Hi! I'm Kim. I'm from New Orleans - born and bred. I've been driving since the age of 15 with a spotless record. I carry full coverage on my vehicle and have applied for USDA certification.
I've mostly driven by myself, but in the last few years I've done some road trips with my soul dog, Shadow. I am also a certified OMV third party driving instructor/road tester.
My education and work background is diverse and one of my many strengths. I have, among other degees, an MBA in Healthcare Management where I worked for 20 years in a mostly customer-facing position in both the front office and insurance departments. I am also a special education/students with exceptionalities teacher specializing in 7th-12th grade students. I have researched and practical applications of the correlations between animal behavior (especially dogs with traumatic histories) and students with exceptionalities (specifically ADHD and autism, as well as those with traumatic or inadequate care in early childhood).
I am based in New Orleans. I travel throughout the lower 48 states. I can transport multiple pets or offer solo/VIP transport. When transporting multiple pets, they are kept separate at all times. I will make stops every 3-4 hours (more often if an animal seems distressed) for approximately 15-30 minutes to walk/bathroom. I have live GPS tracking. You will receive picture/video updates throughout the journey and I will be available via phone at all times for any concerns. I offer door-to-door pick up and delivery, with adult signature at both ends. I currently accept payment from Venmo and CashApp as well as cash.
Each pet is different, each journey is different. Please reach out with your details so we can discuss your needs and schedule accordingly.
Please Note: Citizen Shipper's fees are set by and go directly to them for use of their website/service.
Many people say that they have always felt closer to animals than people. This is especially true for me. I am a very late diagnosed AuDHD, which in hindsight, explains how I was always intuitively locked in with some things and not others. I was always a good driver, almost able to predict what people were going to do. I also seem to possess an insight into what animals are thinking and feeling. It really makes me the ideal person to transport your pets!
I KNOW the bond between human and pet. I understand that deep soul connection. That is your baby. I've been fortunate to care for many family's animals, and homes, over the last several years, as a drop-in sitter all the way to short-term in-house pet-sitter. Your child is my child when they are in my care.
The name "Shadow's Promise" has multiple layers of meaning: it is my promise to my soul dog, Shadow, when I adopted her that we were together, no matter what. She had been left in her former owner's foreclosed home. We don't know how long she was there. But when she was rescued, she had a lot of physical and emotional trauma.
When I adopted Shadow, she had just recovered from bilateral TPLO surgeries and needed a right hip replacement. However, her knees were too unstable to support this. She also needed entropion surgery, as is common with shar pei. Over the course of the first few months at home, it was discovered she had multiple food and environmental allergies, Cushing's disease, thyroid disease and liver disease. And those were just the physical conditions.
Shadow was not crate-trained; in fact, she was extremely crate-averse, so much so that at the vet, it took sedation and several techs to get her out of one when she was in for labs or procedures. Like many rottweilers and shar pei, she did not like her paws to be touched. Nail trims were difficult to say the least. Shar pei have very small, deeply buried veins - a trait going back to their heritage as guardians and fighting dogs. Getting blood from her for the quarterly ACTH stim tests to monitor her Cushings was a monumental undertaking. She did not allow anyone to pick her up or move her from a spot once she was sitting/laying down. Getting her in/out of the car was difficult due to the arthritis in her knees and hips combined with her aversion to being handled/picked up. The list goes on.
Over the course of the five years we spent together, I built a relationship of trust and respect with Shadow that allowed me to do some of these things without sedation or a muzzle. I learned many things about her specifically and about dog behavior in general. I acquired deep knowledge and skills that come with working with a dog who is traumatized - physically and emotionally, as well as a primitive breed who is very confident, stubborn, intelligent and independent. While she took many swipes at me, she never once bit down or broke skin. And never once did I consider anything other than continuing to love and care for her to the best of my ability.
So Shadow's Promise is the vow I made to her, the same as I made to all the other animals I've been blessed to have in my care: we are together to the end of the line.
Shadow's Promise is also that all animals deserve to have a voice to speak up for them, and I will be that voice whenever and wherever I can.
Shadow's promise is that all animals deserve to have a loving, committed home that will never entertain a thought that includes moving away without them or driving them to a lonely place and leaving them or not giving them the care they need, even if that means finding a new home for them.
Shadow's Promise is that every animal I meet, every animal I care for, becomes if only for a short time, my pet, under my care. And I will do everything in my power to ensure their health, safety and well-being.
I prioritize safety and comfort. There is no point in rushing to get to the destination if it involves risk or trauma in any form, whether that be from a vehicular accident or from having a potty accident, both of which should be avoidable. If you have ever traveled with your pet, or with a small child, you know that everything is MORE: time, packing, planning, and so on. I would rather quote a slightly longer drive time that guarantees your pet is as stress-free, secure and happy as possible than try to meet an improbable deadline that could result in hazardous driving conditions.
Believe me when I say that I will do anything and everything in my power to ensure that your pet has a smooth, low-stress adventure to their new destination with customized care along the way.
The photos below are mostly our family dogs: Shadow, my soul dog, the majestic black and tan rottie pei; Max and Dixie, the blonde and red golden pei siblings who were dropped off (along with so many others) at my workplace in the early 00’s and lived to be 15!; the 3 white floofs are Snow White, Scooby and Polly, my brother’s bichons; there’s also my white poodle, Jack and his sister, Jill, the white cat; our family bichon Bianca; myBFFs crazy GSP Thea; plus so many dogs and cats I’ve house sat or walked or cared for and others I’ve just met on vacation or at our annual Krewe du Paws parades.
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