Darla S.
Darla S.
Prices include all fees.
Highlights
Pet care experience
Premium Tailored Pet Care
I provide premium in-home pet and house sitting with a focus on reliable, attentive care.Hi, I’m Darla. With over 20 years of experience, I tailor each stay to the specific needs of your pets and household. I take a limited number of clients to ensure consistent, high-quality care and maintain strong, reliable relationships with returning clients. During our complimentary Meet & Greet, we’ll go over routines, preferences, and any special care requirements so everything is clearly aligned before your trip. I have experience caring for dogs, cats, and mixed-animal households, including homes with multiple pets and varied routines, as well as animals with senior care needs, specialized routines (including SubQ fluids, injections, and hospice support), and behavioral considerations. I also have experience with ranch and farm stays requiring livestock and property care. My priority is keeping your pets safe, comfortable, and well cared for, and maintaining your home with respect and attention while you are away. I welcome the opportunity to connect and see if it’s a good fit. I value the opportunity to build ongoing client relationships whenever there is a strong fit. A Quick Note on Logistics & Booking Policies: • Travel & Mileage: Stays are customized to your location. For locations outside the city limits, standard round-trip mileage and travel time are added to the booking under the "Extras and Adjustments" field to cover travel costs. • Meet & Greets: I provide one complimentary 30-minute Meet & Greet to review care details. While the consultation time itself is complimentary, standard mileage applies if located outside the city limits. Any additional pre-sit visits requested after the initial consultation must be booked as a standard drop-in. • Extended Care: Select my "Drop-In" service option to add additional hours needed past the 24-hour overnight care window (minus your 1-hour free grace period). Do not click Rover's automated 50% or 100% extended care radio buttons. I will manually modify the drop-in rate to our agreed custom hourly rate. • Onboarding: Please complete your pet’s Rover profile with veterinary clinic information, emergency contacts, medication instructions, feeding routines, behavioral habits, and house rules before our Meet & Greet.
Cat care experience
Darla also cares for cats. Learn about their cat-specific care experience.
Qualifications
Safety, trust & environment
• Exclusively In-Home Care: All services are conducted in your home to maintain your pet's familiar environment and routine. No boarding is offered at my property. • Home Security & Integrity: Expect absolute safety, consistency, and respect for your property throughout the entire stay. • Visitor Policy: I never invite personal guests, unauthorized individuals, or third parties into your home, nor do I ever disclose your address or personal information. • Smoke-Free Policy: I am a non-smoker and provide services exclusively to non-smoking households and environments. • Property Access: Please provide written notification before the stay identifying anyone authorized to access the property (such as family, friends, or neighbors with keys). • Contractor Protocols: Please provide written details (company name, worker name, and arrival windows) ahead of time for any expected home maintenance, cleaning services, or contractors.
Ratings and reviews
Darla didn’t start sending me updates until I asked for them which was concerning. She did not update upon arrival either. Darla also complained on several occasions about things such as needing more toilet paper and doggie bags. I asked her to go pick some up and I’d reimburse her when I got back into the country. She did not wait for us to get back although we had paid for an extra stay. She reimbursed yourself with money she took out of a piggy bank without asking. I am so infuriated by this. She had no right. I lost all trust after seeing this. She also sent me false alarms about power shut off in my area due to severe weather and I was a nervous wreck until I was able to get back to my hotel and get in contact with PG&E. We lost our home 4yrs ago and were recently evacuated for 7 days. The sole reason for the last-minute trip was to get away and clear our head. I never expected Darla to send me false alarms and worry me while I was on my trip. The time away with my children was much needed and the fact that I worried so much on my trip because of Darla‘s complaints and false alarms is so upsetting.
I totally went off of the good reviews and had a different experience with Darla. We received updates via pictures and text messages and although Basil and Bella were happy when we got home. Our home was very dirty. Exhausted from our travels all I desired was to come home to my happy dogs and my clean house. There was dog hair all over the couches when it was clear the couches are off limits to our dogs. We made sure to leave the house immaculate for Darla’s stay and was very disappointed in the condition we found it. Darla also went into areas of the house not designated for her and the dogs without permission leaving her cell phone case behind I knew she didn’t respect my boundaries. I can’t express how upset I feel right now. I am going to reach out to Rover.
Darla was fantastic with our little Rubi! She sent us update photos throughout the day that made us feel at ease! We would definitely love for Darla to watch Rubi again!
Thank you Darla for doing such an awesome job with Evie, Boo and PJ! Even though Evie is still in mourning over the passing of Rudolph Valentino Jones, you took great care of her and she ate food for you, bonus round since she hasn't eaten a lot in the last week or so. Thank you for taking excellent care of them and my beautiful home.
Thank you Darla for taking such great care of my pets and home! I really appreciated the updates and howvthe house looks so great when I come home. Thank you 👏👌 Leah Rudy Evie PJ Boo
Once again, Darla exceeded all expectations!
Calendar and availability
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Schedule
I work with a flexible schedule that allows me to prioritize in-home pet care and respond to pets’ needs throughout the day. My availability is structured around providing consistent attention and maintaining your pet’s normal routine. Because my services are deeply customized to your home, final booking rates are tailored per client to include travel time and standard mileage coordinates.
- Cats0 to 15 lbs16 to 40 lbs41 to 100 lbsover 101 lbsDarla can host up to 12 drop-ins per day
- A fully completed Rover profile is essential for your pet's safety and continuity of care. Please update your dashboard with precise feeding routines, medication schedules, medical conditions, behavioral nuances, anxieties, and your preferred veterinary clinic details before our Meet & Greet. With over 20 years of professional experience, I review this data carefully to prepare for your stay, enforce your boundaries, and handle your pets safely. If your pet has subtle behavioral triggers or specific house rules, documenting them ahead of time guarantees I can maintain their exact routine and provide an elite level of care.
Prices include all fees.