Essie D.
Wickford, RI
We specialize in happy dogs!
Pet care experience
We are a morning-to-evening playground at which your furry kid will receive exceptional care. Located in a quiet neighborhood in Wickford, Rhode Island, we nourish your pet in a loving home environment, with no cages, no toxic fumes from main roads and no chain link fences. A giant doggie door off the kitchen allows our guests to scamper freely into a big back yard (half-acre) surrounded by a cedar fence with plenty of room to run. Your pet's safety is assured in that all toys and snacks are made in the USA and I am certified in First Aid and CPCR (cardiopulmonary-cerebral resuscitation) for dogs and cats. In addition, I have put in more than 500 hours at our local animal shelter and have worked with dogs who have been abused and/or abandoned, even going so far as to rehabilitate two dogs everyone thought could never be adopted. They are both in loving homes now, thankfully. I never say "never," where dogs are concerned. The fact they have a short memory allows them to forget whatever negative experiences they have had and to bloom when given love, touching and guidance. The resident pack of six dogs provide plenty of socialization and play time, so everyone sleeps well at night! All dogs sleep in my bedroom with the door closed. They have giant orthopedic beds that are pushed together to create several double-bed-sized mattresses on which are sheets that get washed. This arrangement furthers the pack experience, as they sleep near each other. Descended from wolves, dogs are pack animals who really enjoy two things: company and freedom. Leaving your kid alone in a crate all day is never a happy experience for him or her. How would you like to be left in a crate all day? Or, if uncrated and left alone, dogs tend to let us know how bored they are by destroying a multitude of things in the home, creating a mess no working owner needs after a busy day! Your pet’s enjoyment, comfort and safety are top priorities and we guarantee your pet will thoroughly enjoy his/her visit! You will come back to a well exercised, well socialized, happy dog, and happy dogs make happy owners!
Reviews
We had a wedding in Newport and didn't want to leave our pup so far away for a full weekend down in Philadelphia. Essie was willing to take Jack for two nights without her normal process of a meet and greet and one night stay before the full board. We were so lucky to find her! Jack was welcomed in to her pack, and he was able to run around and have a great time the whole weekend! Essie sent us an email and photos the second night we were away, and when we picked him up, he slept the whole way home! Thank you Essie!
We live in Virginia and recently traveled to Rhode Island in mid August for our son's ODS graduation. We didn't want to be too far away from our dog so we brought him along with us. We needed someone to watch him overnight while in RI so we could spend some time with our son and attend the graduation events. Before starting our trip north, we researched several dog sitting services in that area and read many reviews before selecting Essie. Our dog means the world to us so we wanted to find just the right person to watch him. We couldn't have made a better choice in choosing Essie! Our dog had such a wonderful time at her house! Essie has dogs of her own as well as the ones she watches so there were plenty of playmates for our dog. Honestly, at first I thought this might be an issue, but it wasn't at all. I actually think it helped as our dog had so much fun playing with all of them he didn't want to leave her house when we came to pick him up! It was obvious he didn't miss us as much as we missed him! Essie is definitely a master at what she does and loves each dog as if it was her own. I highly recommend Essie to anyone needing loving and responsible care for their dog. We hope to get back up to RI in the future for a vacation and will definitely use Essie again!
I just want to take a few minutes to note how great our experience with Essie was! She was so good to our dog, Nova, and even changed her food to a better option for Nova. We also changed her food when she got home, after seeing how much better it was for her. I will never go back to using a kennel when we travel. With Essie our dog was able to run around all day, be given treats, spend time with other dogs, and she even let Nova sleep in her bed! We were a bit nervous to leave Nova because she is a little high strung, but she did great with Essie and was actually calmer when we picked her up! We will definitely use her in the future and I would recommend her to anyone looking for a place to board their dog. My favorite part of our experience with her was all the photo updates we received of Nova. Every day we got to see pictures of her having a good time and it made being away from her much easier.
