Dog Sitters in Sandford

Very reliable and friendly dog walker and boarder. Lee provides an excellent pick up and drop off service. Our border terrier is always excited to see Lee and clearly enjoys his days out and overnight stays.

x2 cats left in poor conditions over Christmas. Litter tray hadn't been emptied in over a week and was piled in mess. Bedding was sodden from leaking enclosure, when asked why the bedding was soaking wet the owner said the cats spilled their water.. Even the tub of biscuits had been eaten by rats. Not fit to be taking care of pets. Do not use.

Daisy loves her visits to Ellie at The Doggy Retreat she was initially nervous but Ellie really helped her to settle quickly and sent reassuring updates. Daisy loves going to see her. She has stayed for a week whilst we were on holiday and had a great time and we were sent updates during the week which was lovely and she has stayed again since. If you are unsure about leaving your dog as I was I would recommend you meet Ellie as you can see that she loves dogs and the dogs love her. Even though it is quite a way to travel for us, it is worth it for the peace of mind that Daisy is happy and well cared for. A real home from home experience

I have used Ellie several times for doggy daycare and have been delighted with the service received. Bertie, our 6-month old mini schnauzer has been treated like one of the family and loves going. Ellie is very responsive to messages and requests as well as being super reliable. I have no hesitation in recommending The Doggy Retreat.

I have moved to Newcastle upon Tyne and have not used a dog sitter up here in two years . That’s how particular I am for finding dog sitter I’m happy to leave Grace my forever little whippet with. I was so fortunate to find Ellie when I had hospital apps I couldn’t miss. I knew the moment I took Grace to visit her I would be more than happy and relaxed about Grace staying overnight with her . I would recommend anyone who is looking for a responsible, approachable, confident did sitter to contact Ellie. You won’t be disappointed and if I move back to Devon or if I am down for a visit Ellie is the only human I would leave Grace with and be able to totally relax knowing she would be cared for the same as I would care for her. Jan Carver

The Doggy Retreat is great. Ellie looked after our little dog Bobby for a night whilst we celebrated my cousins wedding. She was flexible and accommodating and it was clear Bobby felt very comfortable in his home from home. We couldn't reccomend more highly.

The Doggy Retreat has taken brilliant care of our Labradoodle on many occasions, he always came back happy. Ellie is always very responsive and communicative and will send photos of your dog through the day.

Ellie has been fantastic. Our puppy loves her and she is given a walk and her lunch while I am at work a couple of days a week. She is punctual and sends plenty of pics during her visit. Brilliant communication. Not sure what else we could ask for in a dog walker. She clearly loves her job!!

Ellie was very welcoming and my dog settled in quickly. I received regular updates while I was away and I would definitely book in again.

Really happy with the services that Ellie provides. My dachshund Louis has a home from home :)

Gracie, our Frenchie x Pug, had a great time when she was taken care of by Ellie. Would highly recommend to anyone.

Daisy looks forward to going for a stay at the doggy retreat.

Excellent service provided by Helen. It’s nice to know that your pets are really well looked after whilst in her care. Would definitely recommend her services.

I would 100% recommended Helen, she has been a godsend to my 2 dogs, ( poppy & daisy ), trustworthy, kind, & reliable .

Absolutely amazing with my Storm! Couldn’t be happier! 😊 …

I have known Kim since she was very small, and her loving caring nature makes her the perfect choice, I have complete trust and confidence in her ability to care for your furry friends. Wishing you all the best in your new business adventure 😍😍xxx

I gave my Bichon a doggy care day with Kim. He was very happy there. He had 2 walks and lots of love and cuddles. I have booked him in again next week.. Thanks Kim..

Cookie enjoys going! Great service!

