Meet us

The Grateful Dawg was founded by Tess Smith-Meseth, along with the support of her Husband, Josh Meseth, in 2016. A life long lover of animals, Tess grew up on a small farm in Northeast Oklahoma. Riding horses, feeding the cows and playing with the puppies was all in a days work back then. Missing Nature and the connection she held with animals, Tess ended her 17 year long career in the hair industry and set out on a new career path. One focused on family, animals and being outside.

George, is a veteran dog walker and business development extraordinaire! He is one of our pet sitters with many years of experience, walking droves of doggies at PAWS and caring for crates of kitties at Treehouse. When George isn't with animals he helps ensure The Grateful Dawg is running a smooth operation and maintaining a sustainable, community-based development path. George spends his free time teaching kids how to ski, soaking in live music, and spoiling his two cats, Casey and Bagheera. Schedule a complemtary meet and greet with George today!

Patricia is a life long dog lover! Her sweet and kind personality creates an immediate connection with the dogs and cats she works with. She specializes in Dog walking, house sitting and cat visits. Her service area is Albany Park, Irving Park, Ravenswood Manor, Lincoln Square and more! Think Patricia would be a perfect match for your best friend? Schedule a meet and greet today!

Josh is our in house Hero! He keeps us up to date on life saving techniques and schedules our PET CPR & FIRST AID certifications. He is a Firefighter/Paramedic and secretary of his IAFF Union. Josh is a huge help on his days off from the FD!

In Loving Memory of our boy Telher
We carry your paw prints on our hearts

November 27th, 2009 - July 9th, 2020

Telher is easily the most important member of our team! He is a 10 year old Golden Lab. His humans are Josh and Tess. He is gentle with puppies and loves to lay on the ground to play with the tiniest of animals. He even hangs out with a Guinea Pig named Nibbles on the reg. His love for humans and calming nature is known through the neighborhood. Telher is great at helping socialize animals and is a fantastic role model for puppies learning the ropes. He enjoys traveling, swimming and playing fetch. His favorite place is running through the Forrests of the Rockie Mountains.

We pride ourselves on hiring the most reliable, responsible and kind hearted animal loving professionals we can find!

At The Grateful Dawg all of our team members must be willing to go through a thorough background check and pass a Pet CPR and First Aid Certification.

If you would like to join our team please send your resume to thegratefuldawgchi@gmail.com