Dog Sitting in Dartmouth

Gregory

Due to a family emergency, I had to leave the country earlier than I had planned, and needed a sitter to fill in the gap between my departure and another sitter. Michele responded within minutes of my posting the sit, and then we spoke and confirmed the sit within hours. Her husband, Israel, was coming from Mexico to France, while she and her kids were to come from Sweden. When Michele’s travel plans changed, and she wouldn’t be able to come with her children, she assured me that Israel would still come to look after the house and dogs. To do this, for a stay of only five days, he flew to Paris, and then to the south of France, where he rented a car and drove the rest of the way to my place. As I was already traveling, the previous sitters filled him in on the various things that needed to be tended to: caring for two dogs, tending to hens, watering 90 young olive trees daily, as well as other things. The place is big and it took me 3-4 weeks when I first moved in to figure out where things were and what to do. Israel mastered everything upon his arrival, sent me daily updates with photos of my two VERY happy dogs. In addition to all the upkeep, he managed to hike with the dogs daily. I arrived home to find everything perfectly maintained, two fit and and Israel’s guest house cleaner than it was when he arrived. Immaculate. I cannot even express my gratitude for to both Michele and Israel for such a sacrifice and commitment to do that for me. It was a very difficult time, as I was dealing with the loss of both my son and my mother. I did not worry for one second while my dogs and home were in Israel’s hands. Thank you both, so, so much. You’re welcome back anytime, with the entire family, even just for a visit, maybe just a well-deserved holiday, with no dog- or house- sitting!

Christina

Maryna was an excellent pet sitter and houseguest! Communicating with her was easy, and she always responded to my messages quickly. She was also incredibly self-sufficient! Moreover, Maryna graciously agreed to check on my neighbor's cat for a couple of days as well. My dog bonded with her quickly and was happy and healthy when I returned. The house was also spotless. I would happily have Maryna sit for me again!

Allyson

Susan and Jim were exceptional pet sitters for our 2 pups and cat! From the start they were communicative and asked thoughtful clarifying questions that made us feel comfortable immediately. 
We spent time together the evening before we left for vacation and it was clear that they had read our welcome doc and instructions. They referenced animal behaviors that were noted and confirmed details. They arrived about an hour before we left and gave us all plenty of time to feel comfortable with being in our home. 
Throughout our vacation, Susan sent photos and updates of our critters and let us know how they were spending their time together. Susan was quick to respond to my messages via WhatsApp any time I reached out. 
Susan and Jim stayed at our house until we landed at the airport and let them know we were safely on the ground. They fed and walked the dogs and let us know they would be gone before we got home. It was great knowing that had our flight been delayed, they would have stayed at the house until we were safe driving distance away. 
We came home to a sparkling clean home, a thriving and happy garden, and well cared for animals! Susan and Jim left us detailed notes of their stay and even gave us lots of instructions on how to keep our garden happy! What a treat! All our linens were washed and replaced and the house was immaculate. 
Thank you Susan and Jim for choosing our home and furry family to spend your time with! You were the best first experience we could have asked for and would love to have you back again!

Leslie

I’m sure most folks say the nicest things about their sitter, but honestly, if there were a “super star” status available then Denise would win the prize as sitter of the year!

From the start, Denise was an excellent communicator.  While we were still in the decision phase, Denise was always available to chat either by FaceTime, telephone or text.  It was so easy to choose Denise; as you can see from her countless 5 star reviews, she truly is the only pet sitter you’d ever need and the one everyone hopes to have.  

Denise came to our house eager to meet us, our pets and the quirks of our house.  Denise has an excellent sense of humor and immediately put us all at ease.  Our pets took to her as if she was a long lost friend (even our finicky Siamese cat was loving on her from the start).  

While we were gone, our dog had a non-emergency health issue come up and just like that Denise was taking her to our vet, and administered the dog’s meds like a champion (Denise is also a nurse BTW).  Additionally, Denise brought our pup to her scheduled groom appointments and even made future appointments for us to make our return home as seamless as possible.

Denise was even above and beyond helpful to our neighbors and they appreciated her giving them access to our refrigerator when theirs broke down on Thanksgiving Eve!  

When we got home we were super impressed by how perfectly immaculate our house was!  Most sitters leave the house clean, but Denise met and may have even exceeded our military standards of clean and orderly.  Seriously, our house felt like we never left it.  Everything was spotless, shinny and clean.  She didn’t miss a beat!!  Our pets were so happy to see us but honestly, I felt like our pup and kitty were disappointed when we walked in the door (I believe they were expecting to see Denise!).  Haha.  

If you are ever fortunate enough to have Denise apply for any of your sits then I can’t recommend her enough.  Seriously, you can stop reviewing applicants and just go with Denise.  She was awesome in every sense of the word and I hope she’ll come back and stay with our pets again.

