Dog Sitters in Accord, NY

Hannah

Laura sat for us for an extended period of time, and luckily for us, was an exceptionally capable and conscientious sitter. She was absolutely unflappable, proactive and communicative with a wonderful 'can do' attitude. She is also hugely and genuinely fond of animals, which we feel is very important in a pet sitter (although a quality which is sometimes overlooked) and gave each and every one of them lots of quality time and fussing, taking great care not to miss any of the animals out and make them feel jealous or excluded. 

Perhaps due to her training as a clinical psychologist (or maybe her acute powers of observation are why she became a psychologist in the first place), she genuinely enjoyed observing our animals, and how they behaved and interacted with humans, and with each other. Being so observant means she'll rapidly get to know your pets too and anticipate their needs and wants, noticing anything that isn't quite right with them, however slight, and alerting you in good time to this. 

For example, our cat, Vince, had an problem with a sore spot on his foot which she observed immediately, giving us frequent updates and giving him daily salt water treatments. When it was clear it was not healing and growing worse, she indicated that he needed to see a vet, was with him during the vet consultation and  spent a lot of time afterwards giving him the various meds and applying the ointments needed, and also ensuring he was wearing the collar he'd been given. After this the paw (which turned out to have been an abscess) healed rapidly and perfectly, but it was quite a journey and I was glad Laura was with him for it! 

Laura had not had much experience looking after chickens when she arrived, but during the three months she was with us she dealt with a myriad of chicken issues with aplomb. If she did not know something she would proactively watch youtube videos to learn more and research online, or read a chicken book we had left. I can now safely say that she knows far more about chickens than I do and will deal magnificently with any chicken situation thrown at her in the future. For example, completely out of the blue, two of our hens started getting broody and started incubating eggs. Laura oversaw the whole saga, including the hatching of chicks and the emergency setting up of an incubator when the hens decided not to sit on the eggs anymore. She then actually set up a brooder for a couple of the abandoned chicks and we came back to a whole lot of lovely, healthy yet completely unexpected chicks which was incredible! 

Although ours is a remote setting and the sit was a long one, Laura was perfectly happy and self sufficient. Her projects kept her interested and occupied, and her grounded and pragmatic personality meant the weeks of solitude did not phase her. Instead she welcomed them, tackled some serious work she had to do and enjoyed the peace and quiet of her surroundings. 

During the sit we were kept updated with frequent photos and videos, and we had regular Zoom chats too. Seriously, if you have the chance to book Laura as your housesitter don't hesitate to do so.. I only hope we can secure her services sometime in the future as we (and all our animals) would love to have her back!

Jan

Nicole sat for me last year and was terrific. This year, she seem to have had trouble understanding the written instructions, in spite of two in-person tours and, as a consequence, some poor decisions were made regarding the chickens without texting me abroad to determine the correct course of action. I’m sad and disappointed but believe she’s now realized it is always better to get in touch if in doubt. Otherwise, she is a light touch on one’s house and a calm presence for the cats.

Zack

This was our second time having Brenda & Kevin care for our home, and they have once again knocked it out of the park! They are incredibly communicative, self sufficient and reliable. We are so at ease when they’re on watch, and we’ve become pretty spoiled (as has our cat Chicken) with the level of thought and care that they display when they’re here. We could not be happier and gladly welcome them back anytime. Thank you, Kevin & Brenda!

Halie

This is a lovely space in a great Madison location! Roo is a sweet girl who needs her space and her boundaries respected. She likes time to develop her opinion of you and build trust, and once she does she is playful and happy to be nearby. Halie was so helpful and available for daily updates and to answer any questions.