Suzie grew up in Salt Lake City, and has loved animals and being outdoors all her life. She was not allowed to have a dog as a child (which is probably one reason she is so crazy about them now), but she has had her own dogs since 1979. Over the years, when she needed to travel without them, she was frustrated by the lack of quality at-home dog care services and the type of dog boarding available in Salt Lake City. She started Aarf Pet Care in 2008, based on her great love of animals, and her desire to work with them and to be outdoors. Because of her great love for animals (and their humans), Suzie wanted to provide a service of quality at-home care for pets that was desperately needed in Salt Lake City. Over the years, Aarf has grown into thriving business and a life-changing experience for Suzie, one which she treasures and is grateful for every day.

Aarf’s mission will always be to provide the finest possible care for pets and service for their humans, and to do so with integrity, compassion, hard work, commitment, and love. Suzie very carefully chooses Aarf Team members who share those values. The result is an incredible, professional group of loving, committed, happy, and dependable caregivers who always strive to give the best pet care and service possible. Suzie knows that she and her team can meet and exceed the highest client expectations, and they do it with joy every day!

Suzie has long believed that we can and must do better for our beloved animal friends, who depend on us for their quality of life. She and the Aarf Team work daily in innumerable ways to promote their health, well-being, and care. She subscribes to several professional journals, such as the Whole Dog Journal and Dog Watch, the journal of the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. She is a member of the Professional Pet Guild, which requires an application and review before accepting members. The PPG’s focus is on each pet’s physical, mental, environmental and nutritional well-being, adhering to a holistic approach to the care and training of family pets, an ideology which Suzie and her team share.

Suzie realized one of her dreams for making life better for all animals and their humans when Aarf acquired a small home with a large yard and play area in Spring 2016. There, she and the Aarf Team have created Salt Lake City’s first “doggy B & B”, the Aarf House! It’s an alternative to “industrial-style” dog boarding, and is homestyle dog lodging at its finest. The number of doggy guests is limited to 14, and typically there are only 7-8 dogs there. Each dog is free to roam around the house and the yard as he or she chooses, and can decide whether to take a dip in one of the doggy pools, play fetch with friends, relax on the grass in the shade, or sleep on one of the comfy couches or dog beds inside. It’s perfect for young dogs, because the 24/7 staffing allows Aarf Team members to reinforce housetraining, and it’s wonderful for elderly or recovering dogs who need special care. There is a bedroom for an Aarf Team member to sleep with them overnight, and anyone who wants to cuddle is welcome!

Suzie is beyond grateful for all the love and trust and care that she and her team give and get through their work with her animal and human clients/friends of Aarf, and is looking forward to many more years of the same!