Rebecca

Romina and Ignas took amazing care of our two dogs and home while we were away!  One of our dogs, Beau, is extremely high energy and it takes a special person so make sure he gets enough mental and physical stimulation each day.  Romina kept us in the loop of his trips to parks and outdoor excursions.  She was very thoughtful and responsive during our time away.  

Additionally, our home was in pristine shape when we returned from our trip.  The rooms were clean and tidy and Romina left us such a thoughtful note. Romina and Ignas are top notch sitters and I'd highly recommend them to anyone with pets! 

Thank you so much, Romina and Ignas.  Our dogs were so well cared for and loved.

Colleen

I was fortunate to have Lisa as a sitter for my active, 7-year old lab mix (Ozzy) for a week in Bend.   Lisa took the time to meet us via Facetime and in person before her stay.  It was apparent she wanted to be well-prepared and aware of any special doggie needs he may have, or any help I needed with watering plants or bringing in mail.   She took great care of Ozzy while I was away and sent me regular updates and photos of their outdoor adventures.  I returned home to a very happy dog and a house exactly as I had left it.  I'd welcome Lisa back anytime!

Kathleen

Lisa was a terrific sitter for our sweet Rosie.  She arrived the evening before the sit, and we immediately could tell how much love and attention Rosie was to get.  She provided updates and pictures which we were delighted to read, and we could tell Rosie was happy and well-cared for with Lisa on their walks and fetching sessions, on their car rides, and during Rosie’s many daily naps.  Lisa left the house in great condition, she’s very tidy and clean. Lisa’s experience with dogs and her friendly, sweet personality makes her an excellent sitter taking good care of animals while also being easy to communicate with.  I would recommend her and would gladly invite her back.

Anne

The two-leggeds and four-legged members of this household give Tess a 5-star rating! We think she's one of the best sitters you will find - highly communicative, friendly, competent, reliable, and great with pets. Tess was also flexible about start and end dates to accomodate possible winter weather complications. For this sit, Tess was able to bring along her mom, Cathy. Tess introduced me to Cathy during one of our Skype conversations prior to the sit. It was a bonus to have her here with Tess. Their travel to Marquette was complicated by weather. A fierce winter storm swept across Michigan just before the sit. It took Tess and Cathy two days to drive here but they arrived, as promised, in time for us to fly out early the next morning. We even had time for a lovely dinner together and to introduce them to the dogs and house. We left the next day and never had a moment's worry while Tess and Cathy were caring for our pets and home. Tess sent us regular updates and photos. The dogs immediately accepted them as great new additions to their pack of friends - even our cranky, old chihuahua, Nike! We returned to happy pets and a spotlessly clean home. We plan to invite Tess (and Cathy if available) to return for future sits. Thank you, Tess and Cathy!

lisa

To this list of attributes I would add flexible, capable, sensitive, extremely good with the dogs even if one of mine is sometimes a little ornery, and just a wonderful person all around.
Because of constantly changing circumstances due to a move and coronavirus, my dogs ended up spending not two weeks but a whole month with John and they were so comfortable and happy.
John helped them in so many ways and coordinated shipping them overseas, he went above and beyond the wildest stretches of what a house sitter entails and did it with a smile and a laugh and reassurances that all would be well. And indeed he was absolutely right - the dogs arrived so well cared for that all my fears of them being traumatized went out the window.
John’s flexibility, and his kindness as well as his impeccable maintenance of my house in my absence all make me recommend him an absolute 10 out of 10.
Thank you John for all your help this summer!!
Lisa

Heather

Veronica House sat for us for a month.  She cared for our two Dobermans and our cat.

Veronica is so enthusiastic about animals.  They immediately pick up on her joy and love for them.

When some bold alligators made our dogs’ normal exercise routine unsafe,  she was faced with the challenging situation of keeping two Dobermans with very different temperaments exercised and entertained in the height of Florida summer with its bugs, heat, and humidity.  She met this challenge by taking the dogs for individual outings. She drove our young social dog to the dog park, finding the times when he would most likely have other large playmates and drove our socially anxious dog to the quiet areas of town for walks.  This took a lot more time than our normal routine, but it kept our dogs safe and happy.

A lasting benefit for us is that our younger dog, once a terror in the car, now rides much more calmly and our anxious dog, once fearful of what the car ride would bring, now happily hops in.
 
Our cat was so content and well-groomed​ upon my return, it was obvious that she had been getting lots of daily attention,  too.

Veronica communicated with us on all the happenings with our pets and property every day.

I came home to happy and healthy pets and a well cared for home.

We feel so fortunate to have had Veronica as a house sitter and look forward to her sitting for us again.