The management changed at the beginning of the year, which I was unaware of. When I called to book a stay for my dog, I was told that all bookings need to go through the booking system and was advised to create an account, which I did. After one booking was cancelled, I decided to book all our upcoming trips to be on the safe side. All bookings were accepted and confirmed. So, I thought we have the kennel sorted and booked our summer holiday. We paid for the holiday, but the travel agent contacted us saying that the flights needed to be changed. I called Lapford to extend the booking for one day, as we needed to drop her off the day before due to our flight change. The lady over the phone ‘penciled’ the booking and said she would confirm by email, but I never received confirmation. I checked my booking on the website and noticed that the whole booking was cancelled. Shocked, I booked again, and my booking was rejected due to no space. I called them immediately and was asked to come for an assessment first, which surprised me. They said they needed to assess my dog, as she is reactive and nervous due to being a rescue dog. We went there, and I was told that they won't take her as they won't be able to take care of her. I found this situation ridiculous. My dog.was going to the same place in the last 2 years. They knew she was reactive and still accepted her I knew how to work with her. When you decide to open a kennel or take over from the previous owners, you need to be able to look after any type of dog, whether it is small, large, nervous, or reactive. Since the ownership changed at the beginning of the year, be aware if your dog is a bit tricky and not a sweet puppy, you probably will be rejected, as they don’t deal with ‘challenging’ dogs. This is similar to a hotel rejecting your stay because you have a disabled child, which is unacceptable. We were left without a kennel 80 days before our holiday. Luckily, there are places in Devon that are accommodating to reactive dogs because they know how to deal with them. My tip for Lapford is if you are running a business with dogs, you cannot have any fear of these animals. You can reject the owner of the dog due to their behaviour but never the dog. From experience, I can guarantee that if you continue like this, you won't go far, as you will lose a lot of owners of ‘tricky’ dogs who relied on this place before.

After our regular boarder cancelled a couple of days before our girls were due to go ( no fault, completely unavoidable) we found ourselves searching. So incredibly glad we found Lapford as we were able to go down for an introduction with very short notice, and our two girls were introduced and were immediately relaxed. We went away after dropping them off the following day with no worries and they came back happy, waggy tails and still wanting more. We could not have wished for a better outcome and I'm so thrilled with them. We will definitely use again as I'm happy our girls are treated as one of their own dogs would be. I cannot thank you enough, and we will see you again once our next holiday is booked xx

Highly recommended! My Dalmatian was here for 10 days, she came back clean, happy and playful. I will definitely be using them again. I love the fact she was able to mix with other dogs as she is very sociable.

We've been leaving our dog here for a year or so. It used to be fine during the previous ownership. However following her last stay (3 nights) we were left in shock when we picked her up. She was stressed beyond belief, starving, absolutely reeking of urine and wet all over - obviously having slept in her own wee. Shocking. The woman there advised ownership has just changed - Neil no longer running the spot. She didn't even know which one was our dog - as in did not know her by the name, and was visibly oblivious to anything that was going on. I honestly think anyone was hardly there over the weekend and the poor dogs and cats were neglected. Seriously considering reporting the place. Not acceptable.

I needed a kennels for my dogs in March. My male Malinois is reactive to men and other dogs usually... Arrived there this morning and he didn't react negatively at all. Was an introduction day, which they didn't even charge for. Very positive, and my dogs have slept since coming home. Highly recommended, and am looking forward to my holiday now that I know my dogs will be cared for x

Excellent job looking after my dogs, one is 50kg and hard to handle and they were extremely competent and professional.

Lovely place,our dog was well looked after and very reasonably priced.

Our two shelties, went in Thursday for the 1st time away from us. They were so happy and well looked after. Will return. Many thanks for putting our minds at ease.

We boarded our spaniel at Lapford Lodge, for the first time, for 5 nights over the Christmas period. When we picked her up, her coat was wet & matted and when we got home she was licking her front paws, limping and was very lethargic, with no appetite, so we took her to the vet. He found she had a bacterial infection on her leg and a high temperature so gave her injections and prescribed a course of antibiotics and she did slowly improve but is still lethargic, with intermittent stomach upsets. We have previously boarded her in other kennels and she has always come home happy and healthy, but it is now February and she is still not back to her normal lively self. Very distressing.

Kitten stayed for 35 days and was sleeping in her bed with a heated pad when I went to pick her up. She was clearly a happy cat and had been well looked after. The cat runs are within an outer building with large windows. I have no hesitation in recommending Lapford Lodge. The owners are friendly and caring. Some years ago my little dog boarded at the Kennels and was well cared for.

