Jody S.
North Bellevue, WA
Dog Friendly Family environment
Pet care experience
We have always owned a dog and consider ourselves dog lovers! Bianca is a well trained extremely friendly passive dog who is in love with her ball. I work from home and so am able to provide 2 walks per day and then the dogs hang out with me at home. They get plenty of attention between their walks, hanging at home with me. About this sitter: Dog lover and mother of three... we have an active house so your dog must like to be active and have constant attention...:) I like to think of it as loving chaos :) I work from home so the dogs are not alone for long periods of time. Why I love dog sitting It all started when I was a teenager and I told my mom the dog followed me home (What she didn't know was I encouraged it) ... it was a skinny abused dog that we took to the vet and they allowed me to keep. I took the dog to obedience training and that dog went everywhere with me. I wasn't able to have another dog until we were married and had a fenced yard of our own. We prefer training our own puppies (mostly because we didn't want to have to deal with hang ups from abuse or previous inconstancy) so we got a Lab mutt puppy. She also went everywhere with us and was a part of our family. She lived 14 years and we had to put her down from old age and her hips just stopped working. Our children were so sad and it wasn't a home without a furry friend, so we got Bianca. We took Bianca home at 7 weeks and also trained her. She is wonderful with kids and other dogs. She, too, was a special sweet girl that passed away too young. She was 8. Now we have happy energetic Ayi. She is 2 years old and loves to run and chase balls. She is mostly off leash around our home so it's not uncommon for you to see her sunning herself on our front stoop. Meet my pets We have a fully fenced backyard in an older West Bellevue Rambler ... The dogs mainly stay in our large kitchen family great room with access to the backyard from the slider. We prefer dogs who are crate trained because dogs in new environments feel very secure in their "cave" to sleep and then they are not aimlessly wondering around at night and I ONLY want to have positive interactions with the dogs. About my yard we do have a fenced backyard. There is some lawn and some porch ... they can run around and play till their heart is content. I am not much of a gardener and so the yard is very dog friendly (ie means that they can't really get into trouble back there) but if the dog barks I bring them in because my neighbors do not appreciate barking. (who does?) My experience administering medication I have given pills regularly but I have never given shots. I have nursed a dog back after having elbow surgery.
Reviews
Jody and her family did a great job watching Starlet. I really appreciated the pictures she sent and the detailed descriptions of how much fun they had with Starlet. I also like that she only has a few dogs at a time. When I came to pick up Starlet, she was playing ball and acted like it was her home. I loved seeing her play like this.
Jenga had a great time with Jody and her family. Jenga loved playing in the backyard and got along great with Bianca. Everytime I bring Jenga over to Jody's she remember's where she is and gets super excited. We definitely trust Jody to take care of Jenga when we need someone.
I didn't worry a bit about Lola while we were away (except that maybe Lola might not want to come home with me when I got back). I feel best leaving my dog with a family when we are away b/c it's what she is most used to - Lola is very social with people and other dogs. Staying with Jody's family is a great option when we are out of town. Jody also lives in my neighborhood so staying with Jody is very convenient when she's available. We also try to meet at the park with our dogs when our busy schedules permit.
Jody was great. I highly recommend!
About Jody S.
Communication
Skills
Home
Information Jody S. would like to know about your pet
We use to think we had breed preferences, but we have watched many dogs of all shapes and sizes and we found there are three things we like to know... 1) does your dog get along with other dogs and children (critical in our home) 2) is your dog crate trained 3) does your dog bark excessively (we live in a cozy neighborhood and we tend to respect our neighbors to make sure we don't disturb them)
A typical day
Here's where we'll take our walks Again, depends what type of dog you have. I run 3 miles 3 days a week, if they are a runner I take them with me, if they don't run we will walk either around the neighborhood, or can go to a field where I take them off leash (If they stay with me) and we can throw a ball or we can go to the lake and swim, or there are many options. But if they are only leash walkers, I will take them around the Clyde hill, downtown Bellevue area on a 2-4 mile walk. Your dog's sleeping arrangement I prefer that dogs sleep in there crates. At least for the first few nights. Dogs in new environments often wonder around at night and I sleep much better knowing they aren't getting into any trouble. This way they feel secure and safe and in the AM when we get up I only have positive interactions because they haven't gotten into anything. Some dogs like their crate in our room, others don't mind the family room. I find that the first 24 hours settles the dog into our routine. They learn what we're like and what we do ... by the second day/night they are happy and content and excited for our walks and hang out with the family ... Time I'll spend with your dog I provide a min of two walks a day (sometimes more but it all depends what I have going on that day) they do have access to the back yard and they can run around and play there. I am also working from home and so they are around me throughout the day. I do go out for errands here and there but most of the time I'm home.
Services
Jody can host
About Jody S.
Communication
Skills
Home
Information Jody S. would like to know about your pet
We use to think we had breed preferences, but we have watched many dogs of all shapes and sizes and we found there are three things we like to know... 1) does your dog get along with other dogs and children (critical in our home) 2) is your dog crate trained 3) does your dog bark excessively (we live in a cozy neighborhood and we tend to respect our neighbors to make sure we don't disturb them)
A typical day
Here's where we'll take our walks Again, depends what type of dog you have. I run 3 miles 3 days a week, if they are a runner I take them with me, if they don't run we will walk either around the neighborhood, or can go to a field where I take them off leash (If they stay with me) and we can throw a ball or we can go to the lake and swim, or there are many options. But if they are only leash walkers, I will take them around the Clyde hill, downtown Bellevue area on a 2-4 mile walk. Your dog's sleeping arrangement I prefer that dogs sleep in there crates. At least for the first few nights. Dogs in new environments often wonder around at night and I sleep much better knowing they aren't getting into any trouble. This way they feel secure and safe and in the AM when we get up I only have positive interactions because they haven't gotten into anything. Some dogs like their crate in our room, others don't mind the family room. I find that the first 24 hours settles the dog into our routine. They learn what we're like and what we do ... by the second day/night they are happy and content and excited for our walks and hang out with the family ... Time I'll spend with your dog I provide a min of two walks a day (sometimes more but it all depends what I have going on that day) they do have access to the back yard and they can run around and play there. I am also working from home and so they are around me throughout the day. I do go out for errands here and there but most of the time I'm home.
Location
Bellevue, WA
Pets
Jody S.
North Bellevue, WA