We love our walkers at Windy City Paws, and we want to introduce to you to Gus, who has been with us for over a year! Read on to learn more about Gus!
When I arrived in Chicago a year and a half ago, I began dog walking and sitting through various apps as a side hustle while looking for jobs in theatre and education. During this time I was reminded of how much I missed taking care of dogs. My parents are veterinarians and I grew up on a farm in Oregon, so I’ve always been surrounded by dogs. As a kid, I loved studying the different breeds and learning about their varying behaviors, temperaments, and health needs. I took care of animals at my parent’s clinic and the local humane society. Animal care has always been a part of my life so when I found a job posting for Windy City Paws, I applied right away. I’ve been a dog walker for them for a year now in the Gold Coast area. It’s quite a change walking dogs in the big city as opposed to the open fields of a farm!
Walking dogs requires a lot of time on your feet and it’s help keep me in shape. Walking between houses quickly is great exercise and it’s a rare day when my step count is under 20,000 (at least before the pandemic.) Working remotely has been interesting. One the one hand, I enjoy time by myself and with the dogs, on the other hand, it sometimes gets lonely so I appreciate the small interactions between clients who are home and the security staff that lets me into the buildings.
Apart from being a dog walker, I’m also a bilingual (English/Spanish) actor, writer, and teaching artist (you learn a lot on the farm!) Before the pandemic, you could find me on stage doing everything from Shakespeare to late night comedy or in the classroom teaching Theatre and Spanish to students throughout the Chicago area as a teaching artist. Taking care of dogs and pursuing my creative goals have all fit together better than I ever could have imagined when I first moved to Chicago. I feel very lucky to be a part of the Windy City Paws team.
Written for Windy City Paws by Gus Thomas
Thank you so much for all of your hard work Gus! If you would like to learn more about Gus and our other fantastic dog walkers, visit our website!