I have to say - the first time we used Exeter Pet Sitters was amazing, couldn't have been happier. Unfortunately on coming to use them a second time we had the opposite experience. I called and left messages multiple times on both numbers, none were ever returned. Email communication was better but still not reliable. Each time I was told something would happen it didn't, asking how to flag the medical needs of my cat was met with no response, looking for reassurance that those needs would be met also got no response. The whole experience was needlessly stressful - had anyone said it wouldn't be possible to meet my needs from the start I would have had no problem. As it was I chased and chased for weeks and got nowhere. In the end I gave up trying to arrange for Exeter Pet Sitters to look after my animals and went with a different company - which is just as well because even the day before they were supposed to start caring for my pets, Jo and the team still hadn't responded to me. A couple of years ago I would have recommended these guys but now? I cannot in good faith say that they're the best option.

Overall a fantastic experience so far! We had a tricky situation arrise with our puppy needing to receive puppy visits throughout the day at short notice due to my partner and I needing to be back to work sooner than we had thought. Jo was quick to solve the problem and gave us a solution that fitted perfectly with our schedule. Highly recommended *****

Have used this service for several years and rate them highly because they have always been good at accommodating our needs, caring well for our pet keeping things clean. They also go the extra mile to look after plants/bins etc while you are away.

Lovely dedicated caring staff. My dogs absolutely love their walks and are always happy to go.

Jo and her team are super friendly and professional. Would highly recommend!

They help u at a drop of a hat xxxx

Jenny and George, aka Running Ducks, are just brilliant! I have a very complicated house; lots of animals, plants, routines, to ensure smooth running of the place. They both stepped in and took over all the complexities, as though they had been here for ever. The animals were so loved, were safe. The house and (some more difficult than others) its occupants were managed with skill and I was able To relax on my trip to the other side of the world!! Believe me, this is not an easy job. The stress of leaving everything here Made going away incredibly difficult!! They are just wonderful people and my animals adored them. I can’t recommend or thank them enough for giving me a bit of a breather and for allowing me to feel everything was safe and secure and loved. I wish they could clone themselves! Thank you both 🙏🙏🙏

Jenny and George have sat for us twice now and we've been so happy with their care of our two indoor cats. I get very nervous about leaving them to go away, particularly because they need quite a bit of attention as they are indoor cats and I want them to be kept safe from the outside busy road. But I definitely do not need to worry because Jenny and George looked after them so well and I could tell how content they were from the daily photos and updates, and on our return home. I really felt like I could relax when I was away knowing they were in safe hands. Our male cat in particular is really missing them! Aside from the excellent care of our cats, our home was left clean and tidy too. We will definitely continue to use Running Duck Pet Services and so so pleased we have found sitters that we can trust and who care so much for our cats.

Our dog Maya loved being with George and although we hadn't met him before this time, we felt confident in leaving our beloved dog in his care. She seemed really happy and relaxed when we returned and we got lots of update photos whilst we were gone. We would certainly use Running Duck again. Thank you Jenny & George

Jenny and George were the perfect cat sitters, while we were away for 2 weeks. Our 3 cats were so well looked after. We received daily updates with pics and videos. Our house was spotless on our return and we even had a home made cheese cake waiting for us. Thank you to a lovely couple that gave us complete peace of mind whilst we were away. Highly recommended.

Running Duck Pet Services are our go to team whenever we need great pet sitters. Our most recent experience in particular will stay with us for a lifetime thanks to the amazing support we had from Glenn and Mandy. We travelled abroad for two and a half weeks for our wedding but just before we left we found out that our pup Gus had a cancerous lump on his paw that required quite intense surgery. Glenn and Mandy took the best care of Gus making sure he was well rested and took him to regular vet appointments. We got daily updates and felt totally relaxed that he was receiving the best care. We will be forever grateful to this amazing team of people and we know the bond Gussy has with Glenn and Mandy means we won't need to worry about trips away ever again

This is the easiest review we’ve ever written! Simply, fabulous… can’t thank ‘auntie’ Jenny & ‘uncle’ George enough for being such incredible surrogate parents to our boy Benny whilst we enjoyed a much needed short break. It was great to be away without worrying, knowing that he was in very safe, capable hands with such loving people. It was evident from the videos and photos you shared he was having a ball, and thoroughly enjoying his time with you, practicing his training and having a nice muddy run in the woods! We can’t imagine better people to look after him. Thank you from us and a huge thank you from Benny! X

