Many people ask me how I became a dog walker and pet sitter. The short answer is “I fell into it.” When my teaching career got interrupted by the economy, a friend of mine recruited me to help walk some neighborhood dogs. From then, I was hooked. Exercising with wonderful family pets, I thought, “You mean, I can actually get paid for doing this?!”


The longer answer to the question is, since I’ve always been a huge animal lover, I’ve really been in the animal care business all of my life. My first dog, Dandy, and my first cat, Cali, taught me how important it is to have animals in our lives. To care for another living creature teaches so much about having compassion and empathy. Family role models like my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles (really, I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t like animals) also taught me a lot about caring for pets as family

members. I’ve tried to instill these values and lessons to my children too with my dog Lucy and cats, Tom and Jerry.


When my friend moved, I got into the driver’s seat, founded Leslie’s Leashes and it’s been a wonderful, furry adventure ever since!