Julieta: A Miami Dog Walker's Story

When Julieta moved from Buenos Aires to Miami, her three dachshunds stayed behind with her family. She said it broke her heart, but she knew it was best for them. Walking dogs with Wag! has helped mend her broken heart — and more.

“I have loved and adored dogs my entire life,” Julieta said. “Making other people and their dogs happy makes me happy. Being able to walks dogs with Wag! is the stuff of dreams!”

Making friends — two-legged and four

Julieta walks dogs part-time and has enjoyed it so much, she’s committed to learning more about her furry friends. She’s already taken dog-training and dog-grooming courses. Her walks with Wag! now number 60 (and counting) since starting last year, and her rating with pet parents is a paw-fect 5.0.

She said the best part of dog walking is all the new friends — both two-legged and four — that she has made.

“I can definitely say that I have become such good friends with all my regular dogs and their owners,” Julieta said. “We are always texting and sending pictures of their pups.”

Heart-warming Matilda

“One of my regulars, Matilda, a Pomeranian and American Eskimo mix, gets a walk every day and her owner always sends me a picture of her waiting for me on the couch when I'm about to pick her up. Matilda knows exactly when it’s time for her daily walk and that just warms my heart.”

Julieta knows that no two dogs are alike, even if they’re in the same household. And that became very clear for her on one particular walk.

Calming an anxious pet with positive energy — and patience

“One was a French bulldog puppy and the other was an older mix,” Julieta said. “The pet parent had let me know in advance that the older dog was territorial, pretty protective of the puppy, and wasn't really friendly with people he just met.”

Julieta found out what the pet parent meant the moment she walked in the door to pick up the dogs for their walk.

“As soon as I got into the house he started growling at me and showing me his teeth,” Julieta said. “He wouldn't let me anywhere near him. So I just sat down in a chair and waited very patiently. Talking to him gently and sending him my best energy.

Her patience and persistence paid off.

“After 20 minutes he let me put on his leash,” Julieta said. “As soon as all three of us got out of the house he just relaxed. We walked to the park, sat in the grass where he lay down right next to me and even gave me kisses. That made the whole wait worth it.”

Helping pet parents "makes me so happy"

It’s not just the dogs that make her walks so rewarding. Knowing that she’s helping busy pet parents take care of their pups is also a positive aspect of walking with Wag!.

“Almost all my clients are single dog mommies who either have their own businesses or work long hours,” Julieta said. “Their dogs are very important to them, so it's really hard for them to leave a dog alone for so many hours.”

When those pet parents tell Julieta how happy they are with her services, it means the world to her.

“I’ve had two of them tell me recently that they were so lucky to have me in their lives,” Julieta said. “That was probably one of the best feelings I've had since I started to walk dogs. To feel so appreciated when I put in all my energy, attention, and love toward their dogs, as if they were my own. Helping them with such an important part of their life makes me so happy.”