Karinne M.
Karinne M.
Highlights
Pet care experience
Dog-Lover & Nurse: Care is My Motto
Hi! My name is Karinne, but most people call me Kiwi (no, I am not from New Zealand!). I was born and raised in Ottawa, and now live in a house in Nepean with my partner and our 4-year old Miniature American Shepherd, Kali. We love being outside and being active, so your pet will get plenty of fresh air and exercise while being well-loved and well cared for. I started providing services on Rover in 2019 when we lived in an apartment building, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, my public health nursing job kept me busy and working long hours, so I had to take a break from Rover. Then we bought a house and got a puppy, and now that we are settled into our home and routines, I am excited to be back on Rover to support others and their pets! I grew up with a love of animals and pets (I literally still have two bins full of stuffed animals that I collected as a child and pretended I owned all the pets in the world). Even though I wasn't allowed to have my own dog as a child, I have always been surrounded by friends' and family's dogs my entire life, and I've often taken care of their pets during their vacations as if they were my own. My partner and I bought our first house and our first dog in the same year, and we've loved every minute of it!
Qualifications
Pets
Safety, trust & environment
During our daily walks, our dog Kali walks very well on a leash and doesn't pull (until we get close to the neighbourhood park!). She is excellent at walking with other dogs, and generally just ignores them while walking. If your dog prefers to walk alone, that is not a problem! I can accommodate and leave our dog with my partner. Our house is a split-level home with a fully fenced backyard. Dogs will always be supervised while playing in the yard. During the day, Kali has free-range of the entire house and is allowed on furniture, but we are flexible and can accommodate different rules to meet your dog's needs. We also have different areas of the house that can be closed off if the dogs need a break from each other. Kali is crate-trained; she sleeps in her crate at night and eats all her meals in her crate. If we are caring for your dog in our house, we would do our best to ensure there is always someone home and stick to your dog's routines as much as possible.
Ratings and reviews
Karine was amazing with Ruby! She was caring, reliable. We felt completely at ease knowing Ruby was in such good hands. Highly recommended!
When we met Karinne the first time, we instantly knew that we could leave our beloved puppy Chai with her while we went on an extended European family vacation. She is pleasant, kind, straightforward and obviously loves dogs! We appreciated getting photo updates while we were away and knew Chai was being very well cared for and getting some love and long walks. We highly recommend Karinne and will have no hesitation in calling on her again when we next need someone to care for Chai. Five stars!
Karinne was such a great help with Chico!!! She responded very quickly to my texts and sent me updates all the time without me having to request them! I had left the country for a week, so it definitely eased my mind and made my trip a lot more enjoyable knowing Chico was in such good hands. 10/10 will use Karinne again for her services and I highly recommend her to anyone else who is an anxious dog mom!! :)
I don’t think I even need to wait to collect my little boy as Karinne is extremely friendly and I already know my puppy is in the hands of one of the best! Karinne welcomed me in a very friendly manner and her house is clean and is a safe environment for little puppies. She sends me updates with photos of how my puppy is doing and takes care of him more than I imagined! Will definitely recommend Karinne and would like to thank her once again!
My dog usually takes a while to get used to new people but he was instantly in love with Kiwi! I would definitely recommend Kiwi to anyone who needs a trustworthy and loving dog sitter.
Karinne (Kiwi) is such a wonderful, caring, compassionate, intelligent, and responsible person. We attended school together, and I can attest to her time management skills and dedication to all activities that she is involved in. She is always punctual and very considerate of the feelings, emotions, and concerns of others. She will always put others first, and has such a kind nature that is apparent from the first moment you meet her. Kiwi was there when my dog was sick, and she was an amazing support for our family. She is a loving dog caregiver, in times of sickness and good health. My dog was always so excited to see her, and honestly probably liked her more than he liked me. She has an instant connection with animals, and a kind heart that allows her to connect with such a wide range of personalities (both animals and humans alike). I would absolutely recommend her as a loving dog caregiver. She is trustworthy, kind and responsible and would treat your dog as her own.
Calendar and availability
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Schedule
I am a Public Health Nurse and work most days from home, so my availability works around those days in-office (i.e. I won't book any walks, visits, or day care on days I am in the office). For any dog boarding, my partner works fully remote at home, so there is always someone in the house with the dogs even if I have to go into the office. We go on 3 walks a day with our dog Kali, ranging from 20 to 45 minutes depending on the time of day and weather. If it is storming, we often do enrichment or training indoors instead. On weekends we try to do longer adventures like a hike in Gatineau Park or swimming in the river!