Meet Julie - A South Carolina Wag! Dog Walker Spotlight Story

We're back with another Pet Caregiver Spotlight story, to spotlight top, pawsome Pet Caregivers around the nation who provide pet care on the Wag! platform! This time, we're featuring Julie — a pup-loving dog walker from Charleston, South Carolina. Julie has completed a whopping 1155 dog walks with reviews earning her a 5.0 star rating. Pet parents who had worked with Julie have said she is "fantastic," "treats their pups as she would her own," "warms up quickly to shy dog clients," and "sends many cute pictures and videos" on all her walks. 

We've asked Julie a series of fun questions to get to know her better! Here's what we asked her.

Julie: I’m native to a town called Munster, Indiana ( a town about 25 miles from downtown Chicago). I met my husband while living in the Chicago area, then we moved to St. Louis and lived there for 20 years, and now we have resided in Charleston, South Carolina for the last five years.

Julie: Besides being able to love on dogs every day, I love spending time with my husband and my dogs. We love to walk, go to the dog park, and go to the beach and spend time on the water. We also enjoy boating. I also love and work with Chinese Shar-Pei rescue groups, particularly a rescue called Shar-Pei Nation Rescue. We find homes for the Chinese Sharpei and Sharpei mix dogs. It’s a pure joy to be able to help find homes for these dogs.

Julie: I currently have three dogs and two cats. I have two Chinese Shar-Peis. Their names are Teddy and Dalia. I also have a Dalmatian and her name is Sophie. My two cats' names are Bella and Simon. 

I have owned pets my entire life always have had 2 to 3 dogs in my house. I always wanted the other one to always have company and a friend to be with. I have always had the Chinese Shar-Pei breed. My Sophie, who is a Dalmatian, was my father-in-law‘s dog who after he passed away I took her. 

I do love the dog breed, but I really do like any dog. I remember buying my first dog for my husband (back then was my boyfriend), and I was so excited being able to get my own dog. But growing up, my parents were always on cats and dogs so that’s where my love of dogs came from.

Julie: I've seen the ads on TV and online, and it’s always been my dream to take care of dogs and walking for Wag! was a jumpstart for me so that made sense for me that I sign up and it's been nothing but happy since starting. 

Julie: Oh my, that’s a hard one. Charleston is such a beautiful town with many, many great places to be able to walk dogs. I don’t think I really have a favorite because no matter where I walk it’s always so beautiful. I have walked on beaches, around lakes, many parks, marshes— so many that I love to just walk everywhere because it’s so beautiful here in Charleston.

Julie: Being able to take care and love and have fun with my clients and their dogs. I love meeting new dogs and developing bonds with both the dog and the client. This is a great platform to be able to grow yourself on Wag! and grow and establish many clients that always want you to walk their pups.

Julie: To absolutely love what you do! To know that every dog is different and to expect the unexpected. Every walk is different so don’t expect them to be the same. 

Always be confident in yourself and confident when you’re going to the first meet and greet with the dog and client. I truly feel a dog nose and can feel how they feel. When you go to a meet and greet, make sure you tell them you’re happy you have met them and you cannot wait to take care of the dog. 

Always treat the dogs with love respect. Make sure that the dog and the pet parent have a positive experience. 

Always, always share many videos and pictures of your walk, the pet parents really really enjoy that.

Lastly, I would always have backup leashes, collars, and poop bags.

Julie: Oh gosh, my story! “I LOVE DOGS” and animals of all kinds. My love for them started when I was young and it just kept growing and growing. Through the years I have worked with many rescues and Humane Society of Missouri. Anything I could do to help I was always the first in line. 

Every year while I was in Missouri I would help raise lots of money to help with the Humane Society from Missouri for an event that they had every year. Each year is always the top fundraiser. 

My husband and I could not have children, so we became “Pet Parents." I’ve been married to my husband, Ray, for 25 years and we will always be Pet Parents and we will always, always have them in our lives.

Julie: To be able to love and help and be around dogs, to be able to grow my self with the dogs and clients, to love and give attention to dogs, and to help parents that need help definitely helps build myself and build a good clientele base. And because I love dogs so much — why not give back my love to other dogs and families?

A big thank you to Julie for sharing her story with us and her experience as a dog walker in South Carolina. We're blessed to have dependable Pet Caregivers like Julie who provide 5-star awesome care to furbabies on our Wag! platform. If you're in the area, book a walk with Julie!

Not a resident of South Carolina? Find a top dog walker near you, and make sure your furbabies get their much needed poo/pee breaks, and a little exercise!