About Us
It’s about the bond. It’s about commitment. It’s about love. It’s about Apronstrings.
Have you ever heard the expression’ it’s time to cut the apron strings’? It’s a bit old-fashioned, but it refers to children growing older and no longer being tied to their parents’ apron strings. Human children do grow up and become independent. They can, for the most part, function on their own!
Here is where our name comes in. Pets are tied to the ‘apron strings’ of their care givers/owners/guardians…whichever term you use….for life…while children usually embark on a life of their own, pets do not! They are always tied to Apronstrings!
Pet ownership is a lifetime commitment and we are here to help facilitate that bond when you are not physically there to do so. It’s about the bond. It’s about commitment. It’s about love. It’s about Apronstrings.
Apronstrings was founded in 1990 by Kim Tank, a registered veterinary technician. Kim is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter through Pet Sitters International. In addition, she has become Fear Free Certified, a program developed to reduce fear, stress and anxiety in pets.
She hired her first employee in 1996, after carefully researching hiring practices in the industry. Her staff have always been employees, covered by her bond, liability insurance and worker’s compensation policy. All of her staff receive intensive ongoing training and all are either certified in pet first aid, or are currently enrolled in a class.
Meet our ManagemEnt Team
We serve central Contra Costa County and select parts of El Dorado County in Northern California.
Contra Costa County: Walnut Creek, Concord, Martinez, Clayton, Pleasant Hill, Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga.
El Dorado County: Pollock Pines, Placerville and Camino.
Kim Tank
CEO, chief of staff, pet care specialist
Kim has always known she was destined to work with animals and has devoted her life to working in pet care. After living in Concord for many years, she relocated her family to Pollock Pines, CA, in 2016, to raise goats and (more) chickens. She has 3 cats and a dog named Kevin.
Kim is a former registered veterinary technician with 13 years working in hospitals, a Certified Professional Pet Sitter with Pet Sitters International (PSI), a member of PSI, Texas Pet Sitters Association, Florida Pet Services Assoc, speaker at several pet sitting conferences, author of several articles in PSI magazine, earned a certificate in Pet Loss Support, a certificate in HR from CSU East Bay, and is a hiring coach for other pet sitters.
Kim splits her time between the Bay Area and El Dorado County to maintain a close connection with her sitters, her clients and their loving pets.
When not working, she loves running, kayaking, mentoring other pet sitters and exploring El Dorado Wine Country.
Howard Tank
CFO, head of office operations
Kim’s husband Howard has always been her number one supporter and joined the business full time in 2013. He handles most admin duties, including scheduling visits and onboarding new clients.
When not in the office, Howard is often found throwing the ball for Kevin, working in his garden or attending wine events with Kim.
Joanne Ottone
head of IT
Kim’s sister Joanne is an integral part of our organization. She is the designer and administrator of the APS database and app. From instructions to schedules, everything is stored in our secure system to keep things running smoothly.
When not on duty for Apronstrings, Joanne is an actuary and a Peloton ‘beast’. She lives in Walnut Creek with her husband, son and two very cute kitties.
OUR TEAM APPROACH
Pet care is a 24/7/365 business. Our precious living breathing beings need love and attention on a constant basis. We have set up our business to make sure there are never any gaps in care. We have sitters on duty for every shift we offer, and back up sitters in case of illness or emergencies. To do this, we operate as a team. This means you may have more than one care giver, depending on the length of your trip. There are a few reasons why this is important.
Benefits to you: Employee retention and consistent coverage
We do not ask one sitter to perform all the visits for days or weeks on end to complete as assignment. We believe strongly that our sitters should have regular days off. Predictable scheduling allows for personal appointments and needs. Happy employees tend to stay with us for longer periods of time than they may have otherwise. In turn, this means we have a more experienced staff overall and that leads to the best pet care. In addition, a team approach with multiple sitters provides clients with flexibility and reliability. It ensures coverage for unexpected situations, such as scheduling conflicts or emergencies, offering peace of mind to clients, knowing their pets will be cared for consistently. Additionally, different sitters bring diverse skills and experiences, enhancing the overall quality of pet care.
We follow all employment laws in the state of California
***There are always exceptions...
Many pets thrive on meeting new sitters and there are benefits to introducing your pets to various team members. If however, you have a pet who may be especially fearful and will require many introductions to warm up to a care giver, we may not be the right fit for you. In that case, we may be able to recommend a sitter for you who works alone. This may be the best fir for your pet, if the sitter has a back-up system in place.
Meet our Pet Care Specialists
The Apronstrings team consists of amazing individuals dedicated to insuring the well-being of your pets while you travel. From the hiring process to maintaining a supportive company culture, Apronstrings endeavors to foster the ever important human-animal bond by employing those who share that vision.
Vicki
Team Leader and Pet Care Specialist
Vicki is a teacher by day, caring for the children of the future, and pet sitter by night, caring for the fur babies of today. She is now a first time cat owner and wonders how she made it so long without one. She also owns a snake and a handsome yellow lab who has been a loyal companion for 14 years now.
She knows how important these furry members of her family are and gives each one the clients’ pets the love and care she gives her own own.
Trevor
Pet care specialist
Trevor has worked for Apronstrings on and off since 2008, with some breaks while he served in the Army Reserves and lived in Wisconsin for a few years. He also works for the EEOC.
Trevor is married to former cherished employee Brooke and together they have two young boys.
Hannah
Pet care specialist
Hannah finds joy in creating bonds with the pets and taking care of their needs.
She has two German Shepherds, Bo and Dawson, and knows how important it is to give our clients peace of mind knowing their pets are well cared for.
Robyn
Pet care specialist
Robyn has always had pets and in addition to her Terrier mix Penny, she shares her home with three dogs and five cats.
She loves caring for clients’ pets and has a passion for learning more about all types of animals.
Sophia
Pet care specialist
Sophia has always had a love of animals and owns a rescued Pit Bull mix named Nyla.
She has a degree in Allied Health from Diablo Valley College.
Lucio
Pet care specialist
Lucio has been a long time sitter for Apronstrings, starting in 2013. He enjoys caring for all pets whether they bark, meow or chirp.
He loves being part of a team that makes tails wag and kitties purr, and loves them like they are his own.
Betty
Pet care specialist
Betty Started working with Apronstrings in 2023 after retiring from Kaiser Permanente. She loves cats and has been volunteering with Joybound (formerly ARF) since 2017 specializing in cat socialization.
She and her husband share their home with two recently rescued backyard kittens, Charlie and Leonard. When she is not petting kitties, her other big passion is knitting.
Sienna
Pet care specialist
Sienna enjoys meeting and spending time with new pets while she travels around our service area.
She has two cats and a dog and is currently in college studying liberal arts and film production.