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Daniel L.

Charlottesville, VA

5.0 out of 5 stars
11 reviews
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PhD Student with a Passion for Dogs

Pet care experience

TLDR: I have years of experience taking care of my pets and others’ pets. I look forward to providing stimulation and exercise for your dog but would also relish opportunities to help you with your training goals if you're inclined to share them with me! As for my schedule, my research is remote and I will have morning and evening availability most week days with weekend availability depending on personal plans. While caring for your pup, I will remain attentive to hazards and challenges in the environment and respond proactively. My dog, who I would love to bring with me on walks and house visits, is extremely well behaved and well socialized. I've been responsible for the feeding, walking, grooming, and training needs of our family dogs since I was a kid. At 14, I saved up to purchase Baxter, a golden retriever puppy. I did my best with him, but realized I had a lot to learn about the consistency, patience, adaptivity, and planning it takes to have a well-behaved and trustworthy animal companion. My life wasn't conducive to pet ownership through college and the first few years of my career as an ecological restoration engineer, but I relished opportunities to house and pet sit for a former professor in Afton, VA with horses, sheep, chickens, ducks, cats, and three dogs. She also referred her veterinary friend to me for whom I house sat and dog sat several times. My schedule eventually became too inflexible even for that, but after being accepted to a civil engineering PhD program at UVA in 2020, I recognized a golden opportunity to take on the joys and responsibilities of dog ownership and integrate everything I learned as a kid. In June of 2020, I picked up Taika, an Australian Shepherd puppy from a reputable breeder in Floyd, VA. I was more than willing to sacrifice other hobbies to carve out the time necessary to create patterns of behavior and teach her commands to ensure her safety and comfort, the safety and comfort of others (including humans, dogs, cats, and farm animals), as well as her and my independence. I am happy to report that she is, without exaggeration, one of the best-behaved dogs I’ve ever met which has been corroborated by many friends and acquaintances. I understand that not every dog has her learning capacity based on countless environmental and genetic factors, and that not every pet owner values the same level of control, but I truly believe that my approach taps into universal elements of behavioral psychology that would apply to every dog. I also believe that my background in engineering helps me think strategically, meaning I consider short- and long-term goals, context, and constraints with every decision. While I am more than happy to solely provide quality stimulation and exercise, I would also appreciate opportunities to help train your pup during my time with them if you are willing to share your goals with me! I want to emphasize that I am not a formally educated dog training professional, but I believe that my background training my own dogs, researching dog training, and engineering (which lends generalizable organizational and problem-solving skills) combined with my innate interest in the practice makes me well-suited for the task! My PhD research is all based on computational experiments, so I predominately work remotely. However, I will be on-grounds on Wednesdays and Thursdays so my only free time is before 8am and after 5:30pm those days. I walk my Australian Shepherd, Taika, for half an hour to an hour once in the morning (around 8am-9am) and once in the evening (around 6pm-7pm), and ideally she'd be joining us on the walk for some mutual socialization and doggy playtime. I am happy to take appointments on weekends as long as I'm around! I do not plan on hosting others' pets in my home, but would love to bring my dog Taika to yours and on walks. She is very well socialized (zero resource guarding behavior, loves to play, often the life of the party at dog parks, has had nothing but positive interactions with people, dogs, and cats of all shapes and sizes) and is extremely obedient. She knows to keep her paws on the floor and she only chews her toys. On walks, I will keep your pet on a leash at all times unless off-leash time is explicitly permitted. To ensure nothing but positive experiences while we're out, I will always verify with other dog walkers that theirs is happy-friendly before allowing an interaction.

Reviews

Maddie J.
Drop-In Visits • Nov 28, 2022
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Daniel was super communicative and made me feel so much better leaving my cat alone for Thanksgiving break! Definitely will keep him in mind for drop-in visits in the future :)

Harris M.
Drop-In Visits • Oct 25, 2022
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Daniel continues to be reliable and timely and wipe out our pups with his helperdog Taika. Thanks again!

Lisa H.
Drop-In Visits • Oct 16, 2022
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Excellent care and feedback/update on Leni.

