Dori Tails offers dog walking and pet sitting services in the Northeast Chicago neighborhoods of Rogers Park and West Ridge, as well as the City of Evanston (including “Skevanston”). We cover the following zip codes:
60201, 60202, 60203 60204, 60208, 60209, 60626, 60645, 60659
Hi, my name is Emma! I have grown up with animals my entire life. Always having a cat and a dog in the house. Currently, my parents have two cats, Lily and Luna, and an eleven-week-old puppy named Koda. It is a joy of mine to spend as much time as I can with my pets at their house. I have almost ten years of experience as a property caretaker, with pet sitting included in my job. Most of my experience is with dogs and a turtle, however, I am excited to meet other pet babies. I absolutely love spending as much time as I can with your pets and giving them all the treats they deserve.
Hi I’m Milena (“Mils”, for short) and I come from San Antonio, TX. I started walking dogs/pet-sitting in 2023. After earning my BA in Mass Communication from Texas State University, I worked in Austin’s local film scene, assisting as a crew member. I primarily work in the service industry when I’m not walking dogs or critiquing movies. Animals in general have always calmed me, but dogs especially bring a smile to my face. After walking dogs in the Texas heat, I’m excited to meet some cool dogs (and other critters) up here in Chicago!
Hi, I’m Chelsea and I’m a life-long animal lover. I grew up reading zoobooks, riding horses, and caring for our family pets. From animal shelters to zoos, I’ve done a bit of everything in the animal world. My favorite part of it all is building relationships with animals and their people. Having spent several years in animal sheltering and rescue, I have a special fondness for those pets that need a little extra patience and care. I have two cats, Momo and Miso, and a corn snake, 7-Eleven. I’m excited to meet your family and care for them like my own!
I’ve been caring for all sorts of pets for over 30 years—from dogs and cats to small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and even arthropods (bugs and spiders).
I started being a dog walker and pet sitter on a large national “gig” pet-sitting service in the summer of 2021 as a side gig and as an antidote to the social distancing and lockdowns of the COVID pandemic. Well, my “side gig” grew, and I started Dori Tails in March 2024! I love meeting pet parents and hearing all about their critter babies, and then experiencing the pets’ unique personalities myself. It makes me happy to spend time with animals that need me to love them and take care of them when their parents are gone.
In April 2025 I began bringing other pet lovers in to become part of the Dori Tails Care Team, and it gives me immense satisfaction to help them become excellent dog walkers and pet sitters. We look forward to meeting you and your pets!
Story Time!
When I was three, my sister and I helped Mom care for our two dogs and our cat, as well as hamsters, parakeets, zebra finches, tropical fish, land hermit crabs, and Sea Monkeys (brine shrimp). We had milkweed all over the backyard, which would attract Monarch butterflies to lay eggs every spring. After the eggs hatched, we would put the tiny caterpillars in an enclosure and feed them fresh milkweed until they grew up and turned into jewel-like green-and-gold chrysalises. Then when the butterflies came out, we could gently tease them onto our fingers and release them back into the wild.
As a teenager, I volunteered for 3 years at a wildlife & exotic animal rescue. I was responsible for taking care of “animal ambassadors” like kestrels, owls and other raptors, groundhogs, snakes, lizards, frogs, beetles, spiders, and other arthropods. I made sure they were fed and logged their meals. My favorites were Charlie the barn owl, Lord Richard the turkey vulture, and Khyber the 200 lb Burmese python.
I’ve had many different pets over the years, including my dog Angel Raindrops (1997-2010), several cats, a big black rat named Baby, a corn snake named Iyatiku, green iguanas, a bearded dragon, a turtle, frogs, pond fish, tropical fish, a rubber eel, and freshwater crabs.
I learned a lot about dog training when I signed Angel Raindrops up for basic obedience classes. The trainer specialized in Agility (obstacle courses) and told us, “Dog training classes don’t train dogs, they train people. “First, learn everything you can about your dog’s instincts and innate behaviors, and you can use that knowledge to help you guide them into the behaviors you want.”
That advice helped me teach Angel over 30 commands, and she learned to be a very good and calm girl in any situation. I still use the “people training” principles to help dogs and people have a fun and safe time on walks, and Angel is always there in my heart in one of her big smiles.
