2010 February

February 5th, 10

Links

February 5th, 10

Staff

November 2011 Staff Photo

February 5th, 10

Catherine Crews

Hi, I’m Catherine Crews and I graduated from the University of Arkansas with BA in History and in Art with a minor in Biology. I have lived in Chicago since 1999 and I bring a passion for animals along with the knowledge of running a small business. In my former life, I worked over 12 years in the metal industry. The last 10 years were with a company under 15 employees; building the work ethic and patience required in working with dogs – Oh, and people.

Growing up, I was that kid who brought every animal home to save. I had dogs, fish, cats, birds, snakes and a white mouse I unsuccessfully tried to hide from my mother. In college, while on a trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, I fell head over heels for a little fluff-ball that was the runt of a litter. I adopted my dog, Barney, from the local humane society that day. It was possibly the most transient point of my life, but we somehow survived my college years (thanks to a lot of dog-sitting from my parents). Barney came with me to St. Louis and then to Chicago where he lived to be almost 16 years old! He would have loved to come to Canine Crews but I lost him in February 2009! In the spring of 2011, a new dog decided to waltz into my life & has trained me very well. Carlos (Fu Man) has become an integral part of my world as well as buddy to the staff of Canine Crews. He’s a 12 pound mess of Schipperke & Poodle with a bit of Pomeranian thrown in for some fancy prancing. I call him a Schipper-Doodle but others call him Fancy Pants or Fu Man!

I have been working with rescues since 2005 and I have lost count of the number of fosters I have housed. There is nothing more satisfying than watching one of my beloved fosters find their new family – especially when they come to visit us at Canine Crews. I am also Pet First Aid/CPR certified through the American Red Cross.

February 5th, 10

February Start

February is under way and love is in the air at Canine Crews! Our doggie daycare kids are bonding with one another and get SO excited if their good buddy comes to play. Lucy is our group leader and has been teaching those little whipper-snappers how to play her way. She has great patience with the younger dogs and really loves it when some of the bigger kids come to play! We have new fencing installed in our Bark Park room so we can better separate size and play style so those who like to play chase can be on their side with the bigger dogs do their rough-and-tumble play. Chicago Off-Leash meetup group is coming for a private event on February 13^th and we hope to see a love match made with this event. Saturdays are great days to arrange play dates during our Bark Park hours from 4-6pm or if you have at least 10 dogs, we can arrange a private time for your group.

Hi! Bailey here…I’ve taken over the computer at Canine Crews. It’s not that easy to type when you have paws but my Dad will tell you that I must have opposable thumbs when he’s not looking! Hmmm…one may never know. Let me tell you about coming to play at Canine Crews – I come for daycare and Bark Park a couple times a week and I practically drag my Dad down the block! If I ever sneak out, I’m heading here so I can play! Okay…no reason to sneak out EVER but if I did, I would end up here. I have some of the best buddies a girl could ever hope for and they have taught me how to get them to play. I get SO excited that some barks might sneak out – I don’t even notice I’m doing it, but my friends let me know when I’m taking it too far. We play and play and play and then I go home for some dinner and sleep the night away! It’s exhausting having so many friends! My life was crazy until my Dad rescued me, I wasn’t sure how to relax and have fun because my home was always changing. Let me tell ya, being on the streets is not what you want in Chicago – it’s tough out there! Now I have a Dad who takes me to training class, lets me come to Canine Crews for fun and takes me for walks every day! It’s a dog’s life! Come and play – we have a great group for doggie daycare.