Illinois

Northeastern Illinois

Love on a Leash®

The Northeastern Illinois chapter was originally established in September of 2009 by Maggie & Rick Schmude and their two Wire Fox Terriers, Bing & Phoenix. After the chapter dwindled to only three certified teams, and its new leader Joanne Rowe decided it was time to retire from pet therapy, the chapter was dissolved in 2025. Certified teams visit regularly at senior living facilities, schools, libraries, rehab centers, and hospitals in and around the northeastern area of Illinois, with teams as far north and west as Kenosha, WI, and New Lennox, IL, and south to the suburbs of Chicagoland. Our teams also visit sites independently in their own communities.

Meet Our Leader

Joanne Rowe has been the Northeastern Illinois chapter leader since August of 2018. She lives in Mount Prospect and is currently certified with Chia, a Samoyed Mix. Joanne is a retired teacher and when she is not volunteering with Love on a Leash®, she enjoys volunteering at her local animal shelter, focusing on enrichment activities for the resident dogs. Her favorite part about volunteering with Love on a Leash® is her twice-weekly visits to an elementary school, where students read to Chia.