Thank you SO much for taking care of our two dogs, Dante and Dakota. We are from NY City and had a spot reserved for our Lab and Bull Mastiff for the week out on Long Island while we celebrated our wedding in Newport, R.I But as we got closer to the event, we began to worry about our needy pups' first time away from home and the idea of their being in a cage for 6 days. I stumbled upon Essie and her gang and am so lucky that I did. Not only was she available, but she personally reached out to a local animal hospital to reserve a spot in case my dogs did not feel comfortable at the trial at her home. The moment you meet Essie, you know that your dog is in safe hands. Your first impression is amazement at how she can control so many dogs at once and then you're amazed that your dog so quickly joins the pack. She had a few other visitors there from small to large dogs. We were worried that our male Bull Mastiff of 140 pounds would cause trouble with some of the smaller dogs, but he fit right in. Our dogs took some time to adjust from their NY city living ways to the freedom at Essie's. After some time and eating protests, they started to play with the other dogs, use the doggie door and loved to play in the yard. Essie sent updates and pictures so we could enjoy our wedding weekend, knowing our dogs were well taken care of. What a relief. We are looking forward to our next Newport trip!
About Essie D.
Communication
Skills
Home
Information Essie D. would like to know about your pet
All dogs must have up-to-date innoculations for rabies, bordetella and DHLP or DHPP. A hard copy that can be filed must be provided at the time of boarding. If your dog has any anti-social habits (chewing on shoes or other items; food-, toy- or dog-aggression; bathroom accidents in the house; digging in the yard; repetitive barking outside, etc.), please share this information with me, as it will make me a more effective host for your pet!
A typical day
My dogs are family and bring me great joy. My love for dogs, in general, is kind of over-the-top. They have sheets on their beds; I cook crock pot meals for them; I interact with them every day, all day. That means constant talking to them, no matter what we are doing, so their "vocabulary" is pretty amazing. The last thing they hear every night after the lights are turned off is how much I love them; I call each by name, including our boarders. This results in huge sighs in the dark, so I know they understand what I am saying. Research studies have proven dogs respond to love in much the same way as two people in love do. They secrete the same brain chemicals as we do. Love goes a long way with dogs. Classical music is on all day, every day, except for the few times I catch up on the news. Again, great research has been done on the calming effects of classical music. When I sit down to practice piano, the dogs all flop on the living room floor and furniture and they stay there until I am done. Dogs LOVE classical music! So your dog will be the most cultured in the neighborhood when he/she returns home! :-)
Services
Essie can host
About Essie D.
Communication
Skills
Home
Information Essie D. would like to know about your pet
All dogs must have up-to-date innoculations for rabies, bordetella and DHLP or DHPP. A hard copy that can be filed must be provided at the time of boarding. If your dog has any anti-social habits (chewing on shoes or other items; food-, toy- or dog-aggression; bathroom accidents in the house; digging in the yard; repetitive barking outside, etc.), please share this information with me, as it will make me a more effective host for your pet!
A typical day
My dogs are family and bring me great joy. My love for dogs, in general, is kind of over-the-top. They have sheets on their beds; I cook crock pot meals for them; I interact with them every day, all day. That means constant talking to them, no matter what we are doing, so their "vocabulary" is pretty amazing. The last thing they hear every night after the lights are turned off is how much I love them; I call each by name, including our boarders. This results in huge sighs in the dark, so I know they understand what I am saying. Research studies have proven dogs respond to love in much the same way as two people in love do. They secrete the same brain chemicals as we do. Love goes a long way with dogs. Classical music is on all day, every day, except for the few times I catch up on the news. Again, great research has been done on the calming effects of classical music. When I sit down to practice piano, the dogs all flop on the living room floor and furniture and they stay there until I am done. Dogs LOVE classical music! So your dog will be the most cultured in the neighborhood when he/she returns home! :-)
Location
Wickford, RI
Pets
Essie D.
Wickford, RI