Pet Sitters in City Of Baltimore, MD

Olive

This was the first time I have been a "companion" to 3 dogs, 3 cats and 3 chickens - it was enjoyable and I would thoroughly recommend it.

According to the research I did before accepting The Sit, Golden Retriever dogs are a Scottish breed of Retriever dog - gentle, affectionate, loyal, friendly and with a striking coat.  Hamish, Dickens and Harris are beautiful looking dogs who fitted the descriptions exactly - but with their own lovable personalities.  Hamish is older and very "laid back". Dickens is more energetic. Harris is still very young and was very playful with me, with Dickens - although Dickens lets him know who is "boss!" - and with Biscuit who lets him lick his face.  All three were very friendly from our first meeting.  Walking the three was not a problem. Hamish walked sedately beside me on one lead and I kept the leads for Dickens and Harris in my other hand as they tend to go at a similar pace. All three tend to keep close together, for if one sniffs something the other two go to that same spot and its "funny" to see three noses sniffing so close together. They were very affectionate towards other people when out walking and attracted admiring comments and attention. I never had any negative issues with them when people "spoke" to them and they "lapped up" the attention - especially Harris.  When out walking they never showed any negative reaction towards sheep, cattle or any other dogs. On occasion I kept the boot-room door open and watched as they exercised outside. Harris, especially, loves to bound all over the garden and play with Dickens, all three like to say "hello" to the West Highland Terriers next door, and although the garden is open, none of them left the garden area and always returned when called. They all slept through the night, although once-or-twice I got up at six am to let them out, but they always came back in after a few minutes and settled down again when I told them it ..."wasn`t eight o`clock yet!"  They love their pre-bed snack. Hamish very gently takes it from your hand, Dickens will take it gently but Harris can`t wait to get it.  I did give to Hamish and Dickens first and told Harris to watch and learn from the two older dogs - totally in vain! I spent most of my time in the kitchen/dining part of the house where they joined me. They liked to lie near me but often came up for some affection - especially Harris who loves to stand on his hind legs with his massive paws on your lap.

Of the three cats, Biscuit made friends with me within a few hours of my arrival and that continued for the entire time. He is a beautiful coloured ginger cat with lovely green eyes, extremely affectionate, liked to lie on the counter top when I was "surfing the net" and being stroked and tickled under his chin. He`ll also come and tell you the food dish needs replenishing. It took a few days for Bertie to get used to me, but once he did he allowed his coat to be stroked and tickled under his chin.  He is like a massive ball of cotton wool. He was quite happy sitting on the window ledge in the boot-room and did not crave attention as much as Biscuit. I did try and clean his eyes with a moist paper towel, but he thought this was a game and either kept licking or eating it. Pandora is a beautiful marked british Short Hair tabby who kept her distance and I did not get to know!  I did catch several glimses of her eating but she left the room when I appeared!

The chickens did what chickens do and were very easy to look after. I let them out in the morning, fed them, collected the eggs and they roamed all day.   At the end of the first day I did try and round them up into their house, but they scattered and I gave up!  However I quickly learnt they know when to make their own way in, and all I had to do was watch for that moment and then go and make them secure.

Olive and Micky`s place is in the south of the country near the border with england and situated in lovely countryside not far from Dumfries.  The house is stunning with wonderful views over the countryside.  I did not have a car but Olive had shown me several walks I was able to do with Hamish, Dickens and Harris and this suited me very well.  I was able to walk to a farm shop in about 15-20 minutes which could really have provided me with everything I needed.  It also has a lovely restaurant and cafe.  Although it is more expensive than a supermarket, the quality of everything I bought was excellent.  I did also walk to a Aldi and Tesco supermarkets on one occasion which took 1Hr 15Mins. It is a pleasant walk and as a retiree it`s not much longer than the one I would normally do.  So a car would be useful but not a necessity.  I met several of the neighbours, and being Scotland, everyone was very friendly - and I was also given a lift back to the house. 

Dumfries itself is steeped in history and situated on the River Nith.  I stayed on after The Sit had ended, did part of the walk along the river and visited Robert Burns` house and Mausoleum.  This is where he spent the last three years of his life from 1793 - 1796 and I would highly recommend the visits - the house has many items owned by him and his wife Jean Armour.  

And finally, I`ve got to say a very big "thank you" to both Olive and Micky for your hospitality and kindness - collecting me and returning me to Dumfries town centre and all the other kindness you gave me which I won`t embarrass you both by mentioning. You both made me feel very much at ease and it was interesting hearing about your travels.

Vicky

I absolutely loved staying here with Darcey and Joe. They are the sweetest dogs. Darcey always brought me her teddy and Joe could chase a ball for hours. They were very easy to look after. Chickens were funny little things and didn’t need much attention. 

House was spacious, clean and a lovely garden to lounge around in whilst the sun shone through. Great communication fro Vicky, clear, informative and quick response times. Hopefully I can come back and see the darling pets soon!