Pet Sitters in High Falls, NY

Shelley and Mark
-61% off
8.6 miles away
Limited time deal
4.73
• 15 reviews
/night 77.00
Owner Image

Shelley is a dangerous and incompetent housesitter. She should never be entrusted with anything more valuable than a houseplant. Her pet care was terrible. On the 2nd day she left our 2 dogs outside in the backyard, unattended on a 83-degree hot, humid summer day with no water for 90 minutes while she left our home to go out for a walk. We saw this on our Ring camera and immediately reported this to zeewoi (full complaint currently under investigation) and let her know directly how concerning this was for us. Not only was it unsafe to leave the dogs outside while she left the home, but it also went against clear instructions that were communicated to her in person during the handover and in writing about what to do with the dogs anytime she left our home. She repeatedly had trouble following basic instructions that were communicated verbally, in writing and in text reminders. She was incapable of following basic pet care requirements. We asked that only one of our 2 dogs be walked once a day (I did not want her walking the other stronger dog, because during the handover we went on a walk together and Shelley DROPPED our dog's leash). We use Fi collars, so we know that over the course of 11 days, Shelley brought our dog for only 4 walks. We did a phone interview with Shelley and never did she inform us that our medium sized, 40 pound dogs would be too much for her to walk. Additionally, Shelley traveled with her sister who clearly is unwell (likely dementia or some sort of developmental disability) and also was afraid and nervous around dogs. She never informed us of this, and it was clearly a huge safety issue. Shelley's sister let our INDOOR cat out multiple times (at least 4 times are seen on outside cameras). Sometimes our cat was left outside for 20+ minutes without Shelley or her sister realizing. This is so, so dangerous- we are on a main street with a lot of traffic. We are lucky our cat didn't get lost or killed under her "care." Shelley and her sister left our home in a terrible, and honestly gross and unsanitary, condition. A paper bag with human feces was found in our bathroom and made the entire 2nd floor of the house stink for days. The rug in my office was covered with urine- which makes me wonder if she locked my dogs in this room for extended periods of time. Our dogs are fully house trained and have never had any potty accidents. The kitchen was filled with flies, milk had been spilled in the refrigerator and never cleaned up (a gross film had formed by the time we got home). The blender was put away in the cabinet unclean. The recycle bin was filled with dirty trash- so much so that we got a notice from the city. She carelessly used metal utensils and scratched our Le Creuset dutch oven (which will now void its lifetime guarantee). Three brand new bars of soap were taken from our home, like they were some sort of hotel amenity. Shelley went into our basement storage freezer (which she had NO need to access) and took home 3 gallon bags (about 20lbs) of frozen tomatoes I had harvested before our trip from our garden. When I addressed this with her, she claimed her sister packed them by accident (which, if true, & your sister is so unwell that she's packing things from someone's home that are NOT HERS, she should not be allowed to travel with you). However, I don't believe that's the case- 20 pounds of tomatoes aren't really something that just sneaks by your consciousness- it's A LOT of tomatoes. Shelley was offended I accused her of stealing, but that's what she did. She ultimately returned them, knowing full well she was in the wrong. I'm not sure what else she might have taken from our home, as I didn't think I needed to take an inventory of our belongings and supplies before we left. Ultimately the sit ended when our one of our dogs ate some of a marijuana plant in the backyard (she had never shown interest before and we did not know the plant- with no flowers on it- was dangerous). We do not blame Shelley for that (even though it was probably from a time the dogs were not adequately supervised in the backyard); having the plant where dogs could access was our mistake, and one that will never be made again. The part that is extremely concerning is that it took Shelley nearly 2 hours to get our dog to the emergency vet from discovering the first symptoms (she first texted me at 6:26pm that our dog was unwell and "having seizures" and did not leave for the hospital until 8:12pm). And I am certain she never called the zeewoi vet emergency line. She eventually reached out to my mother (our emergency contact while we were in Europe) and my mom told her to go to the vet ER immediately. Afterwards Shelley stated via message, "I cried, prayed & hugged her throughout the incident." So, instead of getting prompt medical care for our dog (emergency vet was clearly listed in our printed out home instructions), she prayed for her. Unhelpful, incompetent and incredibly dangerous. I'm not sure how she has previous good reviews. We were shocked by the incompetency and complete inability to understand and follow simple, clear directions- there are, sadly, many more examples I could include here. We are grateful our girls survived having her stay in our home. I would hope no one else ever has to deal with such a horror. To finish things off, disapproving of the legal marijuana plant in the backyard and probably of our rainbow flag displayed on the front of the house, Shelley texted "You need prayers. Find a Bible based church to go to and get healed. I pray for your soul."

