their rescue golden retriever. The whole family, along with Chessie, the cat and Farley, the bird, live happily in their new southern home.  Life is an adventure! Go gobble it up!

Scott
Zoe

Kayleigh (Pet Care Specialist, a.k.a. "The Ringer") grew up on a small farm surrounded by all kinds of animals big and small- horses, sheep, chickens, dogs, cats, cows, goats, and so much more! She can't imagine not being around animals!

Kayleigh is a sophomore at Temple, where she plans to pursue veterinary science and follow in the footsteps of her twin aunts, who are both small animal vets. You could say she has pet care in her blood! She enjoys photography, cooking for hundreds of campers at a time, art, and playing rugby. Kayleigh loves taking her dog niece and nephew, Drew and Lily, who are PS Petsit clients, along with her other niece Tallulah, to the dog park and for rides around town. She looks forward to meeting your fuzzy or not so fuzzy family members!

 

Services:  all areas



We only provide sitters with the best credentials and experience.


• We provide seminars and classes specifically designed for our staff by local dog trainers and behavioral specialists, Ruth Cionca and Marisa Scully who address our staff's questions, highlight their abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and passions. They review general dog behavior, specific needs and histories of different breeds, training techniques, how to detect stress in an animal, how to create a relaxed and balanced environment for each dog, how to take precautions at the park and on walks to ensure absolute safety and fun, and in addition, we review individual cases experienced by the staff.

• Each sitter completes Training in CPR and Pet First Aid through Pet Tech and The American Red Cross programs.

• They may even elect to take the Accreditation program of Pet Sitters International, as the owner Zoe did, which is a thorough program that addresses all areas of pets, pet care, house sitting, liability, management, cleaning supplies, community involvement, pet first aid and client and customer relation skills.

• We enable workshops to brainstorm and implement fundraising drives, campaigns and events to benefit local animal welfare organizations.

• We research new and cutting edge eco-friendly pet products for staff to use and promote to our clients (for example www.poopbags,com - the TRULY decomposable and even compostible doggie poobags, which P.S. Pup Strutters use frequently, if they arent already using recycled bags).

We are pet parents ourselves so we understand what you want out of a pet care service:


Our business model is set up so that you and your pets's safety, comfort and happiness is our First Priority.

* We dont send random and new sitters in to your home every week or month. We do our absolute best to give you consistent caregivers so that a long term, trusting and fun relationship can be built - and that takes time. After all, they are going into your home and taking care of the things YOU care about most. We take that to heart and structured our business as if we were in YOUR shoes.

* We dont wear or display our business name on our persons or car. We dont believe this is a safe way to advertise and our sitters are instructed to wear normal clothes, with their keys and P.S. Paraphenalia covered or tucked away. This is to keep you, your pets and your home SAFE. Our marketing strategy is to provide you with the most positive experience possible. Our goal is to keep YOU as a client -- not obtain more. We are committed to quality - not quantity - and our valued and loved clients benefit tremendously from that fact.

* Before services begin, you get to meet the owner or area manager as well as the sitter(s) assigned to taking suberb care of your pets. If we have to introduce you to a new sitter within the first 6 months, it is free of charge. That way, we as a company KNOW YOU. You arent a number in the system - you are YOU, with your unique preferences and needs. And we are here to provide you with what you and your pets deserve: Dependability, Devotion and Dedication to making you both happy and stress free.

Our Credentials


Accredited by Pet Sitters International. (We are tested on the knowledge of what we know about pet care, company management, cleaning methods, house sitting, insurance, etc)

Certified in Pet First Aid and CPR. (By Pet Tech and/or The Red Cross)

Five+ years of experience with Philadelphia's pets and their parents.

We work with Behavioral Specialists and Dog Trainers to improve our dog behavior knowledge and our handling, walking and aggression-prevention skills.



Technology


We use a secure scheduling system that operates online. You can schedule services yourself and receive a confirmation within hours. Not only is your services then guaranteed - its FUN!


Security


We are insured by Insurers of the Carolinas and bonded by Treasurer's Insurance. This can provide our many clients with the feeling that their home and possessions -- and pets -- and 100% secure. If anything happens on our watch, we can help solve the issue with confidence.


Customer Service


We provide Customer service 5 days a week (Mon- Fri).

Voicemails are transcribed immediately and sent to our email address and the manager's cell phone which provides the most efficient way to return your call. Leave a clear spoken message and BAM! - we will get back to you as soon as humanly possible!


Awards

We have won the following awards, touting our commitment to providing the best pet care in Philly and earning a superior reputation and at the same time, taking steps to help save our planet:


2009 The Women's Opportunity Resource Center Awarded P.S. Pet Sit with having the best business in its class when concerning the Triple Bottom Line otherwise know as: People, Planet & Profit (and for us, Pets and Pet Parents!) We wowed them with our ability to provide stellar care to all of our clients with a strong commitment of giving back to the community and making green business choices along the way. To read more, go to The Awards Page under the menu heading "About Us".)

2008 The Greater Philly Tails Magazine Reader's Choice Award - for Best Pet Sitting, Dog Walking & Overnight Care.

2007 The Greater Philly Tails Magazine Reader's Choice Award - for Best Pet Sitting, Dog Walking & Overnight Care.

 

References

If thats not enough, ask for our list of references. We have countless clients who have volunteered to be references -- and they can answer any questions you may have about their experience with us.