Mary I was working as the Director of Marketing, PR and Communications in a multi-billion dollar firm in Corporate America, when one day I had just decided I wanted to do something more "fulfilling" with my life. Since I've always loved pets, and was never without them my entire life, I decided this was a good way to fulfill my desire. I ventured into the world of pet sitting and never looked back! I still love my work today, as much as I did back in 1999, but regret that I do not get to spend as much time with the furry critters as I used to. My duties are mostly in the office now, but I cherish those times where I get to cover for one of our pet sitters and go play with the babies! I live in Germantown and am currently owned by a 10 year old German Shepherd named "Maxx", who rules our house! Maxx is a great watch dog, but a big baby once he gets to know someone; you can see his picture in the "Our Pets" section of the website by clicking on his name above. Now that our 2 daughters are all grown up, Maxx is the only "kid" we have. Of course, I'm a Grandma now, too! My Granddaughter is almost 5 years old and so much fun! When I'm not working, or spending time with my Daughters or Granddaughter, I'm out on my motorcycle with my husband. We both love to ride and we spend as much of our spare time as possible on 2 wheels, seeing the beautiful sights the world has to offer! I am confident that our wonderful team of pet sitters is the BEST in this area; we all love what we do, and that comes across in our work. Operating Happy Paws has given me a sense of pride and satisfaction, knowing that we provide a wonderful service for residents of Montgomery County and their precious pets. I look forward to chatting with you and meeting your beautiful pets some day.

Bonnie I did not set out to become a professional pet sitter, but to find a job doing something I enjoyed that involved pets. I have always enjoyed being around pets because they give me great joy and they make me laugh more than any of the humans I know. I started my search on the internet for a local job involving pets and found Mary quite by accident when I submitted an employee application to her that was from another pet sitting company. Lucky for me Mary has a great sense of humor because she still looked at the application and called me in for an interview. In my eyes that was fate because I cannot imagine working for another pet sitting company after coming on board with Happy Paws. Our company is so professional and we have lots and lots of happy, fun pets to care for, as well as many satisfied customers. I tell people all the time how much I love my job. Never is there any office politics, just lots of dog walks and good exercise, playing ball, kitties curled up in my lap, licking, and laughing. Before having children I was a restaurant manager here in Maryland, but I would never consider going back to that because it requires working way too many hours away from home, and because I enjoy the interaction with animals on a daily basis so much! I am currently owned by Leo the Lion, Leo for short. He is a 2 year domestic "medium" hair cat. He is unique in that he has tufts of hair growing out of his ears and out of the bottoms of his paws. My husband says he's a Hobbit because of the hairy feet thing. He loves when we have K-9 visitors at the house for the Bed and Breakfast (B&B) special that Happy Paws offers. So far he hasn't met a dog he can't get along with. A few years ago we lost our beloved "Tootsie", a Black Lab mix. You can see her photo under staff pets. Tootsie lived to a ripe old age of 16! She enjoyed camping and going places with the family more than anything else in life. She always got along with any foster dogs that came through the house. She was such good trainer of orphan pets that passed through our home, and we loved her for that! This is the first time in my life that I have not had a dog. I just haven't been ready since losing Tootsie, but working at Happy Paws helps fill the void of not having a dog around. Seeing them daily helps me heal, and having them stay for visits at the house helps the whole family heal. We are all pet lovers in our house; me, my husband, and my two teenagers! I hope to meet you and your pets some day. I always look forward to meeting a new furry friend!

