5 Star Housesitters

Tag: in home dog boarding

A Terrier Twosome to Love!

It’s wonderful how things work out…one day, between sits, we went to a dog park to get a “doggie fix” and happened upon a lovely couple with two little ones at play — a very independent and strikingly handsome West Highland white terrier (Augie) and a somewhat shy “mommy’s girl” cairn terrier mix (Abby).

As it turns out, the couple were going on a cruise, and were really concerned about kenneling them, particularly little Abby, who was a pretty recent rescue and very attached to her mom. Happy to find out there was a dog boarding alternative for their two, the couple kept in touch with us and in short time, we were seeing them off on their cruise!

Fortunately, both dogs, particularly little Abby, were happy to have two new people to love! For them, everything other than mom and dad being out of the house was pretty normal — walks, morning brush outs, meal times, chasing lizards on the lanai :), copious belly rubs and cuddles, night treats, snuggling up at bed time, everything they’re used to, just different peeps on the “delivery” end!

And that’s exactly why we love providing an in home dog boarding service as a dog kennel alternative — of course animals are very sensitive, it can be very stressful when the hand that feeds them is gone, and compounding that with relocation and a total disruption in schedule can be a little (or a lot) traumantic for some!

For us, stepping into being a great dog parent and caring for people’s homes (and plants! The variety and abundance of indoor and outdoor flora was amazing!), is a challenge, and really personally rewarding. Abby and Augie are heart-stealers!

Abby is curious, a terrier-tenacious flusher of prey (on the ground and airborne, chasing birds in flight is on her wish list, for sure 🙂 ), a loving kisses-monster, and a crafty belly rub manipulator — if you make eye contact, she’s “in position” as you blink!

Augie…Augie, Augie, Augie. Handsome, joyful at play, inquisitive, persistent and willful (okay, stubborn), independent, good-natured (when he’s not on high-alert), and a loving snuggler — he’s kind of a Tom Sawyer of the dog world persona, endearing in his exploits even though and probably because of his tendency toward mischief!(we put together a little video of him, linked here).

We often tell people one of the hardest things for us in our in home pet sitting and is leaving the little ones we’ve grown to so love…we miss these two and their antics, but we know they have two of the most genuine dog parents two pups could have!

May 11, 2015
A Loving In-Home Presence as a Dog Boarding Alternative

Punkin and Shadow (you’d probably guess Shadow is the black lab) don’t mind so much when “mom and dad” go out of town, because, instead of dog boarding at a kennel, they get loving and attentive in-home pet sitting!

They have an interesting history — they both mysteriously “found” their forever home on their own!

Punkin’s story — Not long after the owners’ long time four-legged companions passed on, a beautiful, silky cream and white puppy walked into the garage, sat down and wouldn’t leave — apparently she knew she was “home!” Of course, the owners checked all resources to see if the beautiful little girl was missing but no one was looking for her. Even though her new “parents” had resolved not to jump into replacing their lost friends, someone had other plans, and Punkin has been part of the family since.

Sure, she had her collie-like chewing phase, but she trained out of it and is a delight! And a clever girl, too — she ingeniously sidles up and gets you to stroke her head, then slides down gradually as your hand follows, before she gets to her payoff, rolling over with you already in position for…BELLY RUBS!

Shadow’s story — not too long after Punkin chose her new home, a young black lab showed up, walking in and making it clear she was now home, too! However, this pup was chipped, and of course the owners were contacted to come pick up the lost dog.

Some time passed, and no one had yet come to claim her. Then a call came in — for whatever the reason, the “old” owners asked them to keep the girl! Apparently it wasn’t working out at the previous home, and as the kids at that home were still away and knew the dog was missing, it was just going to remain the situation.

Did Shadow somehow know she belonged somewhere else? Wish we could tell what dogs think and feel — they have such a wonderful instinct for the way things should be!

And, if you asked them, tI bet hey would tell you, if you have to leave, let them stay home with a pet sitter to love them! The In your home dog boarding alternative to a dog kennel gets “5 Stars” from these two!

January 17, 2015
Sweet Shih-Tzus Get to Stay Home for the Holiday!

It’s not always possible to keep your four-legged loved ones with you when you’re away from home. The owners of Bailey and Samie (short for Samantha) made the decision to get in home dog boarding instead of a dog kennel experience for their two!

Little Bailey is an aging Shih-Tzu, getting around but having some health issues which require a special diet and special care and handling. She still wants to cuddle on the bed and on the couch, but really doesn’t have the spring any more to get there on her own, even doing her business requires some assistance.

Bailey lost a long time companion awhile ago, and had a hard time thriving., so her owners picked up a tiny little puppy at a rescue shelter that was probably shih tzu (at least in part), and now Bailey has Samie to “liven up” her life.

Samie is just under a year old and 12 pounds of loving “let’s play!” which is usually a little more enthusiasm than Bailey’s up for! Besides being an excellent cuddler and super affectionate, Samie loves nothing more than playing (except maybe eating!) She has “Play!Play!Play!” puppy energy non-stop until she drops, and, because she still has those teeth that need to be worked out, she needs to be monitored — A LOT! Just like a little toddler, Samie is constantly finding new fun things she shouldn’t be getting into, but with such a sweet and affectionate temperament, it’s more charming than annoying.

It was wonderful being able to spend time with and care for these two bundles of love, and very satisfying to know that their time away from their parents is in their own home, with trusted, responsible loving caretakers. Dog boarding at a dog kennel is an option, but when you can provide them an “in their own home” experience, and have your home cared for, too, while your away, for about the same price, perhaps it’s an option you should look into, too!

January 2, 2015
Honey, Golden’s favorite (maybe only!) Norbottenspets

Not only had we never heard of norbottenspets, trying to remember the breed name was challenging, and fortunately, we have the opportunity to memorialize it here! 🙂

We met Honey in in an in home dog boarding engagement in Golden, Colorado. She’s a relatively recent adoptee from a prison program, about a year old and just about three months with her new family. And what a sweet little girl — extremely intelligent, very eager to please, affectionate, playful — a wonderful family dog.

Upon reading up on the breed, norbottenspets are an old breed related to the spitz (the curled tail is the most obvious similarity). Once thought to be extinct, a few specimens were found in their native Sweden in the 1960’s (largely on farms) and were accepted as an AKC breed. That they were household dogs used for small game hunting is no surprise to us after spending time with Honey — bunnies and squirrels are just far too exciting even if they’re on the other side of the window!

One year olds have their own set of challenges — impulse control for a prey-driven dog is so hard for them — but “adorable” makes up for a lot! Honey’s time in the prison program probably also contributed to some scarcity issues around water and food, which were diminishing even during our time with her. She’s also very attached to Jeff, who spent tons of one-on-one time with her — really attached, as in, would mysteriously escape a relatively secure yard to find “her main man” if he wasn’t in view!

Although duties at the house also included pool care (checking chemicals) and two fish, the highlight was certainly getting to know Honey, and gaining familiarity with this fun-loving companion breed!

(Jeff also pulled some “double duty” time with our special border collie, Kita — had to include a picture of the both of them for the record!)

August 6, 2014