Dog Sitting in Upper Vailsburg

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!

Thomas

Marlen was such a blessing. We had another sitter cancel just a week before our vacation date so I was so relieved that she was able to step in at such short notice. She came to meet our pups a few days in advance so they would recognize her.  While we were away,  Marlen sent picture updates and made sure the dogs were cared for. So glad to have found someone like her to help us out.

Mia

Anita was a wonderful dog sitter for Balto! They were super tentative, made sure to ask any and all questions before we went away, and they sent the best updates about Balto while we were gone. I felt so much better knowing my dog was in great hands, and I could not recommend Anita enough! Quality care, and our apartment was spotless when we returned home.

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.

Lori

Jo & David were absolutely amazing sitters for our house and dog Rosie while we were out of town for 2 1/2 weeks. They are the best! Jo was super communicative and responsive at all times. She and David bonded with our dog, who grew very attached to them. They left our house super clean (and there were even chocolate chip cookies for us on our return)! Most of all, they are just super nice people and very easy to work with. Anyone is lucky to have JoAnna & David housesit for them.

Jane

Piper was a wonderful sitter and I would definitely have her come again.  My dog .Winston loved her and was very happy while I was gone.  When I returned home everything was orderly and clean, she changed her bed and washed all the towels.  I totallly recommend Piper to sit at your home.

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.

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!

Paula

Lori and Joe took great care of our two dogs and tow cats while we were gone. Our plans changed and we actually asked if they could come a day before we had originally planned to leave and they said no problem!   They even stayed over on the night we got home so that we could meet them which was very nice!

Lori was very good with communication before the house sit and also during the time they were here.  She  let us they had arrived safely and then sent us a short text or pictures every day of the  animals. 

The house looked cleaner than when we left it when we got home!  Lori and Joe were great house sitters and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend them!