Once again. Fantastic service. Jenny and George such lovely people and looked after Bertie so well and kept in touch. Feel really happy leaving Bertie and house in their great hands. Thanks so much

Running Duck are, bar none, the best dog- and house-sitting people we have ever dealt with. Jenny and George were the kindest, most trustworthy, most understanding, most responsible, and overall best people we have ever used in regard to caring for our dogs (and house). There is only one downside: now that we've used them, there is no way we can even imagine leaving our dogs in the care of anyone OTHER than Running Duck. (No joke - Google Reviews has told me that the original review I submitted for Running Duck is 750 words over the allowed limit; I obviously couldn't stop singing their praises once I started, so now I'll try to cut it down to only the most important and pertinent points.) My wife and I were away for a full month due to personal circumstances that were very stressful. Concern about our dogs or house would've made the entire time that much worse, but the one and only thing we never worried about was the safety and happiness of our dogs and house. With a significant time difference, we loved waking up to photos (and videos!) of our dogs having the times of their lives with Jenny and George. A memorable favourite of ours was a video showing the dogs completely engrossed as George played guitar for them. I wrote a full explanation for each of the following bullet points, but I have to remove them to get this review to work, but these are some of the most important traits that Running Duck have and that they demonstrated while caring for our dogs: 1 - Caring & Attentiveness re: Health Issues. 2 - Understanding & Acceptance (& Attention to Detail) re: Advice and Instructions. 3 - Mindfulness & Forethought re: Food and Medicine. 4 - Flexibility & Helpfulness re: Logistics Issues. 5 - They are True, True Dog People. The only explanation I've kept from the preceding list is for #5: Jenny and George did not simply feed and walk the dogs, they hung out with them, reading, watching tv, chilling. I honestly don't think I can do enough justice to the sort of attention and kindness and care they showed the dogs - as well as to us, knowing that we were having a less-than-stellar time away, they would still send us photos or text updates to let us know how the dogs were, even when we hadn't responded or asked because we were so overwhelmed. Their updates were, in all sincerity, reflected the one part of our month away that we felt 100% at ease with. After the initial tenseness of setting off and leaving dogs with other people left after 1-2 days, neither my wife nor I was concerned for an iota. My wife and I honestly thought our dogs seemed depressed for a few days after Jenny and George left. And I'd be lying if I said we didn't stay in contact because they actually cared enough afterward to make sure everything was smooth in our transition home - plus, they missed the dogs themselves! Even though we haven't seen them since they cared for our dogs and house that month, we do still occasionally send dog photos back and forth, which is just wonderful. (On side note, and an important one at that - once we settled back in at home, we realised that they had left our house even cleaner than we had originally left it for them!) To summarise once more: Running Duck is the best. There's probably a word in clinical psychology for the strength of attachment I have to my dogs but even with my (over-)attachment, I would again trust Jenny & George with them in a heartbeat. A few months after they had taken care of our dogs / house, we asked if they were available again for some upcoming dates. Unfortunately, they were not (and of course, any high demand for their services makes absolute sense to us). The funny part - and this is true - is that my wife and I decided that, rather than plan our travel and then see if they can fit with our dates, that going forward, we will ask Jenny & George what dates/months work best for them and then we will plan our travel around their availabilities. If that doesn't tell you of the esteem and trust which we hold for Running Duck, I don't know what does.

Jenny and George provided us with an excellent service at very short notice. From the first visit to check us out and meet the cat (a young, very lively and slightly dim ginger boy) we could tell that house, garden and pet would be in very good hands. Jenny kept in touch on a daily basis and on my return the cat had decided he preferred his new companion to us. We'll certainly use Running Duck again.

Following our inquiry Jenny and George visited us at home, established our requirements and met our very nervous and demanding rescue cat. We were left in no doubt what a kind and caring couple they are, who provided us with total confidence in leaving our home and our cat in their care. Jenny and George house and pet sat for us for two weeks at the end of August/early September. During this time we were kept informed and updated on a daily basis by emails photographs and text messages allowing us to truly relax and enjoy our holiday safe in the knowledge that all was well at home. We returned to a calmer friendlier cat, who had clearly benefited from the care and dedication provided by both Jenny and George, the house was immaculate and George had even taken the trouble to tidy the gardens and cut our lawns We cannot recommend Jenny and George highly enough and will certainly be using them again on each and every occasion that we travel.

