Ariel's 2 Year Anniversary with C_UP

This month marks the 2-Year Anniversary of our wonderful petsitter Ariel Parrella-Aureli joining our team! Time has really flown having such a blast with this girl. She joined our team as a young Columbia College freshman in late 2014, from Sante Fe, New Mexico. The urban midwestern life was different from back home where she used to fly planes in the desert, but Ariel has only thrived in Chicago.

Ariel now writes for her school’s newspaper, The Chronicle, when she’s not out walking all of our furry friends. Though it does limit her time with C_UP, we couldn’t be more happy for her that she’s found two things she loves to do. She’s worked with a handful of our clients for the full 2 years she’s been with us as well. Check out what longtime clients Lena and Zack's experience has been with Ariel as she weighs in on her time with us so far, below!
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“She's looked after our dog [Ruby] we've never had any issues and Ariel has been able to keep our minds at ease while we were away from home...She goes out of her way to make sure that everything is taken care of and hasn't ever cut corners. Not only do we trust her, but our dog does as well. It feels like Ariel has become part of our family and we couldn't be happier. We are pleased to have found her through Chicago Urban Pets. Congrats to Ariel on 2 years!”   - Lena and Zack P.

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What's your favorite part about the job?
My favorite part about the job is hanging out with dogs, meeting new dogs and loving dogs! Also exploring the city by walking is a huge advantage.

Have you overcome difficult situations while working this job?
I've overcome hardships by listening to my gut and not being afraid to ask the owners questions if a problem arises. Communication is key!

Can you take away any skills from this job and apply them to your developing career?
Any skills that I'll take away... professional yet friendly client interaction and writing updates improve my personable skills and will help me in my writing career. I do a lot of that in my journalism job!

What do you hope to be when you “grow up?”
Haha! Umm... a person with a job that I love and that can get me near animals in one way or another! 

What does being a dogwalker/petsitter mean to you? 
Being a dog walker to me means spending time with my four-legged friends and taking on a simple responsibility that demonstrates trust and commitment. ​

Cheers to you Ariel, it's been a wonderful two years of many yet to come!