April M.
April M.
Contact for Drop-In Visits
from $30 per visit
Highlights
Pet care experience
Professional Dog Walker/Pet Sitter
Hello! Thanks for checking out my profile! I am a former elementary teacher turned professional dog walker, dog trainer, + pet sitter for over 20 years + counting! I am excited to provide services in my hometown of South Berwick + nearby towns: Eliot, The Berwicks, Dover, + Rollinsford but may be willing to travel outside of the range but a surcharge applies. Please read through the details + ask any questions! References are always available your peace of mind. A Meet & Greet is required prior to care. What sets me apart from other dog walkers/pet sitters? I am more than just a "pet lover." I have professional hands-on experience with countless of dogs/cats/etc due to my private business "April's Dog Walking & Pet Sitting." 👉 My availability is open on Tuesdays + Thursdays and most evenings 7 days a week 👉 Open on Saturday & Sunday My greatest strength is dog walking whether it's on trails or in the neighborhood. I am confident & well experienced in walking all dogs no matter what their size, breed, or temperament. I quickly gain their trust & establish friendships with every single dog as well. I'm also known to take detailed notes about your pets' specific care & routine & will ask all of the questions about the location of leashes, litter boxes, food, etc, to ensure that every visit goes smoothly. I will also test your key at the Meet & Greet for peace of mind. You can count on me to treat your pets as if they are part of my family. I do not rush through the visits. In fact, you'll likely learn that I will stay a bit longer if your pets need extra TLC! I know how important & reassuring it is to have detailed updates & multiple pictures & I can guarantee that for you. Communication is very important to me! Please note that I do not board pets in my home. I look forward to hearing about your pets!
Cat care experience

April also cares for cats. Learn about their cat-specific care experience.
Qualifications
Pets
Safety, trust & environment
✔️When your dog is triggered by other dogs, people, etc, I will reverse directions or cross the street to avoid any reactivity. ✔️ I will not take your dog to "say hi" to dogs or people including the mailman for safety + liability. ✔️Dogs must be indoors in between visits for safety reasons. ✔️Slow & safe exits out of doorways to ensure that dogs do not escape.
Ratings and reviews
April is wonderful! Tchotchke is a full throttle puller and she helped to get him walking more with us instead of ahead of us. She handled our mastiff with care and the stern correction he needed. I felt as though our grumpy old man was just as well taken care of with April as I would care for him myself!

April is wonderful with our pup Carlos. She’s very thoughtful and updates me while on the walk. She responds very quickly when communicating with me. I’ll be booking her again.

April, Was amazing with my pup Carlos. She helped us out at the last minute. She really took her time at the meet and greet. It was clear from the start she is passionate about caring for animals. She is very knowledgeable when it comes to how pups react to situations. Carlos was at ease with her. We definitely wound have her walk Carlos again.

I lucked out in finding April at the last minute to look in on my newly adopted kitten, Maggie, last month. She was reliable & very sweet to my girl!
Highly recommend! I'm retired so my Italian Greyhound, Joey, is used to having me home almost 24/7 so I was worried how he'd do with only 3x a day visits. April promised that if he acted needy she would stay longer than quoted & she did that many times! Joey looked happy & rested upon my return!
I was looking for a sitter for my beloved golden retriever mix, Sandi. I had a sitter that I had been using previously and I was satisfied with their services at the time but they were unavailable, so it was off to find a replacement. I elected to contact Teacher’s Pet Sitting Services after a review made me rethink what I had considered “satisfactory” service. I contacted April and she scheduled an interview. This was different than I was accustomed to. Typically, said interview (if one happened at all) consisted of handing the keys and the check over and pointing out the notes on the refrigerator. In this case, it truly was an interview. Instead of me doing all of the talking, April asked poignant questions about what she needed to know. I left feeling confident that Sandi was in good hands. I referred above to services offered that go above and beyond what I had expected. For one, April has a true love for all pets whether they are furry, finned, feathered, or what have you. As such, she will do so much more than ensure your pet’s basic physical needs are met. She will do what it takes to make your pets happy. How does she do this? I can’t really answer this for certain but she just has this uncanny ability. I have called her the Dog Whisperer before. I told her before she began her assignment with Sandi, to be careful because she hated other dogs. Every time I would walk her, if she saw another dog, she would growl, bark, and pull on the leash. Imagine my shock, when she texted me to advise that Sandi was showing none of that behavior but was actually walking with another dog! She even sent me a photo as proof. This leads to another aspect of her service that goes above and beyond what would be expected. Typical communication from a sitter involves a daily log which you would get when you arrived home which may state something as follows: “Took Sandi out, pooped and peed, filled food bowl, and water.” April will provide you with daily texts, photos, even phone calls if you wish. How much communication is up to you. After my dear Sandi passed and I eventually was able to bring myself to allow another dog into my heart, I selected a Boxer mix from the shelter. Enter Jilly. She had been there for 9 months total. Those at the volunteer instructed to keep her away from other animals as she had not only growled and barked at other dogs but had actually attacked some. I didn’t hesitate enlisting April’s services. Once again, she worked her magic. She showed that Jilly wasn’t aggressive as she had been portrayed. How does she do this? No. It isn’t magic. She just understands. This is a bonus. Not only are you getting a superior sitter, you have access to her many years of experience and knowledge which she is more than happy to share. Everyone must be thinking by now that if she does all of this, she must certainly charge a premium fee for her services. The answer is no. Her fee is comparable to other services that provide a much lower standard of services. Leaving your pet for an extended period of time can cause anxiety for some. If you are looking for someone that will just provide the basics for your pet, select any of the sitters that come up in your search. I am sure that they will all at least do that. If you truly love your pet and are looking for someone who will care for them as if they were her very own, will go above and beyond in providing comfort for your pet in what could be a difficult time for them, and will keep in contact with you as frequently as you wish, make an appointment with April. You will not be disappointed, neither will your pets.
Calendar and availability
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Schedule
Providing service in my South Berwick hometown, Eliot, Rollinsford, + Dover but there may be exceptions to travel further so please ask! I adjust my schedule according to your pet's schedule as closely as possible.
- Cats0 to 15 lbs16 to 40 lbs41 to 100 lbsDogs over 1 year oldApril can host up to 3 drop-ins per day
- What are your pets names, ages, + breeds? What is their routine? What are their favorite activities? Does your dog have full access of the house when you leave or is he/she contained? Do your pets have certain accommodations due to age?