Allison Hello! I am Allison Grimes, and I was born and raised in Illinois, always blessed to have pets to love and nurture. Having been brought up with animals has definitely made me a more compassionate and understanding person. Being able to spend time with my furry friends isn't just a job to me, but my passion. Each and every pet I look after, I try to treat as if they were my own baby. Besides being a full time mommy, I enjoy playing poker, mountain climbing, canoeing, and just being outdoors. When I have free time, I like to hike the paths in Black Hills, and you can find me out there anytime of year. Working for Happy Paws, I get the opportunity to make so many diffrerent and beautiful critter friends, and that makes me so super happy. Wagging tails and purring motors are what I live for! I have been married for nearly five years to my hero, Steve, an awesome, multi-talented carpenter. After begging Steve on a daily basis for the last few years, he finally gave in and agreed to adopt a lil yellow lab puppy girl and since that day, I have not stopped giggling with glee! I am the proud momma of a fearsome four year old son, and an angelic sweet pea two year old daughter, who are my life. Being able to teach my children to respect and treat all creatures with kindness, by act of example, is a privillege. They enjoy hearing about what pets I got to look after, and what we did on our visits. I enjoy getting time away from my hectic life as a mom, by petsitting. It relieves the day-to-day stresses of life when you interact with animals, and it always brings a smile to my face. Not to mention they don't talk back! Your pets are as important to you as your kids, and finding adequate child care can be challenging. Finding the right care for your pet can be even more difficult. Knowing that your pet and home are being looked after is peace of mind that is hard to put a price on. The entire staff at Happy Paws are dedicated to providing the best possible care for your pets. I would entrust any one of the staff to care for my pet while I was away, and that is a compliment to my co-workers, as I can be quite finicky when it comes to placing my babies in the care of others.

Paul Hi, my name is Paul Kim and I joined Happy Paws in October 2009. I wanted to get into a field that was interesting and void of monotony. I was also unemployed when I wanted to get into a new field until a friend recommended me to get into pet sitting. I love to be around animals and I would get paid to take care of them. I said, why not? So, on my friend's advice, I contacted Mary of Happy Paws and the rest is history. Unfortunately, pets are not allowed in my condominium, but being a sitter is the next best thing to having a pet. In the past, I have been an owner of a Jindo dog for 10 years and 2 tabby cats. I missed the experience of being around animals and the assignments I have now more than fill that void. Being in the company of the animals I take care of makes my day more enjoyable. When I am taking care of a client's beloved pet, I treat them like they were one of my own. That means I am mature, responsible, and caring enough to assure a present or future client that I am highly dedicated to making their pet feel as content as if they were with their owners. I am a University of Maryland graduate with a bachelor's degree in fine arts. During my off time, I am a huge English Football fan and watch matches religiously every weekend during the season. In addition, I love watching films, visiting art museums, listening to different genres of music, going to concerts, and I highly take pleasure in being in the company of close friends and family members. I enjoy being a pet sitter immensely and I look forward to assisting future clients in raising their pets well.

Kris Welcome! I have been a happy client of Happy Paws since 2001, so much that I decided to join the team a few years ago. I've had cats my entire life, and dogs when I was growing up. When I first found Happy Paws, I still had my cat Prettyboy, who was with me almost 17 years and moved cross country and back without protest. These days I have Gus, a chatty and extremely smart 11-year old guy that fears no one and loves to get under the sheets when you're making the bed. We also have Monty, a 4 y.o. who enjoys belly rubs, drinking water off his paw, and carrying toys around in his mouth for a solo game of fetch (yep, he's a cat). Gus and Monty are both featured in the "Our Pets" section of this website. I have been accused of having the coolest felines around, and I have to agree! Some other background about me: I'm married to my best friend, have two beautiful daughters and I'm originally from the DC area. I enjoy photography, gardening, running a marathon each year, and traveling whenever possible. When I'm not taking care of animals, I work with the military to reduce combat PTSD. In short, I love animals as do all the great folks at Happy Paws, and I know firsthand the stellar care and attention they give to every pet. As a client I've always felt 100% secure knowing they were in charge while I went away, and now I also have the pleasure of "paying it forward"!

