Helen U.
Bothell, WA
I'll make sure your dog has fun!
Pet care experience
----------------- PUPPY SOCIALIZATION! Ask us about our puppy socialization classes (for pups under 9 months) - usually scheduled in the afternoon, after 6pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. During these sessions - young puppies have an opportunity to interact and play with other pups of similar age and play style in a controlled setting with parents present and trainers on hand to supervise, answer questions and share knowledge. $45/session (schedule as a daycare) ----------------- For one-on-one training, send us a request as boarding with your inquiry. ----------------- I've been taking care of different animals since childhood. I love them all, but there is a special place in my heart for dogs. In my past, I was a software engineer. Now, I'm working full time with dogs, with a team of awesome sitters and trainers who help me take care of our regular dogs that inevitably become part of the dog pack and part of our family as we get to know them. Dogs are like children to us we - we love watching them socialize, play, mature, learn and grow up to be great individuals and amazing companions. When dogs share an activity with us, it makes it so much more exciting and special. It's impossible not to smile when we see their happy tails wag, or watch them enjoying their time here and sharing fun moments with their favorite dog friends! Spending time surrounded by dogs brings me joy, and being a dog sitter gives me an opportunity to meet a lot of new awesome dogs! I enjoy training dogs and teaching them to be polite and well mannered. Observing positive progress in learning new useful or social skills, or eliminating problematic behavior is extremely rewarding. It's always fun to teach dogs tricks and work on agility. We integrate at least a little bit of training into every day, to reinforce good manners and friendly behavior. More specialized one on one training is also available. We have experience dealing with all kinds of dogs and puppies from hyper-active type that require a lot of physical stimulation, running and playing, to very calm pups that love to cuddle next to you and get extra scratches from humans, or shy dogs that need time to get to know us and possibly prefer to interact mostly with other dogs before warming up to new humans. I have experience taking care of very young, elderly, sick, shy, nervous dogs, pups with separation anxiety, or with other special needs. While volunteering at dog shelters and fostering rescue dogs at my house, I've dealt with many dogs of different age, temperament, care requirements, and behavioral issues. They are all different and require a unique approach, and it's our job to find the best way to communicate with each and make them feel safe, comfortable, and happy. We have two of our own dogs. Baci is Goldendoodle boy - super friendly with all animals, always wants to play as much as possible, loves people, children, cats, babies, birds, you name it! He has seen lots of dogs in his life. Most of all he likes to play tug of war, chasing and wrestling games. His favorite friends are those that surprise him with their goofy energy. Our younger girl Kuuki is a Border Collie and Poodle mix. She is very intelligent and agile. Her favorite friends are young and active dogs, her favorite games with other dogs are to play fetch, and to get chased. She clicks best from the start with other female dogs, but her favorites are big German Shepherd boys or those dogs that can run really fast, even though it takes a little bit longer for her to warm up to larger pups.
Reviews
Helen and Nikita came through for us on a last minute boarding. It was Obi's first time at a daycare with many dogs and they reassured us by introducing him to different dogs slowly. They also took special precautions because he isn't neutered yet as a puppy. There were 2 other samoyeds there at the same time and all the pictures were adorable. They were very informative when we picked him up and let us know how he pottied, ate separately, and slept in the crate. Will definitely return for future boarding.
Both our pups love going to Helen and Nikita's! They provide great updates and photos during the stay and take such great care of our pups. Thanks again!
Amazing experience as Koko really enjoyed her stay. Helen provided frrquent updates, made sure Koko satyed nice and comfortable. Backyard is super nice and clean loaded with workout obstacles and water fountain was an added experience that Koko loved. We will definitely look forward to more stays here going forward.
Lula has the best time coming here! She gets great outside playtime and meets new friends to play with!
About Helen U.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
Our priority is to make sure each pup has a safe, fun and mentally stimulating time with us. We have a large, fully fence yard where dogs love to play, do chasing games, play tug of war, keep away and fetch. We designed it to be able to split the backyard into two separate areas – this allows us to cater to shy and smaller dogs, that might not feel comfortable mingling with everyone, or require time to settle in and observe. We use our outside area for dog training classes, puppy socialization sessions, and other playdates for pups. We have multiple sitters to ensure that dogs in our care are always supervised and are getting the personalized attention we feel they need and deserve. We strive to provide a great environment for them to socialize and make friends with other dogs under our supervision. During socialization sessions we host in our yard we may ask for parents to step away and observe from a distance or from inside. We monitor all of the dogs during their group play sessions, and reinforce good manners throughout their visit (sitting and waiting by the door, being polite with other dogs during play time and other social interactions, etc). We give dogs freedom to learn and explore on their own, but intervene if we see any behavior that is rude, or if pup is getting uncomfortable or overwhelmed. ----------------- Additional fees ----------------- Puppy under 1 year old: +$15/night ----------------- Holiday periods 2024 ----------------- +30% holiday fee and 3-night minimum: Martin Luther King Day: January 12-16 Presidents' Day: February 16-20 Spring Break: March 15 - April 15 Memorial Day: May 24-28 Juneteenth: June 15-23 Labor Day: August 30 - September 3 Veteran's Day: November 8-12 +50% holiday fee: 4th of July: June 29 - July 7 (3-night minimum) Thanksgiving: November 22 - December 2 (5-night minimum) Christmas and New Year's Day: December 18 - January 2 (5-night minimum) ----------------- Holiday periods 2025 ----------------- +30% holiday fee and 3-night minimum: Martin Luther King Day: January 17-21 President's Day: February 14-18
Home
Information Helen U. would like to know about your pet
I love dogs, and know each one needs a specific approach. I'd like to know what your dog's favorite things to do are and what they don't like, so that their time spent with me is fun and exciting. I'd also like to know your preferences, as all dog owners have slightly different ways of dealing with dogs, so I'd like to be as consistent as possible with how you chose to do it.