Ellie C.
Drop-In Visits • Sep 22, 2022
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Daniel visiting my dog Josie has quickly became one of her favorites times of the week! Daniel goes above and beyond for Josie, takes her for walks, dog park, plays tug of war, and even brings his very friendly Australian Shepherd for play dates during their visits. Josie, my golden retriever is head strong on the leash and easily excited, Daniel takes the time to work with Josie and make her feel comfortable during their walks. I will continue to connect with Daniel for doggy care whenever he is available. I highly recommend Daniel if you’re looking for a trustworthy, kind person to take great care of your dog.

About Daniel L.

Communication

3 repeat pet parents
100% response rate
Usually responds in under half an hour
100% bookings with photo updates
Sends updates with Rover Cards

Skills

18 years of experience
Oral medication administration
Senior dog experience
Can provide daily exercise

Information Daniel L. would like to know about your pet

I'd appreciate it if you let me know how your pup gets along with other dogs and people, as well as your dog's favorite form of play. I also really enjoy training dogs, so if you would like to share some of your behavioral goals with me (e.g., slack-leash walking, recall, leave-its) and the voice and/or body language commands you're working on, I'd love the chance to do some work with your pup - all fun, positive-reinforcement driven, of course! I plan on bringing treats, but if your dog has any dietary restrictions, let me know and it'd be great if you set out some appropriate rewards!

A typical day

As the owner of a 2-year old Australian Shepherd, I am well aware of the importance of physical and mental stimulation. I will adapt my activities depending on your location, preferences, and your dog's personality. With Taika, a typical day could include a walk on the Rivanna Trail or on the Meadow Creek Golf Course early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid golfers. While out, I like to burn off some energy with some frisbee and challenge her mentally by periodically calling commands to reinforce her knowledge and impulse control. On rainy days, I'll play tug-of-war with her and hide treats around the house for her to sniff out. I also seek out opportunities to socialize her with other dogs and people at dog parks or the many establishments that allow dogs like Lowes, Best Buy, pet stores, etc. Through it all, I remain mindful of her status and adjust accordingly - is she happy, curious, and relaxed? over-stimulated? reticent or scared? If not the former, then it is time to manage the environment. I promise to treat your furry family member with the same level of care and attention.

Services

Drop-In Visits
visits in your home
AWAY
Dog Walking
in your neighborhood
AWAY

Daniel can watch in your home

Cats
0 to 15 lbs
16 to 40 lbs
41 to 100 lbs
over 101 lbs

About Daniel L.

Communication

3 repeat pet parents
100% response rate
Usually responds in under half an hour
100% bookings with photo updates
Sends updates with Rover Cards

Skills

18 years of experience
Oral medication administration
Senior dog experience
Can provide daily exercise

Information Daniel L. would like to know about your pet

I'd appreciate it if you let me know how your pup gets along with other dogs and people, as well as your dog's favorite form of play. I also really enjoy training dogs, so if you would like to share some of your behavioral goals with me (e.g., slack-leash walking, recall, leave-its) and the voice and/or body language commands you're working on, I'd love the chance to do some work with your pup - all fun, positive-reinforcement driven, of course! I plan on bringing treats, but if your dog has any dietary restrictions, let me know and it'd be great if you set out some appropriate rewards!

A typical day

As the owner of a 2-year old Australian Shepherd, I am well aware of the importance of physical and mental stimulation. I will adapt my activities depending on your location, preferences, and your dog's personality. With Taika, a typical day could include a walk on the Rivanna Trail or on the Meadow Creek Golf Course early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid golfers. While out, I like to burn off some energy with some frisbee and challenge her mentally by periodically calling commands to reinforce her knowledge and impulse control. On rainy days, I'll play tug-of-war with her and hide treats around the house for her to sniff out. I also seek out opportunities to socialize her with other dogs and people at dog parks or the many establishments that allow dogs like Lowes, Best Buy, pet stores, etc. Through it all, I remain mindful of her status and adjust accordingly - is she happy, curious, and relaxed? over-stimulated? reticent or scared? If not the former, then it is time to manage the environment. I promise to treat your furry family member with the same level of care and attention.

Location

Charlottesville, VA

Daniel L.'s Neighborhood

Pets

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Daniel L.

Charlottesville, VA

5.0 out of 5 stars
11 reviews