» Bio & Staff Animal Loving Care

Bio & Staff

YUKINO USHIMARU

Animal Loving Care owner, Certified Groomer

Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Yukino moved to New York City in 1992 to pursue a career in music. Since then, She has played all over the city with a variety of bands. In 2000, She decided to pursue her other passion and started walking dogs in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Ever since she was a child Yukino has loved spending time with and taking care of animals. She has always been fascinated by how animals can communicate and express emotions without using words.

In 2003, Yukino enrolled in the New York School of Dog Grooming and received her certification. She has since incorporated grooming and boarding into her business, and has also worked at Perfect Paws in Brooklyn and Pup Culture in SOHO as a groomer. She also learned about Canine basic behavior training with WALK THIS WAY in Brooklyn and K&C Dog Comfort in Manhattan. She also received certification of 1st Reiki in 2010. She would like to use Reiki to heal or relax animals.

Over the past nine years, Yukino has loved getting to know so many dogs, cats and people through Animal Loving Care, she enjoys the company of all the different dogs and cats she works with and making them and their owners happy!

DAISUKE NAGASHIMA

Walking manager, dog walker, dog/cat sitter

Daisuke Nagashima, an avid pet lover and proud Pug owner was born and raised in Japan. Since early childhood, Daisuke loved being around animals and enjoyed walking and playing with dogs.

A few months after relocating from Japan to Los Angeles, Daisuke knew that a doggie companion was missing from his life and this is when he met and feel in love with his black Pug named “Andy.” There was an instant connection with Andy, but what sealed the deal were their “shared” birthdays and Daisuke knew that it was a fate.

Instead of seeking help from professional trainers, Daisuke decided to study up on dog training and decided to train his rambunctious Pug by himself. His methods consisted of a lot of “trial and error” but he managed to train Andy by using kind and patient positive reinforcement methods.

Impressed with Daisuke’s way with animals, he was soon being asked by friends and co-workers to train their dogs and also to act as a “pet-sitter” to their dogs and cats, and soon a new career was born.

He was also store manager of Pet Boutique & Grooming salon on Manhattan.

TAMAKI SHIMADA

Certified Basic Canine Trainer, Dog walker, Dog/cat sitter

Tamaki is a very passionate person when it comes to taking care of animals. During Tamaki’s childhood years living in Japan, she grew up owning a large variety of animals, which included nine Yorkshire terriers, a cat, a ferret, two hamsters, five parakeets, a squirrel, a rabbit and many others. Her interest in animals garnered her compassion to care for their health and disabilities.
When Tamaki was a teenager she adopted a Yorkshire terrier named Taro. Taro was an aggressive dog that was timid and fearful. His behavior problems were not easy to contain during their first encounter. He was not sociable with other dogs or with people; he was also abandoned twice before he was embraced by the Shimada family. Having to live with Taro, Tamaki was curious to know why Taro had such behavior problems. This is when she started to study dog behavior and psychology. After reading many books she started training Taro. The methods she learned helped change Taro’s behavior immensely. From that moment, Tamaki found a whole new joy and pursued a mission to help other animals change their negative behaviors.
In 2010, Tamaki earned a Basic Canine Trainer certification from the dog training school Walk This Way located in Brooklyn, New York. Today Tamaki works with many dogs and is eager to learn more about canine training and is prepared for the next step.