Dog Sitting in Hidden Valley

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!

Rob

David was a great sitter for our dog! It was just him for this sit. He was very communicative before, during, and after the stay. He visited the apartment before we left to meet our dog and talk with us, and went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and confident that our dog was in good hands. He sent us updates throughout the stay, and left the apartment in great condition. While our dog is on the older side, he can still be a handful at times, but David didn’t seem to have any problems. Would definitely recommend David for any future sit!

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.

Linda

Cristina is simply the best house/pet sitter that we have ever had.  She is responsible and dependable and an experienced dog owner. Our Wheaten, Bridie, adores her and misses her when she leaves.

Ruth

Cindy was great, couldn’t have asked for a better sitter experience! Communication was great both before and during the sit. Cindy was really helpful and flexible with arrival and departure arrangements. I came back to a happy dog and a well cared for house, can thoroughly recommend 🙂

Sally & Andy

Lori is the best of the best! I would recommend her 100 times over! Lori is great at communicating and our dogs were extremely happy. She was very attuned to our dog’s anxiety and did a great job making the dogs feel safe and loved. The house was spotless when we returned. Lori also had the job of taking care of my numerous plants. I have to say the plants look better when I got home than they did before I left😂 Lori has a green thumb. Lori is so kind and just a wonderful person. Rest assured if you choose her as your sitter your dog and home are in the best hands. Thank you again, Lori! Blessings!

sara

Lisa and Matt were absolutely fantastic sitters for us and our dog, Moose.  
Not only were they flexible when our flight was changed last minute, they also were able to stay an extra day to accommodate the changes.  They communicated with us promptly during the scheduling and planning process for the housesit.  They arrived on time on the (re)scheduled day.  They acclimated to our dog very quickly and gave us piece of mind as we left by taking him on a walk to avoid his separation anxiety.  We chatted every day and exchanged photos of Moose playing at the beach and in the yard.  He was so happy!  No problems were encountered with the house.  Even our neighbors commented on how friendly and kind Lisa and Matt both were and how they really cared for Moose.  
The house was spotless when we returned.  Everything in proper order, better than we left it.  
We can't thank them enough for the excellent experience!

Caroline

We were so happy with Lynda's care for our senior pup. 

Lynda was extremely accommodating with the key hand over situation we had considering our early flights out of Berlin. She was easy to coordinate with and made this part of the holiday very smooth.

We could also tell Sesame was in the best care. We received updates and photos of Sesame on walks and getting cuddles. We know Sesame can be sassy sometimes but Lynda was great with her little attitudes and handled her with ease. It was also really heart warming to see that Lynda truly enjoyed her time with Sesame and created a strong bond with her. We love to know that our dog is loved and treated with the care we would give her if we were home. 

Both my partner and I were able to fully enjoy our holiday as we knew from updates that Sesame and Lynda were doing well. Our apartment was clean and tidy when we returned and the sheets had also been washed. We would definitely have Lynda back and would recommend her to anyone else looking for an experienced sitter to stay with your pet.

Jackie

Tom and Diana were perfect house sitters and guests.  Great company, our dog immediately made herself at home with Tom. Animals loved and cleaned. House spotless, great communication and even left a thank you card and gift when they left.   I couldn’t recommend highly enough.

Daniella

Charlie was again an outstanding sitter for us whilst we were away at a wedding. This is the second time having Charlie and although we have not met face to face we completely trust her with our home and of course our cat, Nala. Charlie left the house spotless which is amazing to come home to after a long day of travelling. She is reliable, good at communicating and trustworthy and we would not hesitate to recommend her enough. Thanks again Charlie, we hope you come back again and there might even be a dog next time😁