Karen P.
Encino, CA
HOME FULL TIME/LARGE FENCED YARD
Pet care experience
I have passed the background check and have several excellent references. I am available full time. I have always loved dogs and they love to visit me. I am currently encouraging dog owners with medium sized dogs, 25 to 40 pounds to book with me. I take the take dogs on walks in my nice neighborhood, or play ball in the backyard. I also play with them in the house with their toys. I book only one client at a time, therefore your pets get my undivided attention. They get the run of the house, they can get on the furniture, and sleep with me on the bed. If acceptable to you I will can take them to Petco for an outing. I make them happy, and in turn I find happiness. I frequently pet them and they are quickly comfortable with me. I am kind and loving towards them, and in turn I get a lot of kisses. I have also taken dogs to off leash dog parks. I have rescued puppies twice, taking care of them until I found their owner or find them a new home, and I have been successful at doing it. I had a neighbor who had a maltese puppy who was going to leave outside over the holiday weekend when the temperatures drop close to freezing. I insisted he bring the pup to me and I took care of it. I am home every day, so to have a dog is very easy for me. Since I book only one dog at a time they get my undivided attention. I have a locked and fenced in yard, with nice lawn and trees. The dogs are allowed to go out there anytime they want. I follow owner's instructions on feeding schedules and any other items they need such as supplements or medication. I am retired and stay home most of the time. Your dog will get plenty of attention and love. We will take walks and play in the yard, and also cuddle. I allow the dogs full use of the house and furniture. My back yard is fully secured by locked gates. The dogs like to go in and out of the house and go outside in the yard several times a day.
Reviews
I have been using Karen for about three years by now. I have an 11 year old Yorkie, very spoiled … and Karen has been great since day one. She has always being caring with my Lola, gave her the meds on time and lots of love and attention. Every time I walk my Lola around the neighborhood, she recognizes Karen’s house and she pulls me to her door, that is a great sign. I totally recommend Karen. I am at peace knowing she is taking care of my baby every time I’m away from home. !
I met Karen Pauly some years ago while she was walking her dog (sitting) and I was walking mine...we got to talking and I mentioned I needed a loving kind dependable watchful dog sitter and viola! She has taken our Sami 7 times over the past few years and Sami loves going to her house and seems quite relaxed and at home when I have to leave. Karen has taken great care of Sami and I feel totally comfortable with her facility and the attention she gives. Her home is extremely clean and she has a big grassy yard fenced and gated.
Karen took really great care of Ruby while we were away. She had plenty of updates and let us know how she was doing. We felt comfortable that our dog was getting loads of loving care. We will definitely book with Karen again the next time we go out of town.
Karen is a lovely person, but I don't think it's a good match. There were a couple points of concern that would prevent me from rehiring Karen in the future. First, my dog is an older (12 years old) medium-sized (38 pounds) dog, but Karen mentioned being concerned about taking her on a walk because she was afraid she wouldn't be strong enough -- apparently, she injured herself once before when a dog pulled her and she injured a finger when she fell. Second, we had an incident where Sadie pushed her way through the fence and got out, likely to chase after a squirrel/cat/etc. When Karen noticed she was missing, she opened the door and found her waiting there, but apparently had been gone a while and came back smelling like tar. Even though her fence is made of plastic and is about twice the thickness of a plastic fork, she implied it was Sadie's fault and asked me to reimburse her for the cracked fence. I feel it is the responsibility of a dog sitter to have a fence that is strong enough that a simple push of the nose can't crack it. In order for Karen to do that, she'd have to reinforce the bottom section of all four sides of her fence, which I don't believe she has any intention of doing. Moreover, when Sadie came back smelling like tar, she did nothing to clean her up...rather she offered two options and promptly gave excuses for why she couldn't do either one. She offered to take her to Petco grooming, but then said they wouldn't wash her without a vaccination record, so I sent her the vaccination record, to which she replied that she couldn't afford it anyway. She also offered to wash her herself, but then suggested that it was best if she didn't wash her because she didn't know if she could handle giving Sadie a bath. In both cases, rather than offering potential solutions, I got excuses about how she wasn't comfortable doing anything to help. My dog escapes and comes back smelling like tar, and her response was essentially a concerned shrug. So to sum up, as a dog owner, I would be uncomfortable about the safety of letting her walk my dog and I would be concerned about the strength of her fence, especially if you have a dog that has a prey drive (wants to chase animals).
About Karen P.
Communication
Skills
Home
Information Karen P. would like to know about your pet
I would like to know the animals requirements and routine. I would like to arrange a "meet and greet" to see how the chemistry is between myself, the animals, and owners. I prefer to take care of small to medium non-aggressive dogs and also cats. I cannot care for bull dog, pit bull or chihuahua breeds at this time.
A typical day
I have a large grassy fenced in yard with tree shade and a patio. I generally walk dogs on my street; I live in a safe residential area away from busy streets. I play ball and tug-of-war besides other play activities. I am usually available for an extension of time if you run into trouble getting home on your return date. Recently I took care of an animal for a woman who went to France. She had to extend her trip another week. I was happy and able to continue the job. I have an additional charge for more than one dog, and it will be tailored specific to your situation.
Services
Karen can host
About Karen P.
Communication
Skills
Home
Information Karen P. would like to know about your pet
I would like to know the animals requirements and routine. I would like to arrange a "meet and greet" to see how the chemistry is between myself, the animals, and owners. I prefer to take care of small to medium non-aggressive dogs and also cats. I cannot care for bull dog, pit bull or chihuahua breeds at this time.
A typical day
I have a large grassy fenced in yard with tree shade and a patio. I generally walk dogs on my street; I live in a safe residential area away from busy streets. I play ball and tug-of-war besides other play activities. I am usually available for an extension of time if you run into trouble getting home on your return date. Recently I took care of an animal for a woman who went to France. She had to extend her trip another week. I was happy and able to continue the job. I have an additional charge for more than one dog, and it will be tailored specific to your situation.
Location
Encino, CA
Karen P.
Encino, CA