Marjorie I am a born and raised Marylander, and I have lived here my whole life. I am currently an art teacher in Montgomery County. I’ve lived in Germantown for a little over two years now, and I really love this area. I have only lived three months out of my entire life without a pet of some sort. Believe me -they were a long three months! I grew up with, and have been owned by, dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, fish, birds, and hermit crabs. My family was (and still is) very active in dog field training and trials. Therefore I have had a lot of exposure to animals and training. I started with HappyPaws in 2010 after my dog of 16 years passed away. The loss of Sunny, a rescued Golden Mix, hit me very hard. I knew I wasn’t ready for a new pet, but I missed being around animals. Therefore HappyPaws has been the perfect place for me. I really enjoy spending time with other’s pets and getting to know them. Each has its own personality, and learning their unique quirks and foibles is a delight. While I currently am not ready for a new furry pet, I am fortunate enough to be owned by a three-year-old hermit crab, Dude. He keeps my house from being empty, while also allowing me to have the free time to take care of your pets.

Theresa I joined the Happy Paws Team in 2010. I work as a 3rd grade teacher in Montgomery County and am a pet lover. I live with my husband Bryan of 23 years, my daughter Nicholle who is a junior in high school, Samantha who is a freshman in high school and our 5 year old curly, fluffy daughter Sandie. I have been a cat owner all of my life until 5 years ago when we found our family petless. At that time, my husband and daughters began the banter of "we should get a dog...we need a dog...dogs are great..." Due to my allergies, I was adamant that we would NOT own a dog. Bryan researched and found my favorite dog breed (a golden retriever) that was somewhat "hypo-alergenic" and would not affect my allergies too badly. So, within a week, we were bringing home the new addition to our family, Sandie,the Gldendoodle. The girls named her because her fur was the color of mixed sand at the beach. She has an amazing personality and gets along well with everyone (especially other dogs). I could not imagine my life without Sandie in it and am glad I listened to the other members of my family. We walk daily and play often. Caring for her and seeing the love reciprocated is so rewarding! I first heard of Happy Paws through an associate of the company, Bonnie. She spoke highly of Happy Paws and its owner, Mary. Bonnie's dedication to her job, especially her love and care for the pets intrigued me. Bonnie would explain her job requirements to me: going to others homes, feeding, walking, playing, and loving on all the animals, who could wish for a more gratifying job! So, I called Mary, the owner of Happy Paws. When I met Mary I was instantly impressed with her professionalism and dedication to her employees, clients and company. I am now a proud associate and member of the Happy Paws Pet Sitting community!

Lori My name is Lori Sheetz. I joined the Happy Paws Team in early 2011 and could not be happier about it! I am getting married in August to my wonderful, hilarious, and brilliant fiance Stephen. We met at Penn State (Go Nittany Lions!). Together, we own 4 lovely guinea pigs: Nugget, Peanut Butter, Adia, and Pancake. We never intended to have four; but our hearts are too big and could not say no to another rescue or two. They are the loves of our lives and we pamper them to no end! Stephen and I look forward to rescuing a dog or cat after we get married this summer (and the chaos of the wedding settles down). I've been the loving owner of many different types of animals: dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, a cockatiel, parakeets, mice, guinea pigs, fish, and even a gecko. By sheer luck, I have adopted three different pregnant animals in my lifetime (without knowing it at the time)! I have a Bachelor's Degree from Penn State in English and a Master's Degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Library and Information Science, where I studied to become a school librarian. As such, I am an avid reader; I try to read several books each week. I also love to try new restaurants, play board games, and travel. In the meantime, I look forward to meeting you and your pet!

Katie W My name is Katie and I joined the Happy Paws team in the summer of 2011. I currently attend Penn State University, majoring in Kinesiology. I am also a member of the Penn State Track and Field Team which keeps me extremely busy while I’m at school. I hope to take my degree and go to graduate school to become a physician’s assistant. Throughout my whole life my family has included pets. My parents have worked me and my sister up from goldfish to a hamster and now to a West Highland white terrier who has been a part of our family for eleven years. My dog’s name is Duffy and he is always entertaining our family with his adorable personality. He is such a little diva and he definitely knows who the master of the house REALLY is. Coming home from college and being greeted by him is one of the best feelings in the world. In my free time I enjoy reading, watching movies, and anything outdoors.