From the start, it was about my dog.

While actively engaged in my court reporting career, a constant consideration while away on depositions, working erratic hours, my sweet girl, Aretha, a mix of Black Lab and Bassett Hound, was never out of the plans. I took her needs to heart, making sure that a trusted family member would be with her, and not only her basic needs would be met, but also the attention from another loving person. This was the pattern. She lived to be 18 years old, moving with me from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Manhattan, NY, then to Austin.

In 2011, I moved to Dallas with my three Goldens, foster-fails as they were, and I began dog-walking with The Pawfessionals. This evolved, not only as my passion, but my source of income. When family matters took me on another change of address into Dripping Springs, TX, I set my goals on my own dog-walking service, and that was the inception of Mary's Buddies, circa 2019. The business venture was a success. Mary's Buddies is in two central Texas towns now, continuing quality pet-care service in Dripping Springs and in our new home in Austin, where my sweet Golden/Border Collie and I are happy to call home, close enough to Lady Bird Lake to keep us both running!

In my lifelong appreciation of caring for dogs, all types, from Shepherds to Shih tzu, from Pitties to Poodles, from Retrievers to Rotties, I've come to learn and appreciate the temperament, the energy levels, and all that these furry family members require. We never underestimate the individual details that every dog requires and deserves. Mary's Buddies provides midday dog-walks and pet-care for the family who's in an office during the day, or maybe pet-sitting while everyone is on a vacation, or even the personalized option of boarding dogs in my home for extended stays, giving them the anti-facility atmosphere, rather making it a home-away for a few days. It's what we offer here at Mary's Buddies.