Pet Sitting in Leonidas

Shirley left eveything as she found it. The cats seemed to do well while we were away.

I was very nervous about leaving my senior rescue dog with a new set of humans…he had been through a lot. But from the moment Dani and Dawn walked in , I knew everything would be fine. They are both very relaxed and kind and Beau took to them immediately. They took exceptional care of my dog AND my home. I came back to a happy dog and a spotless house. I couldn’t ask for more. Thank you Dani and Dawn. Beau misses you!

Brook was an awesome sitter! Super kind, communicative and organized. She sent us daily updates and left the place sparkling! We were away for our wedding and she left us a bouquet of flowers, which was a really thoughtful touch.

Jake is wonderful. You can rest easy with him looking after your home and pets. He was a great communicator and obviously loves animals. It was a pleasure getting to know him.

We were lucky enough to have Dede sit our house and yellow lab for a little more than two weeks. She treated our house as if it were her own and did an outstanding job looking after our three year old yellow lab, providing the requisite exercise for her, as well as the love and attention she so craves. Our home was spotless upon our return with everything in order and although our pup was happy to see us, she may have been a little sad to see Dede go. We would reccomend Dede, with our highest praise, to anyone who is seeking a responsible, caring, communicative and considerate sitter, you will not be disappointed!

Erika and Spencer were the perfect pet-sitters. So thoughtful and considerate of our home and dog. I highly recommend them to take care of your home and pets.

Leslie and Jason were great! Our dog immediately felt comfortable with them when they arrived. They arrived a little early and quickly recognized that taking our dog out into the yard would make it much easier for us to pack up and leave, which was very much appreciated. They left the house in great condition and communicated well leading up to, and during the sit. We would be happy to have Leslie and Jason back anytime!

(The English version follow) Tout était parfait avec Elise! Dès son entrée dans la maison, j'ai perçu son intérêt et sa douceur envers Anna et Boris. Elle s'est montrée très attentive à mes attentes et a posé de bonnes questions pour s'assurer de bien comprendre le fonctionnement à la maison. J'aurais aimé recevoir plus de nouvelles de Anne et Boris lors de mon absence. Je vais m'assurer que cet aspect soit plus clair lors de mon prochain gardiennage. La maison était super propre... au delà même de mes attentes !. Elise m'a même laissé des fraises fraiches et du chocolat pour mon retour. Quelle douce pensée ! Pour toutes ces raisons, je recommende chaudement Elise ! --------------------------------------- Everything was perfect with Elise! As soon as she entered the house, I felt her interest and gentleness towards Anna and Boris. She was very attentive to my expectations and asked good questions to make sure she understood how the house worked. I would have liked to receive more news from Anne and Boris during my absence. I will make sure that this aspect is clearer during my next house-sitting. The house was super clean... beyond my expectations! Elise even left me fresh strawberries and chocolate for my return. What a sweet thought! For all these reasons, I highly recommend Elise!

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.

It was so wonderful to have Karen back! I feel at ease when she’s caring for Rocky and my home. She’s a great communicator and left my house spotless. Grateful she returned to pick up where she left off with Rocky - and that she forgives him for being a bed hog! :)