Sitter available from Oct 1
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Reviews from Pet Owners

4.93
4.93
4.96 Organised 4.96 Reliable 4.95 Clean and tidy 4.97 Self-sufficient 4.91 Pet care
User
Lisa
Carly and Fanny were fantastic house sitters and took such great care of our menagerie of animals.
We were getting worried about securing a zeewoi before our trip as the time to leave was quickly approaching and we had few responses. At the last minute, Carly applied and I was happy to read her reviews and story. Upon our accepting them and their accepting us. They quickly sprang in to action to stay ahead of the approaching weather. The commitment they showed to get in a car and drive to our location was amazing. What should have only been a 6 hour ride took them almost 20 hours as the snow storm moved in quicker and heavier than forecast but they persevered. I was impressed and worried at the same time but really happy they made it here safely, without incident, just tired.
While here, they quickly learned about the animal care routine and got to know them all very well. We spent some time before our trip to help them acclimate to the harsh winter weather and they eagerly accepted the challenge. 
When on our trip, Carly and Fanny messaged us and sent pictures of the animals daily. At one point, one of the small dogs had a medical situation that worsened and our sitters were able to take Foxy to the vet and just in time. She required an aggressive treatment to repair an ulcer on the eye that could have gone really bad quickly. The actions they took likely saved Foxy from loosing sight in her eye.
Besides, the animal care that also includes maintaining some farm animals, snow, extreme cold and wind, they took exceptional care of our home as well. 
As it was a challenging time for them, we offered them the opportunity to extend their stay and enjoy some down time, they did and also enabled a chance for us to go on another quick getaway. The flexibility and care they exhibited was amazing.
We were very impressed with the effort, attitudes and humor of our new found friends, Carly and Fanny. We hope to have them stay with us again in the future either as friends or officially in the house sitting capacity, (maybe Summer time in Maine). Although we recognize they are deservingly in high demand as Zeewoi, selfishly, we would hope them to be available for us first. We wish them success and adventure in future sits and feel any zeewoi host would be very fortunate and wise to entrust Carly and Fanny with their home and family pets.
Scott and Lisa Rockwell.
User
Chris
Sitting for Chris' adorable cat Kedi in central Brighton for three weeks was a dream come true for us! We loved spending time with Kedi. He's a playful, calm and fun cat to be around! The house is modern and functional and very close to everything. Chris is very friendly, helpful, a great host.  We would highly recommend this sit and would be happy to sit for Chris again!
User
Corinne
We had a great sit in Ascot !

We got the change to meet Corinne & Andrew before agreeing to sit which was very helpful.

The house is extremely comfortable, we felt we were in a nice secluded area, surrounded by nature. 
We only had to take care of Buddy for our stay which was very easy. 

Buddy is a real character, with excellent recall which made our walks in the near by forests very pleasant and relaxing. He loves the forest which is great, because it's only 5 min drive away from the house, and if you don't have a car that is no problem because there is a racing course within 5 min which is equally nice for a morning walk. 
Buddy is very well behaved and loves attention and playing. He pretty much adapts to whatever you are doing, being active or just laying next to us,  when we preferred to relax in the living room. We absolutely loved him and him funny faces ! 

Thank you so much Corinne & Andrew for your generosity and for giving us the chance to meet and spend time with Buddy in your lovely and relaxing home !

Regards,
Noemi & Stefan
User
Jo
We loved looking after Lulu and Pickle and we miss them already! They are the sweetest most affectionate dogs that are absolutely lovely to look after. They stay very close to you on walks and have really good recall so taking them out feels very easy - Lulu can be a bit vocal with some dogs but she’ll come away when called. 

