Meet The Team!
Meet The Team!
Sarah Chahy
Owner & Captain of Cuddles
Certified Professional Pet Sitter 2024
PetTech PetSaver Certified 2024
Pet Sitters International Courses Completed:
Caring for a Pet with Diabetes 2024
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
For as long as I can remember, I've felt a connection to all animals. I grew up with a beautiful Golden Retriever mix, Sandy, who I absolutely adored. My parents always encouraged my love for animals and my dad is probably one of the biggest animal lovers I know (he will follow along on Instagram and will regularly check in with me on how all of your pets are doing).
I love the Hawaiian concept that you are not your pet's owner, but their Kahu, meaning their 'guardian, protector, steward, beloved, attendant' and that your role is to protect them and help them walk through this life.
With a Bachelor's in Women's Studies and a Master's in Nonprofit Management, I have worked in various professional IT roles and started pet sitting many years ago for friends and family. In 2019 I LLC'd and in 2021 I decided to make the leap, leaving my full time corporate position to pursue my passion for animal care. Since then I've been blessed with the most amazing clients, a wonderful, knowledgeable, dedicated team, and feel lucky every day to call this my job.
I love learning and providing our team with professional training opportunities. In the past I volunteered with Berea Animal Rescue and am now a Certified Professional Pet Sitter with Pet Sitter's International, am PetTech PetSaver Certified, and will be pursuing a certification in Animal Hospice and Palliative Care to better serve our senior clients and those with medical issues. I'm also proud that I helped to create and organize a twice yearly CLE Pet Care Community Night for all those in the Cleveland area to get together, network, share best practices and learn about each others' businesses. I'm a firm believer in sharing knowledge and supporting others in their success, and meeting others in this industry has been absolutely wonderful.
And lastly, as a frequent traveler who has a 21 year old kitty, Miss Pirate, I understand how important it is to know that your fur babies are receiving the same love as they would from you while you're away. Our team consists of a small but mighty group of dedicated, passionate, knowledgeable, certified pet care professionals who focus on safety, education, enrichment and professionalism. We provide outstanding care while still having fun and giving plenty of cuddles to your beloved family members. We tackle all 'the things' so you can remain worry-free!
Meet The Team!
Jolene Spannuth
First Mate of Cuddles
Team Member since 2023
Certified Professional Pet Sitter, 2024
PetTech PetSaver Certified 2024
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hello! I’m Jolene and I’m excited to be a part of the Sarah The Sitter Team!
My husband and I currently reside in Rocky River with our slightly spoiled and very chatty cat, Clark. We are long time clients of Sarah’s and appreciate the love and care she provides to Clark. We have never felt more at ease leaving Clark while we are away than when Sarah is caring for him. We still miss him but knowing how much she loves him, how much he loves her (sometimes I’m a little jealous), and seeing him in updates makes it a little easier to be away. I look forward to providing that same level of care to your pets!
I have a background in healthcare, managed IT services, and project management. I grew up with dogs, cats, horses, hamsters, guinea pigs, fish, lizards, and the occasional goat. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with family, time outdoors, snowboarding, watching reruns of Law and Order, and snuggling with any animals I can.
I have been a volunteer at Friendship APL in Elyria for 4.5 years and enjoy it immensely. Myself, and another friend and volunteer, currently lead a pack walk once a week and teach Dog Walking 101 three times per month to new volunteers who wish to interact directly with the dogs.
FAPL has a partnership with Grafton Correctional Institute in which dogs learn basic commands over 8-12 weeks, on-site at GCI. I was fortunate to be taught those basic commands to help canine graduates of the program maintain and/or continue to improve those skills while they are waiting to be adopted. I am not a trainer, however, I enjoy attending training webinars to advance my knowledge of different training methods. If your pet knows any commands or are working on new skills, I would love to hear about them in an effort to maintain consistency and help them be successful.
I look forward to meeting you and your pets!
Cheryl Craver
Team Member since 2025
PSI's Pet First Aid & CPR for Pet-Care Professionals, 2025
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hi, I'm Cheryl!
Hi! My name is Cheryl Craver. I’ve always loved animals and started out caring for cats from the time I was born in Berea until I was in my late 30s. I went to school in Cincinnati and received a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Art Education, then began a career in working with children and adults with disabilities. I received a Master’s Degree from Kent State in Infant Development and, seven years ago, I left that work to pursue being an artist. Over the past few years I worked at City Goods and loved it! Since they've closed, I've stayed connected to the art community and now work in Lakewood as a framer and sell my artwork at FunktiniLand in Lakewood! I also curate and hang exhibitions at the Yards Project which is located downtown in Worthington Yards.
When my son’s first word was “doggie”, I started to think about adopting a dog. The problem was I had never owned a dog before and my only in-depth experience with a dog was when I met a beautiful golden retriever on vacation in Upper Michigan. Well…you probably know where this story is going! That beautiful creature stole my heart and I contacted a golden retriever rescue to make my son's dream come true! At our first visit, Briar walked into our house, came straight over to me, and put his head directly in my lap. That's the day I became an absolute dog lover.
After our experience with Briar, we adopted several different dogs from several different local rescues over the years and even did some fostering. My child, Renn, now has 5 cats, so I am a proud Cat Nana to all of them. Unfortunately, I'm unable to have pets in my current rental, so becoming a pet care specialist with the Sarah The Sitter team is my way of filling that void. I'm so excited to meet your loved ones and look forward to caring for them just as I would care for my own!
Nina DeMaria
Team Member since 2025
PetTech PetSaver Certification, 2026
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hi, I'm Nina!
