Dianne & Eric H.
Gainesville, VA
Special Needs/Family-Centered Care
Pet care experience
Our family has had a lifetime of experience with all types of dogs from small to giant breeds. We currently have two very friendly small breed "designer" dogs (one Shih-Tzu/Mini Poodle Mix (Kimbap), and one Maltese-Yorkie Mix (Kimchi)) that are well loved rescues that have been a part of our brood for the last three years. Growing up we also had experience with lots of birds (chickens, parakeets, cockatiels, various exotic parrots) all the way from hand feeding to adulthood as well -- we have a flock of four cockatiels that love to meet all our Rover guests! Our love of animals (of all different shapes, sizes, and species) has led us down this path to Rover-ing! We do Rover simply because our family loves pets. Our priority/motivation isn't the income we earn from this platform (as our primary income comes from our full time work-from-home positions in decades-long careers in IT/Healthcare) -- but the experience of giving our guests a happy, warm, and safe experience during their stays with us. For many years, we've dog/cat sat for friends/family and shared our home with many pets and the experience has always been rewarding. We don't want your pet to feel like just another guest, but to give them a place to stay where they feel like they're a part of our own family because its the type of experience we seek out for our own dogs when we're away.
Reviews
Pleasant people with an affinity for all Gods’ creatures. Our pup is treated like part of the family every time he enters the house and we trust them implicitly with our pet. We get updates and most of all- 5 star treatment!
Diane and Eric are great care givers for our Hiro. We were out of town for a couple days and they gave us continuous updates. We are 100% comfortable leaving our Hiro with them and we highly recommend them.
They are amazing . They kept us informed all the time. They took an excellent care of our dog ? . She even customized a bag with our dog name on it. I'm just speechless. Thank you and we will definitely see you again
Dianne and Eric were wonderful! They showed great care for our senior dog and were very good about sending pictures and giving updates each day on how our dog was doing. We are so thankful for the way they cared for Tator! Thank you Dianne and Eric!
About Dianne & Eric H.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
We have two young children (ages 10 & 4) in our home, and as a safety precaution absolutely WILL NOT take on care of any animal without a meet and greet first. For the safety of your pet and our children and we feel this process is essential prior to committing to a final arrangement. Once we agree to a care arrangement -- we care for our guest pets mostly on the main/basement levels of our home unless they have special needs/accommodations (eg separation anxiety, medical needs) that require us to keep them with/next to us at all times. We also have the ability/means to separate our dogs from yours (baby gates, crates) if/when behavior/safety is ever an issue. Durable toys are available that we share with all the guest dogs with a clean place for each dog to have a meal and drink every day. Every bowl is washed and cleaned after every meal and never shared between dogs (our own dogs have food allergies and so we are very vigilant of food residues for the sake of your pets and ours). One of our own dogs requires special medical needs, takes regular medications, and needs a special diapering routine -- so we welcome any/every dog that may need a little extra TLC into our home. We know first hand how difficult it is to find someone to care for a four legged family member that needs that extra help, so we are always willing to make the effort to help you out with anything your furry friend might need while you're away. We'd also like you to know that between every guest we sanitize/vacuum our home and all toys/bowls. We also clean any 'accidents' with special pet enzymatic cleaner and a Bissell Little Green Machine! :)
Home
Information Dianne & Eric H. would like to know about your pet
We do have two children at home (ages 10/4), so we need to be aware of whether or not a dog/cat is friendly towards children, has a bite history, or issues with resource guarding. While we are experienced handlers and are very aware of how children should approach and treat dogs, we WILL NOT board a dog/cat without a meet and greet prior to a boarding arrangement. We will also decline to board non-crate trained animals in our home. While we don’t expect to leave your pet unattended during their stay with us, there may be emergency situations where the need may arise and the last thing we want in that situation is for your loved furry friend to be anxious and unfamiliar with being crated/restricted. To prevent anxiety for your pet, and damages to our home, we decline all bookings for non-crate trained pets.
A typical day
Our neighborhood has large green spaces where we regularly walk/play with our dogs. There are small lakes/ponds and a few local paths and trails we like to take our dogs locally as well. Our own home has lots of indoor space on the main level and basement area along with toys for the dogs to play with as well. If your dog has mobility issues -- please let us know ahead of time so we can do our best to accommodate (we have a very active household, but can accommodate for senior dogs that may need help getting up/down stairs or slower paced walks).
Services
Dianne & Eric can host
Availability
My husband and I both work from home so we’re both able to accommodate ours and your pet(s) needs into our daily routines seamlessly. We take breaks every few hours to stand/walk around during which time we usually let our own pets out to pee/poop and that’s when we also build in the time to allow our guest pet(s) to do the same. During weekday lunch breaks we’ll also spend a little time giving the pets playtime midday, but the bulk of playtime is usually in the afternoon when we finish working and the kids come home and spoil the pets with playtime and exercise!
About Dianne & Eric H.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
We have two young children (ages 10 & 4) in our home, and as a safety precaution absolutely WILL NOT take on care of any animal without a meet and greet first. For the safety of your pet and our children and we feel this process is essential prior to committing to a final arrangement. Once we agree to a care arrangement -- we care for our guest pets mostly on the main/basement levels of our home unless they have special needs/accommodations (eg separation anxiety, medical needs) that require us to keep them with/next to us at all times. We also have the ability/means to separate our dogs from yours (baby gates, crates) if/when behavior/safety is ever an issue. Durable toys are available that we share with all the guest dogs with a clean place for each dog to have a meal and drink every day. Every bowl is washed and cleaned after every meal and never shared between dogs (our own dogs have food allergies and so we are very vigilant of food residues for the sake of your pets and ours). One of our own dogs requires special medical needs, takes regular medications, and needs a special diapering routine -- so we welcome any/every dog that may need a little extra TLC into our home. We know first hand how difficult it is to find someone to care for a four legged family member that needs that extra help, so we are always willing to make the effort to help you out with anything your furry friend might need while you're away. We'd also like you to know that between every guest we sanitize/vacuum our home and all toys/bowls. We also clean any 'accidents' with special pet enzymatic cleaner and a Bissell Little Green Machine! :)
Home
Information Dianne & Eric H. would like to know about your pet
We do have two children at home (ages 10/4), so we need to be aware of whether or not a dog/cat is friendly towards children, has a bite history, or issues with resource guarding. While we are experienced handlers and are very aware of how children should approach and treat dogs, we WILL NOT board a dog/cat without a meet and greet prior to a boarding arrangement. We will also decline to board non-crate trained animals in our home. While we don’t expect to leave your pet unattended during their stay with us, there may be emergency situations where the need may arise and the last thing we want in that situation is for your loved furry friend to be anxious and unfamiliar with being crated/restricted. To prevent anxiety for your pet, and damages to our home, we decline all bookings for non-crate trained pets.
A typical day
Our neighborhood has large green spaces where we regularly walk/play with our dogs. There are small lakes/ponds and a few local paths and trails we like to take our dogs locally as well. Our own home has lots of indoor space on the main level and basement area along with toys for the dogs to play with as well. If your dog has mobility issues -- please let us know ahead of time so we can do our best to accommodate (we have a very active household, but can accommodate for senior dogs that may need help getting up/down stairs or slower paced walks).
Location
Gainesville, VA
Pets
Dianne & Eric H.
Gainesville, VA