Every dog owner goes through it. And if you’re not a dog owner, you’ve seen it in the movies. Sad eyes as you walk out the door. Nose pressed against the window watching you drive away, wondering when you’ll be back.
Whether you’ve had your dog for two weeks or two years, leaving your dog for the day can be tough. Then, when you’re back, all you want to do is sit, and all they want to do is play.
But what if there was a way to help them burn off that energy with a little extra socializing to go along with it? That’s the experience Off Leash MKE has been building for the area’s pet owners over the last decade.
“I think the impact that this has had on our clients specifically is they work really long days,” owner and founder Lori Riegler explained. “And sometimes they've come home from working 12 hours and their dog needs a little bit more than a walk around the block.”
For Riegler, it started with the simple act of getting on the Rover app. Before long, she was so busy that a part-time gig turned into a rapidly growing business.
“I was walking dogs at the Humane Society as a volunteer as well as working in vet services, and I really loved working with animals,” she recalled. “And I thought, ‘Hey, I bet I could do this as a job.’”
Their Adventure Club has attracted special attention by providing a full-service experience that begins when handlers pick up dogs from their homes and take a small group to local trails, parks and fields. It’s an opportunity for them to explore new parts of the city and meet other canines.
“This gets their dog out of the house,” Riegler said. “They get out in nature. They get enrichment. They get to decompress, and they are just very fulfilled pets.”
In September, Off Leash celebrated 10 years of providing the Milwaukee-area with services like the Adventure Club, pet training and sitting, and dog-walking services. With all of that on the menu, Riegler can’t do it on her own. Fortunately, there are plenty of like-minded people throughout the area looking for a career they love as much as the animals in their lives.
“Even though this is a job, all of us have a passion for pets,” said Lindsey LaBeau, who joined the Off Leash team in 2025. “It's not just like, ‘Oh, I'm here to work my 9 to 5.’ It's like, ‘No, I wanna be with dogs. I wanna make sure that they are having the most fun that they can, and getting out and exploring.’”
She started in dog care six years ago as a bather in the PetSmart grooming salon, and with Off Leash she’s discovered a place where she can grow more confident in her work and herself.
“When you see things that are like, ‘Hey, maybe we could do this differently,’ your voice actually matters and you can be heard and … can actually see change,” LaBeau said.
She put that input to work during an Adventure Club outing to Kletzsch Park with two dogs, Napa and Willa. LaBeau picked up the dogs from their homes, brought them to the park, and walked with them for an hour while they played and sniffed around. During her time at Off Leash, LaBeau has seen the two dogs grow and learn positive behaviors.
“Just being able to build their confidence is a really amazing thing to see,” she said. “It always brings me so much joy, watching a dog come out of their shell.”
That’s true of LaBeau as well. In addition to finding her voice as part of Off Leash, she discovered a unique ability to care for anxious dogs.
“Pet parents sometimes worry that their dog isn't learning at a certain level or that they're not doing anything in class or they're nervous of the world,” she said. “I always have to remind them, especially with puppies, that this is their first time on Earth and that they just sometimes need a little bit of extra special care. Being able to create that relationship with them is really rewarding.”
The positive impact goes beyond the dogs and their handlers. Off Leash’s clients can feel content knowing their pets have something to look forward to while they’re at work, which gives them both something to look forward to when they get home.
“It helps give their pet owners peace of mind knowing that they're getting out and getting what they need,” Riegler said, “and they can just snuggle and relax with their dog at the end of the day.”
