Hello there, pet parent! I’m Karen, a fully vaccinated supporter of equal love and respect for all humans and pets, regardless of amount of slobbering, shyness, energy, or curiosity, etc. To sum me up, I’m a longtime non-smoking / non-drinking, savvy, responsible, patient, and FUN LOVING laid back dog and cat fun partner / lover / caregiver. Rover is not a temporary pitstop for me, I'm very dedicated to building my Rover business and developing positive relationships with you and your pets for the longhaul. If you have both a dog(s) and cat(s), send me your proposed schedule and ask me for a cat discount. I offer heavy discounts for the 2nd+ pet, whether it's a dog or cat. What you can expect from me is 100% attention to your pet/child and duties during my entire 30 or 60-minute drop-in visit or dog walk. This means no personal texting or emailing, only texting updates to you. Caring for your pets' physical and emotional needs is my focus. I walk / play catch with dogs, play with cats and their cat toys, and give massages and scratches during my entire visit after other duties are competed. I'm a part-time freelance marketing consultant / web designer who works from home, so my days are wide open Mon - Sun to visit / walk your pet(s) for mutual fun time. I owned 4 dogs + 2 cats at same time for years and LOVED taking care of my big pet family. And I have discovered how much I love taking care of other family's pets. I respect each pet's need to be individually acknowledged, understood and appreciated. And I talk to your pet(s) pretty much the entire time during drop-in visits to help them like me and reassure them that everything is OK. (My chit chatting with pets comes naturally and out of habit.) Pet owners often tell me how surprised they are to see how quickly their pet warms up to me. Animals instinctively know what’s in someone’s heart. And my heart is full of appreciation for ALL animals. They see me walk into a room or a dog park and there’s usually an immediate connection. I love that. I have great compassion and respect for animals. An owner of many cats and multiple rescue dogs over the years, I have a lot of experience loving and calming shy cats and anxious and territorial dogs and puppies. A dog park is a favorite hangout to expose dogs to other dogs, and reinforce positive social behavior. And a backyard works great for playing catch. Or just hanging in the living floor, quietly talking and giving massages and scratches goes a long ways comforting and relaxing any jitters. I can't decide what "pet period" of my life I enjoyed most: More recently when I had 4 dogs + 2 cats. Or earlier in life when I had 4 cats + 1 dog. I like dogs and cats equally. I work remotely part-time as a marketing consultant / digital designer, so my Rover schedule is very flexible. I treat my Rover business as my primary business and am very dedicated to it because I love this kind of work and want to grow it. I do a lot of overnight pet sitting and do travel extra distances outside my neighborhood to reach my pet families in West Seattle and Gig Harbor for overnight sitting. So, even if your address falls out of the typical 3-mile neighborhood range, touch base with me anyway and let's see if your location might work for overnight pet sitting. About my rate structure: I heavily discount your second pet, whether it is a cat or dog. So if you have a dog and a cat, your cat would be charged the same rate as a second dog rate which currently is $5. Please ask me. For all visits at your home: I start talking to your dog(s) or cat(s) as soon as I walk through your door to remove any fear they have of the unknown person entering their home. "Hello, Bitty, it's Karen! I'm here!" I then go find the pet to personally greet them before I do anything else. And I continue this routine. If the pet knows what to expect, then they can look forward to it. Next up is handling duties like cleaning the pet dishes, filling them with fresh food and water, changing the kitty litter and taking the old to the garbage, giving medication, etc. After that, the pet and I might play. If you're a homeowner like Bitty's parents, I will put a harness and leash on your cat right after ear drops, and take your cat outside with me where we will walk around the yard, then water the plants. Unless you have a secure, fenced back yard, I don't allow dogs I care for off leash. And if you live in the country, even if you have a fenced yard, I don't let dogs off leash...unless you make a special request. I typically walk your dog around the yard and neighborhood or take him/her to a fenced dog park by request or with your advance permission. If you like receiving lots of photos of your pets while you're away, then you'll be very happy with my style of sending a lot of photos with comments about your pet's activities or mood. During overnight or longer daytime visits, I can also walk your pets, bathe your dog(s), pick up your mail, and water your plants. Your pets' safety and sense of well-being are always top of mind and a priority while I'm caring for them. It's also important to me that I send you mini regular updates about your pet(s) so you can feel good that you left your pets in good hands. When you return to your home, you will find your home in the same condition you left it which means if you left your home spotless, it will still be spotless when you return.