Erin R.
Decatur, IL
Caring and professional pet care!
Pet care experience
I have been an animal lover since I was a kid. Rescuing chickens, rabbits, cats, horses - you name it! In my adult life, I took some time away from pets while obtaining my Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. The first thing I did after relocating to Decatur, IL for my job, was adopt an unwanted adult shelter cat that resided at Animal Control for months, Spider. He is still with me - 11 years later. I have learned the reasons why Spider was surrendered. It inspired me to get involved with animal rescue in the community. I have adopted and fostered puppies, dogs, kittens, and cats. I have probably dealt with nearly every type of cat or most cat disabilities at this point - and if not, am extremely willing and able to learn. My feline resume includes sight and hearing impaired, sick, diabetes, incontinence, behavioral issues, MORE... I am a huge believer of positive reinforcement training for dogs. If you follow dominance training or negative reprimanding, we will not get along. I have taken two doggos through AKC CGC certification awards and other courses. My personal dog, Timber, suffers from several health issues including hypertension - which caused enucleation of both eyes; chronic rhinitis; and gingival hyperplasia. I am very used to paying attention to the subtle signs of dogs when medical issues arise.
Reviews
Erin was wonderful with our cats while we were on vacation. She sent us pictures and let us know they were doing okay, which was so nice. She has extensive experience with animals and we felt more than comfortable with her watching our girls. Highly recommend!
Erin is a fantastic animal caregiver! She has a ton of cat and dog foster experience, and we have asked her to watch our dog and first cat a number of times. I think she does a better job keeping on top of them than we do... We also adopted our second cat from the Yoga4Cats rescue that she is on the board of directors of. Erin was fostering her while pet-sitting for us, and she and our dog hit it off right off the bat!
About Erin R.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
My home offers a fenced-in yard. We always walk pets on-leash. In side the home, we have options for crating and our home has several doors to close off rooms to create separate safe spaces, if needed. We also have several baby gates. Crating is very useful for at least feeding times. Our resident dog, Timber, eats in his crate, and he is trained to go there if he gets stressed - even though he is blind. I can often watch cats here in a spare room. Although, I do think cats are happiest at their homes with daily visits, if an option. In a client home, I would like to try to stick the schedule the pets are used to. Arranging a visit to understand the home layout, where things are kept, and meeting the pets are very important to me. I am happy to arrange multiple visits or stay at the house, depending on the needs of the clients and pet(s).
Information Erin R. would like to know about your pet
I would like to know if the dog has any triggers, fears, hypersensitivities, etc. What does the dog love and hate? How can I make him happy?
A typical day
Ultimately, activity will depend on the type of dog. Whether they like scent, ball games, walks, etc. My blind Aussie, Timber, and I enjoy going on walks through our woods - directly on our property - that head out to a utility trial and then to a bike trail. We keep going and return home up through the historical neighborhood. We also enjoy a few good games of ball fetch in the big front yard.
Services
Erin can watch in your home
Availability
Currently, i am working from home, but transitioning back to in-person office work soon. When I return back to work, my schedule does offer a lunch break and reasonable flexibility. Interestingly, all of my puppy fostering has been pre-COVID/work-from-home!
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About Erin R.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
My home offers a fenced-in yard. We always walk pets on-leash. In side the home, we have options for crating and our home has several doors to close off rooms to create separate safe spaces, if needed. We also have several baby gates. Crating is very useful for at least feeding times. Our resident dog, Timber, eats in his crate, and he is trained to go there if he gets stressed - even though he is blind. I can often watch cats here in a spare room. Although, I do think cats are happiest at their homes with daily visits, if an option. In a client home, I would like to try to stick the schedule the pets are used to. Arranging a visit to understand the home layout, where things are kept, and meeting the pets are very important to me. I am happy to arrange multiple visits or stay at the house, depending on the needs of the clients and pet(s).
Information Erin R. would like to know about your pet
I would like to know if the dog has any triggers, fears, hypersensitivities, etc. What does the dog love and hate? How can I make him happy?
A typical day
Ultimately, activity will depend on the type of dog. Whether they like scent, ball games, walks, etc. My blind Aussie, Timber, and I enjoy going on walks through our woods - directly on our property - that head out to a utility trial and then to a bike trail. We keep going and return home up through the historical neighborhood. We also enjoy a few good games of ball fetch in the big front yard.
Location
Decatur, IL
Pets
Erin R.
Decatur, IL