Tina is a fantastic doggie host. She is patient, kind and attentive. Our rescue dog has never stayed away from home in the 10 months we have had her. She gets anxious when myself or partner leave her (even to go outside to he bins she makes a whining noise). Tina asked us to do a pre-visit with our fur baby so that they could meet, bond and for our dog to learn the surroundings. After the pre-visit, we did a trial over night stay before we went away so that we were around if our dog was unsettled. Tina was very understanding of our fur baby when she had woken her at 3am and again at 5.30am on the first over night stay. By the time we were collecting her she was settled and happy. We received updates via text, had video's and photographs sent to us so we could see her settling in and playing with the other doggy guests. We were not the best clients for Tina as we booked last minute and then I confused the days/dates. She was very accommodating and understanding. Luckily it worked out well and she could still take our fur baby. I'm so very glad it did because our dog absolutely loved her visit, she was jumping up and licking Tina and was really enjoying the fun with other furry friends. We felt at ease leaving our dog, and knew our baby was in great hands with Tina. We will be using her more now we know how fabulous she is and how happy our dog is when she is going there. Key facts: *Easy booking and online form *Excellent introduction process *Dedicated and loving host *Experienced dog specialist *Wonderful updates *Excellent prices

Tina is a great host and our doggie was very happy with her.

A home from home for your dog. My dog is always excited when we get here - a waggy tail speaks a thousand words!

My daxie loves spending time here and it's built up her confidence with bigger dogs too.

A friendly and reassuring second home for my dog when I'm away.

So happy with our experience of using Sunny Pet Sitting! Claire looked after our indoor cats & rabbit while we were away & we received daily messages & pictures to let us know they were doing well. Normally our cats are a little stressed when we go away & it takes a while for them to settle back in to a routine once we return, but when Claire looked after them this didn't happen at all! They were very happy & seemed super chilled when we arrived home. We will definitely continue to use Sunny Pet Sitting when we go away & would recommend.

Claire looked after our tortoise, Guinea pigs, hamster and fish while we were on holiday. We couldn’t have been happier with the service she provided, including feeding them daily and cleaning out mid-week. We especially enjoyed the daily updates and photos, it gave us excellent peace of mind. Thanks again!

Claire has been walking our girl for 8 months and has always been extremely reliable. She manages our dog really well, and as a 3 year old husky who cannot come off her lead due to poor recall this is not always easy. Claire is so passionate about what she does and our dog absolutely loves her walks. We get fantastic updates at work and we love seeing her having fun. Claire is extremely professional and provides an exemplary service. We absolutely cannot recommend Claire enough!

Claire was fab looking after by bunnies for the week I was away on holiday. She kept them very clean and updated me regularly. I wouldn’t hesitate to use claire again. 🐰❤️ …

Highly recommend! Lizzie was great at communication and sending me photos of my four cats while I was away. She even administered medicine to one of my cats with no issues! Very reliable and trustworthy!

Thank you Lizzie. I was worried about leaving my Ragdolls because they need medication three times a day in their food…and they’re picky eaters 🤦🏻‍♀️ Lizzie was amazing! She was lovely with the boys, fed them easily, updated me with photos and texts and left the house clean and tidy to come home to. I’ll definitely use her again and again 😻😻

Claire and Lizzie from Sunny Pet Sitting were very professional from the outset but equally what comes across is they are both warm caring individual's. So we were very happy to use their services to pet sit our 5 month old JRT puppy for 4+ hours whilst we attended a family funeral. It made what was already a stressful time all that much easier knowing that our pup was in good hands whilst we paid our respects. Our puppy was well cared for and looked very contented in their company. (Although initially excited on first meeting them as puppy's tend to be!). Happy to recommend Sunny Pet Sitting services.

Claire has looked after our cats a fee times now whilst we have been away. She is great and we will continue to use Sunny Pet Sitting in the future.

Claire has been walking and looking after my King Charles for two months now and we both think she’s great! Looking forward to many more months of a super happy pup

Fantastic service and wonderful care. Claire was friendly and attentive to all my dogs needs, will definitely be using again next time I go away!