Pet Sitters in Silica, OH

Beth

This was one of our favorite sits! First of all Beth’s home is so beautiful and full of thoughtful design touches, I felt like we were in a swanky air bnb. And her pets…. Just the sweetest, cuddly fur friends we have had the pleasure to watch. Blue and Juno will hilariously howl and respond when you ask them to “show you” what they need. Very smart dogs.  And the cats were so sweet! Lucy warmed up to us quickly and Nola quickly became the family favorite with her friendly and outgoing nature. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would jump at the chance to watch this crew again.

Shannon

Shannon & Blake provided a welcoming atmosphere in their lovely home located in a cute tree-lined section of Tacoma’s Lincoln District. Both the backyard and the front porch were wonderful areas to sit back, listen to and feel the vibe of the city. The backyard was also great for bonding with their dog, Layla, by playing fetch, having extreme tug-o-war matches, watching her zoomies, and giving her belly rubs in the grass. Our daily walks in the morning were always eventful. And in the evening, Layla and I would relax in front of the TV before heading off to bed – she made sure to sleep on the floor next to me.

I enjoyed my time with Layla, who is truly a loving dog, and all the items mentioned above would make this a 5-star review. However, I want to provide two explanations as to why I decided to make this a 4-star review instead.

Firstly, Layla took some time to warm up and remember me from the meet & greet we had weeks prior to the housesit.  It’s understandable that animal family members may take some time getting acquainted to someone new. But, I need to point out Layla’s “method.” During the first couple days of my being at the house, Layla would nip at my hands and at my calves and she would occasionally growl.  (The first time this occurred was when Shannon & Blake were getting ready to leave. It was surprising, but not overly concerning to me, and I let Blake know what happened and that this would need to be corrected.) After they left, Layla repeated the behavior several more times that day. I noticed she only did this when she saw me heading toward the front door.  Her nips never broke the skin or caused any serious damage – but it was enough to get my attention. I realized she was experiencing some severe anxiety, so I made sure to reassure her with calming words, slower movements, and by giving her treats. (Blake had left some kibble by the front door with instructions to give to Layla whenever I returned from being away.) After becoming aware that my approaching the front door - even in passing it but not going out - exacerbated Layla’s anxiety and then remembering that she was a rescue dog, I decided to spend more time sitting on the floor and allowing Layla to get used to me being there. My goal was to reassure her I was not leaving, too. Within two days of adhering to this “prescription,” the nips and growls completely stopped. The rest of my time with Layla was great – she has an amazing playful personality that kept me laughing.

Secondly, taking Layla on walks was a bit challenging for a variety of reasons. Sometimes she wouldn’t want to leave the house and no amount of coaxing would get her to go out. (We ended up only taking our walks in the morning.) Other times, we might be on the walk, but she’d just plop herself down on the sidewalk and not budge unless we turned around and headed back to the house. These two situations definitely require a “go with the flow” mindset when caring for Layla. Neither of these were deal breakers for me, but something worth mentioning. However, there is one situation that did cause some frustration when walking Layla. Yes, Layla is definitely treat-motivated, which came in handy with correcting unwanted behavior but this motivation seemed to turn into food obsession when on walks. She would routinely dart out to something on the ground and the next thing I would know she’d have something in her mouth – bones, unopened salad dressing packs, food scraps – that had been discarded on the street. I was completely taken off guard when it happened the first time and was only able to get a portion of the item out of her mouth. Once back at the house, I notified Shannon & Blake in case Layla had an allergic reaction to what she ate. They let me know this is something she often does on walks. So, I attempted to become more intentional in surveying the ground during our walks and shortening Layla’s leash. Yet, when I would either stop to pick up her dog waste or pause to place the waste in a trash bin, Layla would find something on the ground and dart toward it before I could stop her. These occurrences were stressful and impeded on both mine and Layla’s ability to thoroughly relax and enjoy each walk. Also, since I both comfortable and experienced with retrieving things from a dog's mouth, my muscle memory would kick in and I would do what I could to get the thing out of her mouth. (I also tend to wear gloves whenever I am out walking dogs. The gloves provide an added layer when scooping up waste.) With that said, there are plenty of people who may not be comfortable retrieving items from a dog's mouth, especially if the animal in question is not their own. 

I managed to make the most of my time with Layla and still think she is a great dog. She is extremely lovable and a fabulous cuddle buddy.  However, I just want to caution anyone who is not an experienced human companion to large breeds, rescue dogs, anxious dogs, or anyone who lacks compassion and patience to thoroughly consider what you may encounter when caring for Layla.

Jim

We had such a wonderful time with Abe and Monte in Kailua. They are both such sweet dogs and great pals to hang out with. Jim and Amy are really nice and easy to communicate with. They made us feel very welcome in their lovely home and we'd be happy to sit for them again.

Matt

Womwom is an intelligent, active & playful cat, it was a pleasure to care for him.
Matt gave a detailed welcome pack, it was extremely helpful, clear, easy to follow & excellent communication throughout.
The area has fantastic transport links into central London & very good amenities close by.
It was a terrific sit, a lovely home, I would highly recommend & would love to sit again in the future.

Catriona

Our stay at Catriona’s was amazing! She made us feel so welcome and introduced us to her friends and neighbors so that we could build a community while staying in Aniane. The village was charming and we especially loved the market on Thursdays and all the places to swim in the Herault. 

The garden is a drive away so it helps to have a car. We stayed during a drought and very high temperatures so we did the best we could! The garden cats are charming and love being fed!

The house cats were the best part of the stay. They were cuddly and warm and we loved being greeted with their meows. We can’t wait to come back!

Debbie

What a wonderful house/pet sit this was. Debbie and Dustin were so accommodating and welcoming having me stay in their home and looking after the lovely Zillie. Zillie is an old lady now and enjoys her sleepy time-she is no trouble at all and loves to be made a fuss over. The house is lovely and charismatic and has everything you will need to enjoy your stay there. I wasn't intending on bringing my children with me originally however I stumbled into some childcare difficulty and Debbie was more than happy for me to bring my kids along to the sit. The beds are so comfortable and we all slept really well. As long as we ensured Zillie had had her medication and had enough food and water left out, we were able to venture out for the afternoon and explore things to do in the area. Debbie and Dustin are wonderful hosts and I would happily look after Zillie again. Thank you both for letting us stay in your wonderful home.