Pet Sitters in Kirby Cross

Matt

Lisa is untrustworthy.  She came 2 days early than scheduled to get know Albert my 4 year old lab and showed no signs of being unable to care for him, nor did she raise any concerns, in fact she billed herself as an expert professional dog sitter.  She witnessed his need for lots of attention when he destroyed a pair of my sleep pants when she and I were engaged in a long conversation.  No red flags raised by Lisa no issues.  She did make sure to mention that she’d like her sister and niece to come visit while I was gone, which I found odd since my profile says no kids.  Also FYI other sitters earlier this year had no issues with Albert, a rover sitter and a friend.  In fact no one has ever had an issue with Albert.

Less than week into a six week sit while I was traveling internationally with limited access to phone/text/email/wifi she turned on us.  She sent texts which were borderline insulting regarding his training and behavior, spoke of learning a lot about herself rather than telling me how Albert was doing and ignored my repeated requests to give him more attention; I told her that would solve all of her problems.  She would continue to tell me about her experience with Labs etc. and I finally had to tell her that I am the expert on my dog and she needs to give him more attention like I’d been asking.  She even sent me a picture of him looking at the bookshelf asking me what to do.  When I got home I found a dog toy on top of the bookshelf.  This is a great example of the lack of effort she put into the sit.  

She stopped providing proactive updates, didn’t send pictures of his daily beach walk as promised, most likely didn’t take him on said daily walk, and failed to update me on the status of a health condition he was experiencing unless I directly asked.  With two weeks left in the trip she informed me she would be leaving before I got home which was a breach of her commitment to stay until I got home.  Worried about my dog and property I cut my trip short at great expense and came home early.  Due to a flight cancellation and switching airports I arrived in the middle of the night.  I gave Lisa 3 stars for organization because she was out the door by 7am. 

 She told me “I did nothing but take care of Albert” and she barely did that.  The house was filthy, she killed two of my plants and when asked she said I think I overwatered, didn’t even say sorry.  She left before I had a chance to inspect the convertible she was using drive Albert to the beach for his daily walk.  When I left there were a few claw marks in the seats from Albert; when I got back the whole front leather seat is ripped wide open exposing the foam.  For five weeks Lisa lived in my house and never mentioned this to me.  Any responsible person should have reached out to the owner when the claw mark first became a tear or even just thrown some tape on it to stop it from getting worse.  Instead Lisa did nothing and now there is a gaping hole.

1000% more important than the property is my heart and soul Albert.
If he wasn’t neglected he was certainly unloved.  He has never not jumped on me when I got home and he didn’t jump on me when I got home after 5 weeks.  This could only be because she scolded the behavior out of him.  The responsibility is never to force the dog to accommodate the sitter, it’s the sitter to accommodate the dog and take care of the home.   On our first beach walk when I returned he rolled over on his belly in the sand for petting, something he has never done, he just needed love so badly after not getting it for 5 weeks!  Albert was even skittish about licking my face for the first several days I was back, and he usually licks my face all the time, loves itching his tongue on my beard stubble.  

For all the concerned dog lovers out there after two weeks of constant love from me he is back to his old self, jumps up when I get back from an errand and licks my face again like there’s no tomorrow.  It did take a whole two weeks to get this behavior back; It’s a relief that he’s remembered who he is and that his personality wasn’t forced out of him for good by whatever Lisa was doing or not doing while he was in her care.

Aaron

Aaron is a considerate host with a very cute and cozy home. Everything worked really well and the neighborhood has some gems including Milwaukee Ave walking street. Hojo is good boy! He’s a rescue pit bull with some tendencies to get anxious and do things to demand attention at times. He needs his two walks and to play tug-of-war a couple of times a day! Otherwise, he sleeps most of the day. Aaron was wonderful to work with.

JoanCarol

J.C's home and pup were a fun and relaxing getaway for me.  Her home is clean and in a prime location for anything outdoors, plus the view from her deck is heavenly!  J.C's instructions for Linus were clear & very manageable.  Communication, comfort and consideration were all there - all in all a great experience!

Michael

I cannot speak highly enough about Michael, his immaculate house and beautiful dogs Paddington and Chelsea, This sit was more than a pleasure, it was a treat in luxury. 
Michael is Kind, helpful and well travelled with knowledge only a man with such experience could have. We could of stayed and talked with him for hours and feel like we have made a friend. Michael even returned with bracelets from South Africa for us that perfectly match what Magda and I already wear, we are wearing them now and will continue to wear until they or our hands fall off. 
Paddington lives on love, Never before have we met a dog who likes to kiss so much. blow a kiss from anywhere in the house and he'll come running like a nutter to jump on you. Chelsea is very much the same but with less licking, she dances around like the cutest dressage horse to roll over at your side to be tickled/scratch. They're truly special dogs that couldn't have loved us more and it was a honour to return that affection and spend 2 glorious weeks with them.
If you're considering a sit here I will ask you to stop procrastinating and contact Michael. We couldn't fault even if we wanted.

Somersal

Pip is the wonder dog of all wonder dogs and Somersal is an absolute treasure.  The best sit I have ever done.

Oliver

We has an amazing experience in Berlin with Aujust and Winston. They are a very good baby’s. Oliver and Jeff are super friendly, we came one day before, they showed all the staff and the house, giving advice about Berlín to. 

Thanks for the opportunity

Erina

Sitting for Erina and Noah was a delight. I loved Tooch and BZ.  They are sweet and gentle kitties - playful, observant, wonderful companions. And hilarious! It is clear that they are well loved.
Erina was very welcoming, easy going and clear with instructions - both in the excellent Welcome Guide, and  texting.  She was easy to contact and quick to respond. Their home is lovely, and peaceful, and I enjoyed the easy going neighborhood, right near the sea.
It was a pleasure :)