A typical day
Our normal day is full of fun activities and games. We follow our schedule for play-rest time, to ensure dogs get necessary physical and mental stimulation throughout the day giving them many opportunities to explore and play, and also making sure they also get the time they need to rest and recharge their batteries. Here is an outline of the schedule that we like to follow: First potty break around 7am followed by breakfast. There are typically 2 longer outside play sessions in the first half of the day (8:30-10am & 11:30am-12:30pm). A longer mid-day quiet time / nap time is between 12:30-2:30pm - for dogs to recharge, have lunch or work on unfinished breakfast if needed. Another outdoors activity 3-4pm. Dinner is at 5:30-6pm. Last potty break and bedtime at 9-10pm. Of course, our schedule gets adjusted depending on the weather and dogs' preferences. When it's rainy/too hot and dogs prefer to spend time inside, we would have shorter outings for potty breaks, and there will be more playtime indoors instead. If dogs are having lots of fun, we stay outside longer.
Services
Helen can host
Helen can watch in your home
Availability
In a previous life I was a software engineer, but now I am following my passion which is to take care of pets full time. We have a team of 2-3 full time sitters and trainers that take care of dogs, as one sitter often isn't enough to provide availability and the kind of care we want dogs to have.
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About Helen U.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
Our priority is to make sure each pup has a safe, fun and mentally stimulating time with us. We have a large, fully fence yard where dogs love to play, do chasing games, play tug of war, keep away and fetch. We designed it to be able to split the backyard into two separate areas – this allows us to cater to shy and smaller dogs, that might not feel comfortable mingling with everyone, or require time to settle in and observe. We use our outside area for dog training classes, puppy socialization sessions, and other playdates for pups. We have multiple sitters to ensure that dogs in our care are always supervised and are getting the personalized attention we feel they need and deserve. We strive to provide a great environment for them to socialize and make friends with other dogs under our supervision. During socialization sessions we host in our yard we may ask for parents to step away and observe from a distance or from inside. We monitor all of the dogs during their group play sessions, and reinforce good manners throughout their visit (sitting and waiting by the door, being polite with other dogs during play time and other social interactions, etc). We give dogs freedom to learn and explore on their own, but intervene if we see any behavior that is rude, or if pup is getting uncomfortable or overwhelmed. ----------------- Additional fees ----------------- Puppy under 1 year old: +$15/night ----------------- Holiday periods 2024 ----------------- +30% holiday fee and 3-night minimum: Martin Luther King Day: January 12-16 Presidents' Day: February 16-20 Spring Break: March 15 - April 15 Memorial Day: May 24-28 Juneteenth: June 15-23 Labor Day: August 30 - September 3 Veteran's Day: November 8-12 +50% holiday fee: 4th of July: June 29 - July 7 (3-night minimum) Thanksgiving: November 22 - December 2 (5-night minimum) Christmas and New Year's Day: December 18 - January 2 (5-night minimum) ----------------- Holiday periods 2025 ----------------- +30% holiday fee and 3-night minimum: Martin Luther King Day: January 17-21 President's Day: February 14-18
Home
Information Helen U. would like to know about your pet
I love dogs, and know each one needs a specific approach. I'd like to know what your dog's favorite things to do are and what they don't like, so that their time spent with me is fun and exciting. I'd also like to know your preferences, as all dog owners have slightly different ways of dealing with dogs, so I'd like to be as consistent as possible with how you chose to do it.
A typical day
Our normal day is full of fun activities and games. We follow our schedule for play-rest time, to ensure dogs get necessary physical and mental stimulation throughout the day giving them many opportunities to explore and play, and also making sure they also get the time they need to rest and recharge their batteries. Here is an outline of the schedule that we like to follow: First potty break around 7am followed by breakfast. There are typically 2 longer outside play sessions in the first half of the day (8:30-10am & 11:30am-12:30pm). A longer mid-day quiet time / nap time is between 12:30-2:30pm - for dogs to recharge, have lunch or work on unfinished breakfast if needed. Another outdoors activity 3-4pm. Dinner is at 5:30-6pm. Last potty break and bedtime at 9-10pm. Of course, our schedule gets adjusted depending on the weather and dogs' preferences. When it's rainy/too hot and dogs prefer to spend time inside, we would have shorter outings for potty breaks, and there will be more playtime indoors instead. If dogs are having lots of fun, we stay outside longer.
Location
Bothell, WA
Pets
Helen U.
Bothell, WA