I was born in Cleveland and still proudly call it home, though I’ve lived all along the Cleveland–Akron corridor throughout my life.
I have a strong background in operational management and leadership, with expertise in team building, training, and SOP writing. I aim to leave every workplace better than I found it, empowering others with confidence they can carry forward. I value collaboration over competition and focus on providing excellent service while building authentic connections that feel rare in today’s world.
I’m also a lifelong animal lover. In 2020, I began offering in-home pet care, which quickly grew from a side hustle into a source of joy and purpose. I realized that pet care wasn’t just a way to earn extra income—it allowed me to live out my calling to be of service and help others. Since then, I’ve expanded into house sitting both for people I know and through platforms such as Rover and TrustedHousesitters. Over the years, I’ve cared for everything from small senior dogs with disabilities, to large, strong pups who don’t realize their own size, to entire households of cats with unique personalities. I also gained professional experience as both a dog handler and a supervisor at a local daycare and boarding facility, where I became confident handling pets of all temperaments and needs.
I find deep fulfillment in caring for my clients’ pets as if they were my own—making sure they feel safe, loved, and kept as close to their normal routines as possible while their people are away.
In addition to pet care, I work as a freelancer in the live events industry, specializing in music, arts, and experimental productions. I’m also a fully insured multi-prop fire entertainer, with poi and fire eating torches as my favorite props. I’m passionate about creating inclusive spaces in the music industry and mentoring women to pursue careers in production.
Outside of work, I enjoy writing poetry, exploring historical landmarks and museums, spending time in nature, camping, chasing sunsets, and stargazing. I’m fascinated by outer space and believe laughter is one of life’s best medicines—so I never pass up a good stand-up comedy show. I can't wait to spend time with your beautiful pets!
Julie Cartier
Team Member since 2025
PetTech PetSaver Certification, 2026
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hi! I’m Julie Cartier.
Animals have been a huge part of my life since I was little! My best friend's father is a veterinarian who is a close friend of my family and I learned quite a lot just by being around that environment. I became their family pet sitter and have had the pleasure of watching their animals throughout the years
I’ve been pet sitting since 2014 for family and friends and love spending quality time with the animals I’m watching. Every relationship I have with them is special and I love that I can bring comfort to both pets and their owners while they’re away. I've also nannied for quite a few friends and family members and find the caretaking role to be one that suits me well.
I also worked on a horse farm from 2016 to 2020 while focusing on my Associate’s Degree in Illustration. In addition to photographing pets during visits, I also love drawing them and bringing out their individual personalities!
I have a mini-labradoodle who always wants to play, and I enjoy going on little adventures with her to the metroparks, the beach, or to a friend’s house to play with their dogs.
I'm so excited to be joining the Sarah the Sitter team and can't wait to get to know your fur babies!
Emily Gaspar
Team Member since 2026
PetTech PetSaver Certification, 2026
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hi! I’m Emily.
I was born and raised in the Cleveland area! I grew up with animals and have felt a really deep love for them all my life. I am the go to pet sitter and pet steward of my family and friends.
Over the last few years, I have worked as the lead floral designer at a local flower shop. Working with flowers has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I also realized how much I love working with animals and wanted to further incorporate them into my work.
I have in, some aspect of my life, always been taking care of animals for friends and families. I grew up with a golden retriever (Sunny) and a black lab/golden retriever mix (Shadow). They were quite the dynamic duo and not only opposite in looks but in personality as well!
I had a once in a lifetime experience of helping my sister rehabilitate her husky’s behavioral issues from 2020-2022. We learned the importance of paying attention to animal body language and working with a dog’s state of mind in order to lead a better and safer life. All in all we learned how to communicate, provide structure, and work with an animal that had more specific needs!
I’m very excited to be working with Sarah and the Team! I really value pet safety, care, and making sure they have their needs met! I love connecting with animals and giving them all the love (or all the space) they need and want. I’m really looking forward to being part of the magic and care that goes into making sure your animals are and feel loved and supported!
I’m looking forward to meeting you and your pets!
Courtney Ramey
Team Member since 2026
PetTech PetSaver Certification, 2026
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hello! I’m Courtney Anne, and animals have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My full name is Courtney Anne, but you can call me Courtney, Anne, or Courtney Anne. As Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” and I answer happily to all three. I grew up surrounded by dogs, bunnies, a turtle in the family, and plenty of animals throughout my extended family. One of my earliest animal care memories was trying to save baby birds as a kid and caring for them for a few weeks on my own.
Today, my home is happily run by Munchie, my 7-year-old rescue cat, Willow, my 2-year-old Aussie, and Brawnson, my 8-month-old Aussie/Rottweiler mix. I’ve been walking, caring for, and spending time with dogs for over 25 years, including pet sitting for friends and family, overnight care, multiple-pet households, large dogs, senior pets, reactive dogs, and pets needing oral medication. I’m also comfortable following routines, watching for behavior changes, and giving extra patience to animals who need someone to move at their pace. Recently, I’ve been caring for one of my dog’s paw injuries, including cleaning, wrapping, and bandaging, so I understand how much consistency and attention to detail matter.
Professionally, my background includes hospitality, live events, community work, and operations leadership, where I learned how important reliability, communication, and trust are when people are counting on you. Outside of work, I love hiking, paddleboarding, gardening, sports, dog sports, and being outdoors. I’m caring and grounded, but I also love the goofy side of animals. My Aussie, Willow, talks back to me constantly, and we have full back-and-forth conversations in our own dramatic little language. My goal is always to make pets feel safe, comfortable, loved, and understood while their people are away.