Dog Sitting in Shafter

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!

Suzie

Evan and Maria were fabulous. They are experienced sitters and it shows in their independence. They sent regular updates, but not too regular and were totally self sufficient. Most importantly both the house and dog were perfect when we returned home.

Barbara

This is our second time welcoming Michele and we were so happy to have her back! Our dogs Pedro and Samantha love her and it is clear she loves them! Our house was immaculate upon our return and Michele made her famous lemon chicken recipe which we gobbled up and then we asked for the recipe. We can't say enough great things about her and hope you are lucky enough to get her as a sitter for your pets.

Megan

Stephanie was fantastic! Very organized and left our house sparkling clean. She also sent daily pictures/messages which we loved receiving. She took great care of our dog and our house. One of the best sitters we’ve had!

Laura

Alexandria was by far our best sitter yet (and we've had excellent zeewoi sitters)!  She was responsible,  self sufficient and very responsive.  She took the time to come meet our dog  ahead of time and to run through the routine before our trip.  She was communicative and sent great pics of her adventures with Rupee while we were away.  She was extremely clean and followed our household routine.  And to top it al off, she left us with a homemade vegetable soup for our jet lagged return home from Europe!  Alexandria is a wonderful, kind and caring person that I am grateful to have met.  I cannot thank you enough Alexandria!

Mark & Anne

Lynn and Ray were fabulous sitters, going above and beyond to take care of our home, yard, and rambunctious pup. Leaving him for three weeks was very difficult but we felt confident once we met them. They are great communicators, very professional, capable of handling any situation, and personable. Since they are fully self-contained in their van, they arrived a day early so we could show them the place, have our dog Bailey get comfortable with them (that was immediate ☺), and get to know them over dinner together. While on our trip, they sent us daily photos of Bailey, which we really appreciated, and updates on their activities. They took him hiking almost every day and kept him well exercised. 
Any issues that came up (e.g., our irrigation water ran dry a couple weeks in) they communicated to us and we were able to resolve them quickly. They also harvested ripe berries and squash for us and even harvested and dried tomatoes in our dryer. We spent our entire trip feeling assured that all things were being taken care of and feel ever so grateful that we found Lynn and Ray through TH. We returned from our trip to a house that was thoroughly cleaned (better than we left it ☺), with fresh sheets on the bed, and a happy dog. Five-star sitters for sure!

Sarah

Stephanie, Brian and baby Martin took fabulous care of our home and pets for two weeks. 

From the outset, communication was quick, smooth and friendly and it was clear that both Stephanie and Brian are reliable, professional and warm sitters who take all the various elements of a sit seriously.

They kept us up to date with photos and messages, dealt proactively and competently with any unexpected issues that popped up, and most importantly showered our dogs and gerbils with attention and care throughout the time we were away. We returned to a spotlessly clean home (with thoughtful touches of fresh milk, bacon and bread waiting for us) and happy, settled pets. 

In short, we would recommend Stephanie and Brian to anyone looking for reliable, attentive and proactive sitters for their pets and home. We would be delighted to welcome them back for another sit, should they ever find themselves in the area again.

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

June

I cannot thank Jenny and Geoff enough for stepping in at the last minute after the original sitter cancelled. They are a great couple, friendly , organised and extremely capable. Also they LOVE animals.  My dog and cat have clearly been given a great deal of care and attention in my absence. 
Jenny kept in touch with notes and lovely photos, Geoff cut my grass and I came home to a spotlessly sparkling house ! Thank you so much! 
Jenny and Geoff are welcome back anytime and I would not hesitate to recommend them as excellent sitters.