Pet Sitting in Big Rapids

Shauna and Craig kept in touch every day with pictures of kitties and how they were doing even though no expectation was set for an update, so they did that of their own accord. They were easy to communicate with and very friendly. House was immaculate when we returned and one of our kitties sheds a lot. They even left us a little gift. We would love to have them return again!

Dawn and Greg were the perfect sitters from the start. We had a great FaceTime with them since they were coming from a different time zone, which immediately put us at ease! We ran into a bit of an issue night one (our fault) and they were flexible, adaptable and SO gracious! Dawn was great about communicating with us, sending pictures and keeping us apprised of how our kitties were doing. We would gladly have Dawn and Greg again.

You are always a little bit nervous to leave the care of your house and pet to a stranger for two weeks but after talking to Reba on the phone.,I knew it would work out. She did an exceptional job house/pet/garden sitting for the two weeks she was here. Her communication was great. She always returned texts promptly and sent us texts with updates on a regular basis. This was our first sitter and Reba showed her experience by guiding us through the process. Our house was well taken care and it was cleaned throughly when we returned. This was much appreciated as we arrived back at 1 am after a long travel day. Our cat was well taken care of also and even warmed up to Reba as Sophia can be a little aloof. We also left the extra responsibility of taking care of our garden. She had to do some watering and with cold temperature, cover it also. Thanks to her for doing this. In conclusion, if you are lucky enough to get Reba to be your sitter. Jump on the opportunity. She was FANTASTIC!!

I would higly recommend Rachel for pet sitting. She took great care of my elderly, highly social cat, who needs extra love and attention in addition to requiring daily medicine in her ears. She handled everything beautifully and sent me great updates throughout the week. I'd definitely invite her to sit for me again!

We could not have asked for better cat and house sitters than Jenn and Ryan! We met them in person before we left for 40 days because that is a long time to be gone away from not only our adorable cat, Wesley, but our home. Our cat literally was sleeping at Jenn's feet by the end of the first hour together during the short "interview visit." They were so great about communicating. In the start of the sit, they asked really great questions and thankfully we had answers for them. They sent us a photo and text surrounding Wesley as soon as they walked into the home. From that point on the communication was efficient, kind, and compassionate. It was evident that though our cat missed us in the beginning, Ryan and Jenn extended so much genuine love and care to Wesley that he was sitting on their work space desk and in their laps once they were in relax mode! Our home was so well-cared for. Very clean upon our arrival back home, including the refrigerator and freezer which could have become a bit untidy after 40 days of two new people using both. The landscaping was watered and our plants overall survived the heat of the summer and the intense wind and rain of tropical stormy Debby that they weathered through here in our home in Tampa, FL. I hope that our cat Wesley and our home continue to enjoy such fantastic care such as the care provided by our most recent housesitters. Jenn and Ryan genuinely seemed to enjoy our home, its spaciousness, and the pool. They never once complained about needing to water so many lovely plants & flowers nor did they hesitate to cover our outdoor furniture to keep it in good condition in spite of the pop-up thunderstorms that we have daily in our area.

Kristine was great....kind, considerate and great attitude. The cats readily took to her. The house was left in good order. Kept us informed both before the sit and during. Would definitely have her back.

Dylan (and his GF) took care of Sal and Sabrina while my husband and I went to europe for two weeks. The kitties were happy and healthy on our return and the house was in perfect condition! They were super sweet and friendly, they stayed in communication with kitty photos every couple of days, highly recommend!

Rachel is an ideal pet and house sitter. Calm, reliable, communicative and responsive. She treats our home like it's her own and our kittens are always well cared for and spoiled rotten with attention :) Our neighbors also compliment us on how she looks after things, including keeping the garden watered and being a respectful neighbor.

When we select a sitter, we read every review in addition to conducting some sort of video interview. We really rely upon the experiences of past hosts, so that’s why I believe it important to be honest in this review. I love giving out 5 star reviews and do quite frequently, but I also need to share any less-than-positive experiences as well for those hosts who rely upon reviews such as we do. As such, I’m a bit ambivalent about writing this review of Katie, as there were some really good things Katie did while here. She is a lovely, energetic woman who responded immediately to the concerns I voiced to her during the time she watched our pets; however, the “negatives” we experienced speak to the heart of the importance of having a dedicated pet sitter. For the most part, our home was left tidy and neat – which is no small feat as ours is a large house and I appreciate the care Katie took in ensuring we walked into a clean home. That said, Katie failed to notice my dogs had urinated in both of their dog beds and on the floor of our downstairs office, which we believed happened in the first part of the sit and resulted in the downstairs smelling of stale urine. Further, because she didn’t notice the urine, my pets, when downstairs, had to either sleep on the bare floor or in wet beds, neither of which is a satisfactory option. Also, my dogs don’t generally urinate in the house as they have access to a doggie door, and this seemed more a sign of their distress or discomfort. I believe this incident was part of a larger problem I experienced with Katie and that was in the manner in which she approached this sit. I advertised dates of July 6 – July 22. We generally ask our sitters to come in a day or two early as to walk them through the schedule for both our animals and our many plants, as well as to give them time to get to know the animals and experience a little of the town we live in. We also provide a very detailed introduction and welcome guide which outlines our expectations. Katie came in late in the day on the 7th, without personal transportation, which necessitated us picking her up and then my neighbor taking her to a rental cart company the next day because we left very early on the morning of the 8th. This abbreviated introductory time didn’t allow us to fully prepare Katie for the sit and allowed for some apparent “misunderstandings.” The “issue” for me was for the first five days of our 13-day trip, Katie was away from the house for up to 13 hours at a time – leaving our two, older rescue dogs, who have some separation anxiety - alone and with an extended time between meals. It was clear Katie was using this opportunity to visit many of the beautiful areas which surround where we live – hence using our home as more of an Airbnb to vacation – than a house sit dedicated to caring for our animals. Our dogs are fine with being alone for up to six hours but even that, for multiple days in a row, is, frankly, distressing to our animals and to us, as owners. To Katie’s credit, when I called and brought her daily, extended time away to her attention and reiterated my wishes the dogs not be left for more than 6 hours, she changed her schedule and while still gone every day, capped her time away at six hours. And, as I said, she is cheerful and responsive; hence, the ambivalence is positing my concerns with this sit. I think if Katie is provided with very clear expectations prior to the sit and understands exactly what is needed and expected, she will absolutely deliver. For whatever reason, from the start, this sit was rushed, there appeared to be too many misunderstandings, and it ended up being frustrating for us in ways other sits have not been.

Lindsey was great! She left the house clean and organized and no concerns with that. My dog loved her and it went so well he didn’t have any behavior problems when I got back. Would definitely recommend and have her come back in the future.