We have fostered for a variety of rescue organizations over the years and have offered dog sitting services to the Yale community since 1993. In 2008 I took a pet first aid course through the Red Cross and we created our initial Rover profile in 2016. We love it! NOTE: Because we accept multiple dogs and do not crate unless the owner instructs us to do so we have made our profile on the long side to give you a feel for our household and our dog care style. As much as we love dogs and have oriented our household toward their happiness and safety it would be unrealistic to think that we will be the perfect fit for every dog and their owner. Therefore, although our long profile may seem tedious and the plethora of photos unnecessary, we do hope you’ll read it through before contacting us as most of your questions would be answered here. A picture is worth a thousand words! In addition to our profile pics, the photos of boarding dogs that we upload have been set to public. We urge you to read our profile completely and to look at the photos to get a feel for our home and family and for the sort of dogs who board here. AFTER you have done that you can contact us for a potential booking and a meet and greet if you are so inclined. We live on a dead-end street in a quiet neighborhood and have an older home that is cozy and geared toward canine comfort and fun rather than human aesthetics. Dog beds, blankets and pillows are scattered on the floor. There are indoor and outdoor doggy toy boxes and these are frequently emptied by the dogs. Stuffing from toys that have been ripped open is not an uncommon sight. Dogs may sit on the furniture or snooze on human beds. The relaxed, “doggie-sleepover” look and feel of our home does not mean that it is dirty or unsafe. Medicines and cleaning supplies are not accessible to the dogs and the flooring and dog bedding are cleaned regularly. We have our recycling bins elevated so that dogs cannot cut their mouths on tin cans or chew on plastic. We try to be proactive and avoid problems in matters of safety while at the same time being relaxed and indulgent when it comes to fun and comfort. Our backyard is enclosed with a fence that is 6 feet tall and locked. I do this full time so the dogs have potty breaks in the yard every 2-3 hours, free roam of the house and constant supervision and attention. NOTE ABOUT OUR FENCE: One of our dogs was a digger and would escape by digging under the fence. We dug a one foot trench along the fence line and attached wood to the fence— meaning the fence now extends about a foot underground to prevent escape. One great feature of our house is that there aren't any doors that open directly onto a public street. Our back door opens into the fenced in backyard and our front door opens onto an enclosed entry porch with a separate door. This gives an extra layer of protection against a visiting dog bolting and running loose. We tend to be a good match for dogs who are diggers, climbers and general escape artists as our home and property thwart their efforts. If you have such a dog and you’re anxious about leaving them our set up may put you at ease and spare your pup from being cooped up in a kennel somewhere. We are custodial grandparents of a teenage girl. She is an honor student and athlete as well as an animal lover. She loves helping out with the dogs and our repeat clients love her and appreciate the extra TLC their dogs receive from her. We usually have our profile set to accept up to 5 or 6 boarding dogs but on average we usually have two or three. We prefer the hunting breeds and their mixes as they are almost unfailingly good natured. However we are open to any type of dog except the bully breeds. Sometimes there may be overlap between pickups and drop offs resulting in a greater number of dogs for a few hours, especially on Sundays. Dogs are pack creatures and usually very social beings. The majority of dogs are thrilled to be in our home, roaming free and playing with their friends. We try to create a setting that appeals to their instincts, provides a different experience from what they have at home and distracts them from the fact that their favorite humans aren’t around. Even dogs who are shy or hesitant often blossom here, quickly find their place in the pack and have an awesome experience. However, there are dogs who simply aren’t going to adjust and relax in a setting with multiple, free roaming dogs. We have been doing this long enough that a brief meet and greet is enough to give us a sense of how your dog would do here. We prefer that all dogs have a meet and greet before their stay. The larger your dog and/or the longer their stay, the more we will insist upon it. Some of our doggie clients are elderly, disabled or a couch potato breed such as greyhounds. Our home works for them too. Once they get past the introductory stage most dogs respect another dog’s need for space and quiet. Many times we have had a pack of younger dogs chasing each other all over the house while a senior dog curls up in the corner on a cozy dog bed. We can accommodate just about anything except a dog with a bad temperament. Since I’m always here anyway I’m generally relaxed about changes to your travel plans or delays in your return. I’m not going to freak if your plane is delayed or if bad weather makes driving unsafe and delays your dog’s pick-up. We’ve been through it many times and we don’t get upset. We are also pretty good about last minute bookings. If your regular sitter bails on you last minute or you need to get away quickly due to a family emergency we will work with you and be as accommodating as we can providing your dog would be a good fit here. Only a conscientious and loving doggie parent would make it through our entire profile. If you have then it’s a great first impression of you. We can only hope that your impression of us will be just as positive should you decide to set up a meet and greet. Thanks for taking the time to read through our profile and for considering us for your dog’s care.