5 Star Housesitters

Tag: in home pet sitting

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 Pit with…Personality!

Deogi (not the exotic name it looks, just D-O-G!) is an 18 month old pit bull. I’ll say it — the breed has more than its share of well-publicized incidences, but you can’t but wonder whether it really is a breed issue or a training issue. These owners had a lot of experience with large dogs that needed a very firm hand, and because of their rigorous work with him, Deogi was a really loving little boy we were able to pet sit.

Now there may be something about pit bulls and other dogs, and for that reason alone we’re glad the owners chose us for in home pet sitting as a dog boarding alternative for the little guy. He’s still a young boy and very excited about everything, but with their diligent work, he had already established great relationships with a number of other dogs on the block, as well as kids and adults of all ages.

Deogi loves playing with the dog next door, a black lab, and we tried to find as many opportunities as possible to give them both play time (with the help and cooperation of really terrific neighbors, of course!). We were a little worried at first that the neighbors’ three year old boy would jump on both dogs in the middle of their tussling, but, as they say, a good time was had by all!

Most endearing about Deogi was his cuddling — this little guy wants to be with his “pack,” even slept with us (or on us) at night. Trust me, there’s nothing quite like waking up with a pit’s muzzle smacked up against your forehead, snoring like the angel he is! 🙂

We are really grateful we have the opportunity, and can provide a service, many dogs need when their owners are away for extended periods. In home pet sitting (at prices very competitive with kennels) is a perfect dog boarding alternative for many dogs (and cats) for whom kennels are just not a good option.

April 8, 2015
Golden doodle darling, Marley!

It’s no wonder the “doodles” (golden doodle, labradoodles, and all the variants in the genre) are so popular — they are intelligent, great learners, affectionate, and, no shedding! Marley’s parents selected us for in home pet sitting as a dog boarding alternative for their little girl, which gave us the opportunity to spend time with this elegant and well-mannered doodle!

Besides daily walks, Marley loved the water! Her parents are boaters, which gave her extra opportunities to enjoy swimming. Although we didn’t take her out on any boat, we did spend a lot of time with her doing another favorite water sport, ball toss in the pool!

Marley’s happy demeanor was a joy to be around — very patient, excellent on the leash (seriously, you could lay the leash over your arm and she wouldn’t pull it off) yet fun-loving and playful. There’s something about a poodle’s gait, too – I’m sure there’s a technical term, but their dancer-like leg and foot action is beautiful, we just call it sassy prancing!

Marley’s poodle intelligence and great training made it very easy to care for her — if we missed anything, such as her treat after a walk, she would very patiently “correct” us in an appropriate manner (standing in front of the treat cabinet until we figured it out, for instance!) She was so well-behaved, we were shocked when she tried to sit with us on a couch the first evening, as we had heard she wasn’t allowed on the furniture. Fortunately, we asked the owners as it was uncharacteristic of Marley to be wrong, and sure enough, she wasn’t — there was one couch, in one room where she was allowed, and was her favorite spot for cuddling (yeah!)

A dog kennel was never an option for these owners, and we’re grateful we made their acquaintance and had the opportunity to in home pet sit for Marley. Particularly as a dog boarding alternative, it’s hard to beat! (and, I might mention very competitively priced 🙂 )

April 8, 2015
Andy and his little friend, Bear!

We met Andy, the 70 pound golden retriever, and his little friend, Bear, the 8 pound malti-poo in southwest Florida for a long weekend while their parents went away to play, and we were very happy their parents chose pet sitting as a dog kennel alternative for these two!

As it turns out, little 8 pound Bear wasn’t expressly named with irony in mind, he was just as cute and cuddly (and no bigger than) a dear little teddy bear. And beneath all that curly hair is a very territorial and courageous little heart. The owners trained him to an invisible fence and then just removed the fence, so true to his training, Bear’s fierce defense of his home front stopped exactly at the end of the driveway.

Just imagine this 8 pound ball of fur, furiously racing down the pavement then pulling up as if a brick wall was an inch from his nose — well, that’s just gotta strike terror into any would-be wrong-doer’s heart, right? 🙂 As amusing and cute as it might have been for us, Bear took his “work” very seriously; watching him walk back with an obvious sense of satisfaction of a job well done was precious.

Now Andy…Andy is a very big, very handsome boy, with just the opposite temperament to Bear’s. For all his size, Andy was…well, let’s say timid, too timid to even go for a walk in the neighborhood! Usually the challenge in caring for a large athletic breed is meeting their exercise needs, but, for gentle Andy, cuddling and general hanging with the peeps kept him content.

Any number of dogs might have a better experience with in home pet sitting than with an extended stay at a kennel, and some, like Andy, just aren’t a good candidate at all. Fortunately, their parents went looking for a dog boarding alternative, and everyone was all the happier for the experience!

April 8, 2015