Anita S.
Anita S.
Highlights
Pet care experience
“Love that dog.”
I am a dog & cat mom. Before relocating to CA in 2016, I lived in New England where I worked as an elementary/middle school art teacher ( K-9th grade), a 1st grade teacher, an Assistant Principal/Early Intervention Teacher, Elementary School Principal & as an Ass’t Professor at a small college in Massachusetts. Currently I am learning Spanish and taking art classes at Contra Costa College. Before moving to the East Bay, I lived in SF & volunteered at SFSPCA for several years. At SFSPCA I walked & exercised dogs waiting to be adopted. I worked on the hospital side with dogs & puppies too young or sick to be in kennels with the general population. Other responsibilities included puppy socialization, animal transport, and foster care in my home. I did 2 deployments with the Humane Society of the US, to help care for Great Dane puppies rescued from a puppy mill in NH. The “puppies” were up to 180 -200pounds. In 2018, I participated a medical mission trip to the Philippines with NAFCON (National Alliance for Filipino Concerns). Pre-Covid volunteer jobs: Reading Partners Tutor in several SF Schools, Project Homeless Connect, Friendship Line call center-a 24/7/365 suicide prevention intervention “hot” line and a “warm line” for lonely older adults or adults with disabilities. I moved from SF to the East Bay March 2020. I live in a tiny house & share a large, enclosed yard with my cousin who owns a large, friendly rescue dog named Sylvia. Sylvia wants to play with everyone. She & my chihuahua-mix, Ichabod(Icky) enjoy having other dogs come over for play dates. My other interests include reading, learning Spanish, drawing, printmaking, sewing, crafts, teaching, traveling and researching my ancestry. Since I am retired, I have the flexibility of planning my schedule so that I am with my dog/cat client most of the time. My yard is completely fenced. There are several custom-built dog houses in the yard, which the dogs sometimes use. They usually prefer to hang out in my cousin’s garage (workshop) attached to the main house and accessible through a dog door. My cousin has music playing in his workshop throughout the day. I have pet carriers, crates, exercise pens, car booster seats for small dogs, a dog seat belt for larger dogs, a pet stroller, assorted dog beds and dog toys (including a ball launcher for pets who love to retrieve).
Cat care experience
Anita also cares for cats. Learn about their cat-specific care experience.
Qualifications
Pets
Safety, trust & environment
I have an enclosed yard (6’ stockade fencing). My dog likes other small dogs and will play with larger dogs once he sees they are friendly. My cousin’s dog is friendly and shares the yard. We’ve been “adopted” by a stray cat who likes to hang out with the dogs. I recently adopted an inside cat whose owner was in hospice care. That cat hides under the bed when strange dogs or unknown people come in. Dogs sleep inside with me at night. I stay at clients’ home if they have cats or prefer that the dogs remain at home.
Ratings and reviews
Anita took great care of our sometimes afraid dog. She knows a great deal about dog behavior and training. Our dog was very comfortable and happy to be with her!
Anita was great and took great care of our dog! We would definitely use her again!
I have a dog with some particular behavioral issues that come out when he is stressed (like when his humans are away), and Anita did a fantastic job connecting with him and making sure he did okay. I'm really grateful for her help!
Anita took great care of Banksy, as usual. She sent great pictures of my happy pup all week while I was out of town, and he was in great form when I returned. Will happily have Banksy stay with her again!
Anita took great care of Banksy while we were on vacation, and we loved all the pictures of him on the many outings they had! He seemed very happy and entertained the whole time we were gone, and he will definitely be visiting her in the future when we go out of town!
My animals loved Anita. They were very calm and relaxed when we returned from our vacation. Anita kept us updated with pictures and videos.
Calendar and availability
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Schedule
I am retired and able to plan most appointments around my pet bookings. I have booster seats, canine seatbelts and travel carriers for car trips. Dogs are able to go in and out as they please unless the weather is windy, hot or cold making it necessary to keep the door closed. They also have access to the garage of the main house through a dog door. A large dog bed in the garage can comfortably accommodate 3 dogs. Pets are fed separately according to their feeding schedule.
- Cats0 to 15 lbs16 to 40 lbsAnita can host up to 1 pet per night
- Special medical needs/issues. Temperament - Whether the dog is leash trained and whether the dog is reactive to other dogs, skateboards, motorcycles, etc. Whether or not the dog enjoy car rides.