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If you hire this pro, you’re covered by a money-back guarantee. Learn more
About
Professional dog walker, intermediate behaviorist/trainer, vet assistant, and puppy/kitten socialization specialist wants to meet you and your animal family! I am very passionate about providing top-quality care to my clients! I have worked with major medical and behavioral issues, including human-aggressive pets. With over 20 years of experience in the pet care field, I have clients in busy cities to the rural countryside.
I am highly intuitive when it comes to animals. I make it my mission to learn as much as possible about new and old animal care with research, reading, and continuing education courses. I fully invest in their care. Your pets are my pets, so I will go above and beyond to make sure they are happy and healthy! Valuing communication with clients, you will be informed of any mental or physical changes that present themselves. I am always available to answer questions or address comments.
I am a double-certified veterinary assistant with a solid knowledge of animal triage to help clients determine if their pets need medical attention. In an emergency, I do not hesitate to get them the proper care they need immediately keeping you informed through the entire process.
I am accepting of all walks of life. I encourage you to tell me anything you or your pets need while they are in my care!
I have two dogs of my own. Charlie is a chihuahua mix, and Browning is a lab mix. Both are highly socialized and enjoy the company of other pets. They are great dog ambassadors! They will be present for any boarding. However, they are not required to come on walks or pet sitting unless I have your approval. It's a great way to socialize your doggo in a controlled environment.
Look forward to getting to know you and your most precious treasures!
Customers rated this pro highly for professionalism, work quality, and responsiveness.
Exceptional 5.0
33 reviews
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Read reviews that mention:
Deanna M.
Sep 26, 2025
We have had Rachel stay at our house numerous times to care for our dogs over the last 6+ years. She is very responsible and our dog loves to see Rachel. She has stepped in to care for our dogs on short notice as well as for planned vacations. We know that she will help us reinforce behavior training (especially when our dogs were younger) and had no issues navigating care for an ill dog during a vacation. Rachel is our go to person to ask to stay with our dog when we have to leave.
Cindy H.
Oct 24, 2024
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Hired on Thumbtack
Wow. We are so impressed with Rachel! She took care of 3 of our dogs for a week and spent 24/7 with them. They were exercised, fed, trained and loved by Rachel. She was a true professional and responded right away to my requests. We got pictures every day and updates. I would not hesitate to use her service again. Already lined her up for December!
Details: Dog • 2 pets • Giving food and water • Taking pet outside • Providing companionship • Overnight visit (10-12 hours) • My home, venue, etc.
Pet Sitting
Diann W.
Jun 9, 2019
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Hired on Thumbtack
Rachel just spent a week caring for our three chihuahuas while we were on vacation. We’d just moved to the area & were nervous about having someone new, especially because our dogs are older ( 7,8 & 14). We really wanted someone who not only loved dogs but knew how to handle this breed & had some veterinary background. Rachel had the perfect combination of attributes to set our minds at ease.
Her daily text reports & photos helped us feel reassured while away & it was obvious that she is a real pro because of how quickly she “got” the personality of each of our “characters” & expertly handled their behavioral issues like only a fellow chihuahua owner knows how. Feeling lucky to have found her & will definitely hire her again ( and again.)
Details: Dog • 3 pets • Giving food and water • Taking pet outside • Providing companionship • Short visit (30 minutes) • Three times a day • My home, venue, etc.
Pet Sitting
Justin F.
Aug 29, 2023
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Hired on Thumbtack
Rachel has been a godsend! Our dog Hank has pretty severe stranger danger / reactivity, so we’d only ever left him with friends until recently. As friends alone stopped working as a dog sitting solution, we started looking for professional support. Enter Rachel. She wasn’t just open to working with Hank (and his sister Lola!), she was eager to win him over. She had clear, well thought out strategies for meeting him and taught us some things that have helped with greetings since. She’s stayed at our place twice now — both times taking such great care of our dogs and home. We are so grateful to have her in our lives!
Details: Dog • 2 pets • Giving food and water • Providing companionship • Providing exercise • Overnight visit (10-12 hours) • Two times a day • My home, venue, etc.
Pet Sitting
Amber P.
Aug 18, 2019
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Hired on Thumbtack
Rachel was absolutely amazing for our pets. We have one dog and one cat and she did great with both. Our cat is usually super shy around people and our dog takes a minute to warm up to people usually, but they both took to her immediately. She sent us photos and videos after every visit, which eased my mind a ton because I’m a bit of an anxious pet owner, and she was super flexible with our schedule. Highly recommend her!
Details: Dog • 1 pet • Giving food and water • Taking pet outside • Providing companionship • Providing exercise • Short visit (30 minutes) • My home, venue, etc.
Pet Sitting
Credentials
Background Check
Rachel Hickey
FAQs
What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My pricing is fairly competitive for the areas I work in. I am also flexible when it comes to my prices based on your pets needs.
How did you get started doing this type of work?
I started working as a dog daycare attendant working with up to 75 dogs at a time on my own. I then moved into the veterinary field where there was a high demand for pet sitters who were familiar with certain medical conditions. I fell in love with the work!
What types of customers have you worked with?
I have worked with a variety of animals in different medical states, ages, and breeds. I am well versed in animal behavior and training.
