Katie F.
Katie F.
Highlights
Pet care experience
Compassionate Care for Senior Dogs
There is something extra special about senior dogs. Still full of love, but a little wary of anything new or out of their routine. As they learn to enjoy a slower pace of life they might also be dealing with stiff back hips, a loss of sight, smell or hearing, confusion, increased medication intake, difficulty with stairs, mobility and so on. With their puppy days far behind them, they may not enjoy the same kind of high energy boarding scenarios they once did. I'm here to help you provide them with a quiet, loving and comfortable place to stay while you are away. We recently lost our beloved Kali, a fully blind, 12.5 year old golden lab. She was the pampered queen of the house, and a great companion to past Rover.com visitors. The house feels so empty without her, and we are looking forward to hosting calm and friendly doggos once again. Please note that we do have a little orange cat named Gerry. He LOVES dogs, and will most likely try to befriend your pup during their stay. But please consider whether or not your dog is a good fit for him - do not reach out if you think Gerry might get chased, etc. If you have a senior dog or dog with special needs that requires some extra love and attention, then I am your person. I understand the anxiety and stress for both owner and pet when it comes to changing the routine of a senior dog, and I will work with you both to ensure a smooth transition into vacation mode.
Qualifications
Ratings and reviews
This was our dog’s third time staying with Katie. She is our March break go-to! We never have to worry when leaving the country.
This was our dog Cookie’s 3rd stay. She stayed for a week during March break. We appreciated the updates and pictures. Will be booking again in the future.
Katie is great - flexible, relaxed, and a good communicator. We feel totally confident leaving our dog with her. 10/10 would book again.
When I met Katie I knew right away that our senior dog Lucky was in excellent hands. Lucky gets quite anxious at times and Katie’s calm demeanor was exactly what Lucky needed while being away from his family. Katie made sure Lucky received his daily medication and provided him with lots of love and cuddles to ease his anxiety. She also kept me updated on how Lucky was doing and sent pictures which made me feel more relaxed about being away from Lucky. I hope Katie will be available next time I need someone to take care of Lucky. Thank you Katie for providing Lucky with excellent care!
Such a relief to have someone like Katie look after my two dogs, they couldn’t have been taken care of better, I think they were sad to leave lol.
Katie F. cancelled a booking 3 days before it was scheduled to begin.
Calendar and availability
Schedule
I am currently a self-employed artist who works mostly from home with a fairly flexible schedule. There are occasions where I'll need to leave the house - for example if I'm teaching a class - but usually will only be gone an hour or two. A couple times a month I teach longer classes where I'll be out of the house for up to 4.5 hrs. max. If your dog needs 24/7 supervision please let me know before booking.
Where your pet will stay
Home characteristics
Safety, trust & environment
We live on a hill, so there are stairs in our home and we don't have a huge open / fenced yard for dogs to run around in. We do have plenty of comfortable places for older pups to snuggle up and rest their heads, as well as carpets to help with traction around the house. We have no problem with dogs on the furniture, and although we try to keep our place tidy and organized, we are a very pet friendly environment! There are always toys and healthy treats (sometimes homemade!) We don't have kids (it's just my boyfriend and I), and we enjoy living a quiet, slow paced life in our cozy home.
Pets
A typical day
You can expect loving, quality and attentive care when your pet stays with me. We'll definitely go on a fun adventure of some kind! Depending on their mobility and current level of activity, it could be a shorter walk on a flat trail, a joint-friendly swim at the beach, a trudge through the snow on a lake, or a longer hike in the bush. We used to take Kali out for a quick walk (~15 mins.) first thing in the morning, a big adventure (~0.5-2 hrs) in the middle of the day, and another quick walk (~15 mins. before bedtime). She was welcome to hang outside in our partially fenced yard any other time during the day, usually on a lead/supervised because she needed help getting around with her sight disability. That being said, I am flexible to accommodate whatever walking, feeding, and napping schedule your dog is currently used to.