Susie's Pet Care LLC
dog walking, training, and pet sitting
dog walking, training, and pet sitting
About Us
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary trainer Pat Whitacre and Susie at Strut Your Mutt 2010!
Susie DeFord is a lifelong pet owner and lover. She grew up in Florida where she had a dog and two cats and worked with horses from a young age. She started her dog walking business when she moved to Brooklyn in 2000. In the beginning, she used dog walking and pet sitting to supplement her income; she also taught after school at Brooklyn Friends and Berkeley Carroll Schools. In 2005 she earned her MFA in creative writing at New School University and began dog walking full time. Soon, seeing some of her clients needed help with behavior issues, she began drawing from her many years of experience and study of animal behavior to offer behavior modification and training. Many satisfied longtime customers later, Susie's Pet Care is still going strong offering personalized, loving care to pets in Brooklyn!
Susie is a member of the APDT and is CPDT-KA certified dog trainer. She has studied and worked with Sue Sternberg, Pia Silvani, Trish King, Pat Whitacre and other trainers at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. In 2010 Susie was invited to train dogs for a few weeks at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah.
Susie writes the blog Dog Poet Laureate and is author of the poetry and photography book Dogs of Brooklyn. Buy it now!
Holmes Rackleff (pictured with her dog Dee), grew up in Florida with pets and volunteered in her uncle's veterinary clinic as a kid. Holmes is a pet lover and freelance writer who lives in Brooklyn with her dog and best friend of seven years, Detroit Rock City (Dee for short). She works full time M-F with Susie and pet sits.
Gabriel Reisco (pictured with his dog Ralphie) grew up with Mastiff Shepherds in the mountains of Spain. He has always felt very connected to the animal world. He is an avid animal lover and a freelance music composer and arranger. You can learn more about his music here. He works full time with Susie M-F.
Melisa Beveridge (pictured here with her sister’s dog, Chuy) is a freelance science illustrator and is currently pursuing a degree in Veterinary Technology at Mercy College. She frequently volunteers for various animal organizations, both taking care of animals, and drawing them. She also does pet portraits which can be seen at www.sketchyourpet.com. She pet sits and is a part time sub walker.
Dennis Riley (pictured with our dog Phoebe "helping" and our cat Itty Pity sleeping on back of couch), Susie's husband, pet sits and is our official photographer. He has collaborated with Susie on her book, Dogs of Brooklyn, adding several wonderful dog pictures to her words. His photography can be found on our pictures section. For photography inquiries please contact him.