Marissa L.
Bismarck, ND
Experienced Animal Rescue Founder
Pet care experience
Hello! I’m Marissa! I have grown up with animals in my home and actually started my own dog-walking “business” when I was only 10 years by putting up fliers in my neighborhood. I have since co-founded Tails of the Midwest Animal Rescue in 2017 which is a non-profit located here in Bismarck. I have fostered for my own rescue as well as other rescues in North Dakota for many years. I have experience in potty-training, crate-training, puppies and senior dogs, as well as general animal care and knowledge. My speciality are senior dogs and those with special needs though! I have a fenced in yard – all sides 6 ft and the dogs are always supervised when outdoors. I have the space to feed animals separately as well as an understanding of special diets. I’ve worked with many animals with separation anxiety and physical impairments. I am also certified in animal reiki so I know how to balance your pet’s physical and emotional levels while you’re away. If your animal is on any medication, I am familiar with administering those on their schedule also. As needed, I do have references that can be contacted by phone or email to make sure that you feel comfortable with who your animals will be with when you’re away. I also have a badge on my profile which certifies my full background check was completed and passed. A little bit about me and our home. I grew up in the Bismarck/Mandan area my entire life. I’m 34-years old and we have one child who is a 5 grader and one who is 9 months. The oldest has grown up his entire life with animals and having rescue dogs and cats in the home. He knows how to be respectful and patient with all animals. We have an adult bearded dragon named Tofu and a ball python named Hippo in the home also! I’m married to a amazing woman named Keely who also has a immense love of animals. I don’t have a whole lot of down time between work and animals, but when I do – I enjoy hiking with my own dog, listening to audiobooks, or spending an unnecessary amount of time scrolling through TikTok. You can find pictures of my dog, Amelia, in my profile! She is nearly 8-years old and pretty laid back. She is used to having foster dogs in the house but she’s not overly playful. She will be more excited to see the humans dropping off their animals than the pets themselves. She will only get snappy with dogs if they are in her space too much but it’s always just a warning. She isn’t one to fight or bite. She has had a litter of puppies of her own and is a great with puppies or small dogs. She has been attacked by bigger dogs before so it takes her a day or so to warm up to bigger dogs but as long as they respect her, she feels safe and will play with them. If you have any questions about how I handle anything in my home or your pet’s specific needs, I will be happy to discuss those with you via message, phone, or video chat. I’m looking forward to working with you! I work from home M-F and I’m up as early as 5 am so if you need an even earlier drop-off time, that can be accommodated. I provide a safe space to for animals to rest if I’m out of the home and I do have kennels in every size, if needed. While I’m gone, I leave on relaxing music to create a calming atmosphere and I do have indoor cameras that I check at least every hour. For daycare, anything over 4.5 hours is considered a full day and anything over 10 hours is billed at the boarding rate of $35/day. Pets in my home are treated as family. They are treated just like my own dog is treated (which is spoiled, to be honest!) They are met with love and kindness and absolute dedication to their best interests. I work full-time from home and I have an office upstairs where the dogs can come in and out. I’m usually off by around 2 pm and the rest of the day is for the dogs! I care for the pets in my own as if they were my own. They get treated with the same love and respect that my own dogs are treated with. When they are here, they are family.
Reviews
We feel very fortunate to have Marissa and her family watch our dog. Judging by his reaction when we turn onto her stree, Deke feels the same way.
Best dog sitter ever. Treats Daisy as part of their family!!!
Another worry free adventure thanks to Marissa. Can't imagine having anyone else care for our pup when he is unable to go with us.
Hard to express how truly grateful we are to have Marissa watch our pup. We know he is well cared for and treated like a member of her family. We have complete ease of mind whenever he is in her care.
About Marissa L.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
We treat those in our home as we do our own dogs. They usually will eat and sleep when our dogs too and although our dogs aren’t huge on playing, we do have lots of toys and puzzles to keep your dog busy!
Home
Information Marissa L. would like to know about your pet
I’ve worked with animals with many different behaviors and needs. Let me know if your pet needs medications or has behaviors you are working on. I like to know how a dog gets along with other dogs and if there is anything that they can or can’t do either physically or behaviorally that needs to be enforced. Our personal dogs are older and not particularly playful so knowing if a dog can respect boundaries is important to talk about too
A typical day
I have a lot of experience in keeping dogs occupied during the day. I have snuffle mats, lots of donated dog toys, and live near a park as well as a dog park. I also have my favorite walking spots such hiking in the north Ducks Unlimited trail or Sertoma. I have a decently large backyard that is used for play and I have a squirrel feeder directly outside of my living room window that dogs seem to find particularly interesting.
Services
Marissa can host
Availability
I work from home so I’m generally here all day. If errands need to be ran, I’m usually out no more than a couple hours. My drop off and pick up hours have changed slightly since having a new baby in the home. I can generally accommodate between 730-830 am depending on school drop offs and if it’s nice enough around here for the oldest to walk. Pick-up’s are currently no later than 7 pm. But definitely feel free to talk to me about your needs for your stay and I’ll see what I can do!
About Marissa L.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
We treat those in our home as we do our own dogs. They usually will eat and sleep when our dogs too and although our dogs aren’t huge on playing, we do have lots of toys and puzzles to keep your dog busy!
Home
Information Marissa L. would like to know about your pet
I’ve worked with animals with many different behaviors and needs. Let me know if your pet needs medications or has behaviors you are working on. I like to know how a dog gets along with other dogs and if there is anything that they can or can’t do either physically or behaviorally that needs to be enforced. Our personal dogs are older and not particularly playful so knowing if a dog can respect boundaries is important to talk about too
A typical day
I have a lot of experience in keeping dogs occupied during the day. I have snuffle mats, lots of donated dog toys, and live near a park as well as a dog park. I also have my favorite walking spots such hiking in the north Ducks Unlimited trail or Sertoma. I have a decently large backyard that is used for play and I have a squirrel feeder directly outside of my living room window that dogs seem to find particularly interesting.
Location
Bismarck, ND
Pets
Marissa L.
Bismarck, ND