Jo was really communicative before the sit and we felt welcome in the flat, which was really lovely. Her son did stop by a couple of times whilst we were there, the first time without us knowing in advance, but that was accidental and Jo did check in with us that the other time was okay with lots of warning. We’d definitely recommend looking after Lulu and Pickle to anyone!
User
Nicky
Nicky is an outstanding host with a beautiful home. My husband and I were lucky enough to look after Harvey and Lillou for five weeks and it has been one of our favorite house sitting experiences. Harvey is such a joy to care for. He is playful, lovable, and a wonderful companion during the day. Lillou, although a fiercely independent, is affectionate and beautiful. Nicky's home had everything one could need and so much more for an extended stay. We would be so happy to do this sit over and over again. Thank you Nicky, Annie, Harvey, and Lillou!
User
Branden
Branden and Vicki were wonderful hosts. They are a lovely couple, and we had great conversations about travel, food, and dogs.
 Communication was excellent, both before and during my stay, and they provided a detailed welcome guide with all the information I needed about the dogs and the house. 
On the first night, Branden and Vicki cooked me dinner and showed me around the house and the dog routine. Branden even took me for walks with the dogs and showed me where to find groceries, coffee, and bakery treats. By the way, I tried the pretzel at the Stortebackerie, and it was delicious. Thanks, Branden, for the recommendation! 
Vicki has an exquisite taste for decoration, and the house is beautifully decorated with art pieces from all over the world. It looks like a museum.
 The city centre is just a 20-minute bus ride, and the bus stop is just five minutes away. 
Now, let me tell you about the ladies of the house, Moose and Chewy. 
They have very different personalities, so much so they are like the dog yin-yang.
 Moose, despite her size, is a sweetheart who loves to be with you and is always looking for cuddles. She goes potty in the garden or during the walks.
 On the other hand, Chewy is a protective kinda German Shepherd personality dog, who is the alpha of the house. She will come to you when she wants attention, but she also enjoys her alone time. She loves balls! She has her preferred spot to wee and poo, like the nearest church green area.
 Both dogs are well-potty-trained and food-trained, and they know some commands. You can practice with them in exchange for treats. Ask Moose to give you the paw, she's the cutest dog in the world when she does it!
 They also know how to use some dog puzzles and mats to use with treats. 
During walkies, they behaved well. Sometimes, Chewy got excited looking for cats, squirrels, or other dogs, but nothing that you can't manage if you follow the instructions given in the welcome guide. 
 Thanks, Branden and Vicki for letting me look after your fur babies. I hope we can meet again in the future, and if you ever come to Bath, I'll show you around!
User
Gabrielle
Gabby was a wonderful host, very thoughtful, warm and pleasant to communicate with. She showed great hospitality during the month-long stay with small kind gestures like asking in advance how we take our coffee which went a long way to making us feel at home. She and Chris gave a thorough tour and walkthrough of things to know about the house and cat sitting needs when we met which made things go smoothly and were always available if I had questions throughout the sit.

Only Pearl was at home for my sit, and she was a pleasure to care for. One of the sweetest and most gentle cats I have met. When she is not mostly sleeping during the day, she loves to bond by giving licks and sometimes cuddling. Her soft, quiet greetings when we saw each other first thing in the morning was a cute way to start the day. It was also endearing that for the first few days of the sit, she did not want to go downstairs away from her room but, with a little bit of encouragement, eventually became comfortable to explore the whole house now that her dog siblings were away. It was like a vacation for her too :) I’m glad I got to facilitate that for her and would highly recommend this to anyone considering a house sit in Spring Hill/Nashville area.

Pet Sitting FAQs

From $35/week to $150/week for the cat sitting and from 29.9950 to 29.99150 for the dog, additional rates include from 50% to 100% per additional pet, cheap rates are 29.9940 for the cat sitting and 29.99 for the dog sitting. On Sittsy you can find a pet sitter who will not charge you anything for keeping your pets at home.

Yes, you can find a home pet sitter to stay in your house with your pet overnight and provide 24/7 care for your pets. You can include in your listing time the advisable timeframe that the pet sitter should adhere to and not leave your pet alone in the house. Usually, it's not to leave the pet alone for more than 4 hours.

The pet sitter for the cat should visit at least once a day. For the dogs, the pet sitter should visit at least three times per day, the best solution is if the sitter stays overnight and watches your pets all the time.

Look at the pet sitter with a high rating, and many previous bookings with good reviews, ask the sitter to make a meet and meet before confirming the booking online or in-person, and reach out to the pet owners where the sitter stayed before asking about reference.

Common red flags in pet sitters are bad reviews from previous pet owners, a high cancellation rate after approval, a sitter who doesn't have a background check, a sitter who refuses to meet and greet in person or online, and a sitter who wants to make bookings outside of the platform.

Yes, it is safe to hire a pet sitter it's still advisable to see if the sitter has a background check, good reviews, and past bookings and make a meet and greet before confirmation in this way you can reduce risk to the minimum.

Yes, pet sitters stay all day in your house and also they stay overnight, the sitter can leave your home for up to 4 hours or for a different time that you can discuss during the meet and greet.

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