Emma S.
Emma S.
Highlights
Pet care experience
Loves ALL animals & Experienced
I am a certified positive reinforcement based professional dog trainer. I aim to make the world a better and less scary place for every animal in my care. I specialize in doing dog training and enrichment-focused drop ins for dogs, but have a WIDE range of experience including caring for, training, fostering, and adopting out senior and medically complicated dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and fish. I work at a pet store now and handle a variety of species daily at home as well! I have 3 bettas, 3 corydora catfish, 3 cats, and 1 dog. I aim to find a way to connect (or respectfully exist with) your pet in a manner that promotes both confidence building and your pet having a great time playing/training/etc. with me! I currently teach group classes and also do private lessons specializing in important “life skills” for dogs such as recall, impulse control (the foundation of many skills!), and how to communicate with one another. I also frequently teach basic obedience skills (sit/down/stay/wait/attention/loose leash walking) but I believe it is important to focus on building a relationship where the dog chooses you rather than flawless obedience. It comes with time and lots of reps! I have some experience training scent work skills and service dogs as well, but mainly focusing on public access skills. I have a lot of experience with rescue dogs and cats! I was a weekly volunteer for 6 years at SFAS working dog adoptions and training dogs when I was younger, and now have one of my own. She is a hound mix and has challenged everything I knew and has made me become a much better trainer to learn how to communicate with her. In college and graduate school, I fostered feral cats and took care of 2 different colonies. I have successfully adopted out 8 different spayed/neutered, dewormed, vaccinated, and well-socialized cats! Continuously learning has been my favorite part of having animals. I love that people keep discovering new ways to make our friends have happier lives, what a wonderful world we are in! I use my research to help make your pets' worlds’ better respective to their species and needs. I love discussing pet care. I am continuously learning about R+ training methods through the Animal Training Academy, under the direction of Ryan Cartlidge, CPDT. I'm a current member of the Animal Training Academy and also maintain a training mentor. With that in mind, I have a lot of puppy experience and would love to help set your pups up for a confident life!
Cat care experience
Emma also cares for cats. Learn about their cat-specific care experience.
Qualifications
Pets
Safety, trust & environment
I care for pets with enthusiasm and knowledge, but also safety in mind. I am insured via PCI. I work on building relationships with the animals I watch and establish myself as a positive neutral presence through positive reinforcement. When working with animals who I have a relationship with, I try to work on physical safety behaviors such as stopping and sitting off the road when cars pass. I also encourage dogs to not jump at the door and sitting and waiting to be released when opening doors. With cats, I go completely at their speed and how much they would like to engage. I will always try my best to win them over but respecting their space is important for building a good relationship with your cat. I also carry a water bowl with me for walks, and carry Quick Stop powder in case of emergency to control bleeding if needed.
Ratings and reviews
Emma is truly the best! We are the luckiest to have her look after our dog!
Thanks again for watching our babies
Emma is the best!
Emma is an amazing Petsitter and my dog Stella adores her. Very grateful that I can entrust her to take care of everything when I’m away!
She was amazing with my fur baby! She did exactly what she needed to do and went the extra mile on her service! I would absolutely recommend her!
Great experience
Calendar and availability
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Schedule
I do flexible drop ins throughout the week! Do you need someone to help give your pets complex medications, or someone to go tend to your senior dog? Do you need someone to come bathe and trim your pup or someone to feed your exotic pets or farm animals? I would love to help! For those specifically requesting sleeping at your residence to watch your animals, I stay there overnight if possible. Pet care is a daily part of life for me as I have three cats, three betta fish, and a dog, and making intentional time for it is important to me. I will make sure your babies get the best care possible and individual attention each day/visit through loving on them by playing, doing enriching activities, and often some obedience work (if you have treats)! My current work schedule usually has me occupied 9-5 on Mondays and Fridays, and sometimes Saturdays as well but not every. Most days of the week I am available otherwise and would love to spend time with your critters!
- Cats0 to 15 lbs16 to 40 lbs41 to 100 lbsover 101 lbsEmma can host up to 8 drop-ins per day
- I would definitely need to know about the animals' medications (eye drops, pills, ear drops etc), daily routine, things your pet(s) do not like/enjoy, their feeding schedule, their health conditions/history (does your pet have an easily upsettable tummy or hip dysplasia?), and what does your pet(s) enjoy (belly rubs, favorite toys, favorite place to walk/sniff to their heart's content)! I also need to know veterinary information in case of an unlikely emergency.