Cheryl R.
Cheryl R.
Contact Cheryl R.
Highlights
Pet care experience
Capable-High Drive Dogs Welcome
I can handle high drive working dogs, couch potatoes, and pets with complex medical needs. I compete in dog sports with my own dogs and have worked with several Belgian malinois to help them find homes. I have volunteered with dog rescues since middle school, exercising shelter dogs and fostering several. Senior fosters are my favorite. Over the last decade, my dogs and cats have given me significant experience with medical care, including providing subcutaneous fluids and injected medications. I've managed pet care for seasonal and food allergies, hypo and hyperthyroidism, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, B12 deficiency, arthritis, muscle strains and tears, surgery recovery, inactive pancreas, lymphoma, irritable bowel, thyroid cancer, arthritis, hip dysplasia, and more. I have bathed cats more times than ever expected. Currently, I have two rescue pit bulls that compete in dog sports and a fluffy orange cat with two brain cells who requires lots of brushing. I also coordinate a local group to help people and dogs work on social responsibility skills and GRC sports, weight pull, slat mill, and spring pole. Aside from dogs and cats, I grew up on a farm with every pet and livestock critter imaginable (exotic pets included).
Qualifications
Ratings and reviews
Treated Stitch like her own baby. I felt completely at ease with Stitch in Cheryl's care. Cheryl is more than capable of handling the sometimes rambunctious, sometimes lazy, personality of my AmStaff. She is a confident carer and I couldn't have found better.
Cheryl is very educated with pets. I am impressed with her knowledge and eagerness to adapt to my style of caring for my recent rescue, Stitch. My pup loved her right away, and had no issues on the first drop in and walk. Super cute pictures during her stay! Thanks so much.
I cannot recommend Cheryl highly enough! When we needed someone to care for our beloved senior cat, Philangy, we were always worried about finding someone capable of handling her complex medical needs. Philangy wasn't just any ordinary cat-sitting job as she required daily medications and subcutaneous IV fluid treatments for her kidney condition, on top of all the regular feeding, litter maintenance, and companionship an aging cat needs. Cheryl stepped up to the challenge with incredible professionalism and genuine compassion. She understood the gravity of Philangy's condition and was completely comfortable with the medical care required. She listened carefully to all our instructions and paid attention to all of our detailed notes to ensure nothing would be overlooked. Throughout our time away, Cheryl sent regular updates with photos and messages that showed just how attentively she was caring for Philangy. She administered the IV fluids with the skill of a veterinary professional, never missed a medication dose, and maintained meticulous records of everything. But what truly set Cheryl apart was how she went beyond the medical requirements. She spent quality time with our kitty, providing the gentle companionship and affection our senior girl needed during a vulnerable time. When we returned home, Philangy was clearly comfortable and content, and we found our home exactly as we'd left it. It gave us such peace of mind knowing our precious cat had received not just competent medical care, but genuine love and attention. If you have a pet with special medical needs, or any pet that you want cared for with genuine care and compassion, Cheryl is the sitter you want. Her combination of technical skill, attention to detail, reliability, and obvious love for animals makes her truly exceptional. We wouldn't hesitate to have her care for our cats again, and we'd trust her completely with our furry family members.
Cheryl has been amazing resource for dog care and training. I have two intense, working line border collies and I'm very picky about who I trust to help take care of them. I have never hesitated to use Cheryl for help, even trusting her to take one of my dogs to the vet for me when I was out of town. She has such great knowledge about animal behavior and a ton of training experience; she has done incredible work training her own intense dogs. She has such a tender heart towards all dogs and I know she cares for my dogs with all the compassion and love that she gives to her own.
Calendar and availability
Schedule
I work from home with a very flexible schedule, and I am able to shift everything I do to prioritize pet care. I can readily adapt to your pets routine.
Where your pet will stay
Safety, trust & environment
In your home, I care for your pet the way you would: exercise, play, treats, snuggles, etc. In my home, I am happy to integrate dog visitors in with my two dogs and cat with lots of freedom if it's a good mix, or I can set up a crate and rotate situation to assure everyone's safety if not. Both my dogs are very social. They can play loud and rough, but they are also respectful of dogs that do not want to play. I do not have a dog door, so the dogs are let out for supervised yard breaks into a small yard with a 6-foot privacy fence. There are neighbor dogs to either side who are well behaved. We take neighborhood walks and train to assure adequate mental stimulation.
Pets
A typical day
Get up, potty break, feed breakfast, give medications, and do a training session with the dogs. Then we go on a neighborhood walk or drive somewhere for a longer hike. Much of the day is hanging out while I work with potty breaks every two hours (if not more frequent yard). Throughout the day, I provide Intermittent play or training sessions 1:1 with each dog and cat (tug, fetch, etc.).