Susan Stasek hasn’t had a day off in 14 months.
There have been final exams (she’s completing her doctorate in clinical psychology) and tornado warnings. On a day the wind chill factor was 70 degrees below zero, her car stalled and left her stranded.
But her one-woman pet-care service, aptly named Gotta-go, hasn’t let a client down yet.
Formerly a sales representative, the Aurora resident now works up to 60 hours a week visiting as many as 54 dogs and cats in the Fox Valley area. Owners may just be working long hours or may have gone on short business trips or vacations.
“It’s fun and grueling, and I love it,” said Stasek, who walks, feeds and waters, plays with and even trains animals for their owners.
“Nine out of 10 of my calls are from people who have kenneled their animals before and would now prefer to keep their animals at home during their absence,” Stasek said. “They want their little critter to be taken care of, and they know that I’ll treat their pet as if it were mine.”
“Her visit makes my dog’s day go a little bit better,” said Kathy Redding of Naperville. Until a year ago, Redding worked nearby and was able to walk and feed 13 1/2-year-old Conrad at lunchtime.
Now commuting to her Clarendon Hills job makes that impossible; so Stasek fills the gap. “It would be unfair to leave him alone all day after all these yeras,” she said.
Stasek first conducts a no-charge, get-acquainted visit with prospective clients to determine how many visits the owner would like per day and what special needs (such as medicine or exercise) the pet may have.
“I have my own little ethics,” Stasek said. “If I wouldn’t treat the animal a particular way that the owner requests, I won’t take the job.” She also won’t handle a pet that is very aggressive or territorial.
Although she originally started Gotta-go as a business to support herself while in school, Stasek wants to continue working with animals even after she has a job in her clinical psychology.
“I used to be in sales, where the order was to get out and stay out,” she said. “In this business, your clients want you to come in and stay longer, and they give you kisses. What more could you ask for?”
