Marc A.
Southborough, MA
SKIP the kennel, come for a HIKE!
Pet care experience
I pick the pups up at your home and take them on a 1 hour group hike, in the woods, and drop them back off. I practice general obedience training. The goal is to have every dog trained off leash so they can have the best life possible. I’ve had people say their dog is more tired hiking with me then sitting in a noisy, smelly, chaotic daycare all day. Most of my dogs are off leash. I have a 7mile GPS tracker for training any new dog off leash. Rain or shine, we hike fast. Many walkers will just stand in one place until the time is up, I make sure to keep the dogs moving so everyone gets quality exercise and has fun. I only board dogs that I hike on a regular basis. I have always loved dogs since my first golden mutt at 6 years old. I have been hiking packs of dogs off leash in the woods for 13 years. My lab mix comes with me every day. I owned a daycare for 2 years but decided life with the pups was better in the woods. I exclusively hike and board now. I hope we can set up a meet and greet soon! Marc
Reviews
Marc is a great care giver to our dog. He always sends picture updates on her hikes. He is attentive, makes sure the dogs are safe and have water breaks during the hikes (this was very important and reassuring to us). With a high energy dog, patience is key. Marc is very patient with our Celtics and enforces her training when she is with him. Thank you Marc for being so wonderful to our Celtics. Coming home to a tired and happy pup is the the best feeling in the world!
Marc is patient, calming and attentive. Luke had a great day on their hike and has warmed up well to Marc.
My dog, Katie, has known and adored Marc for over 4 years. He has boarded Katie numerous times (I learned she sleeps on their bed!) and taken her on adventurous hikes. I know Katie loves to hike with Marc by the exuberant welcome she gives him when he picks her up. As excited as she is, after she has welcomed Marc, she sits in front of him with an adoring gaze and waits until he's ready to take her (thanks to Marc's training her). I wouldn't allow anyone else to take Katie off-leash into the woods. She's a passionate hunter and Marc's use of a gps device enables him to know exactly where Katie is at all times. Even I, learning the hard way, wouldn't take Katie hiking myself anymore, but I trust her to return safely when she goes with Marc. In addition to being responsible and absolutely reliable, Marc has a special way with dogs-I believe the dogs know how much he loves and cares about them, and they return the love!
I've known Marc since we were both kids in school together. For a while when I was young, I was afraid of dogs, following getting bitten by one at a young age. Marc grew up with dogs in the house, and his dog when we were kids was so well trained by Marc and his family that she helped get me over the fear. Later on, when Marc started walking, training, and boarding dogs, it was awesome to see my friend really connect with a calling that he both enjoyed and excelled in. Having spent time with him plenty while he was boarding, I don't think I can recall a single time any of the dogs got into a fight or acted aggressively. As he's told me in the past, making sure they get a proper hike in and know their boundaries keeps them happy, and really it's just cool to see how all their personalities interact. Having known Marc for, let's say multiple decades, I can say that he's one of the most dependable, committed, and hard-working people I've known, and these traits have shown to me in his work with dogs, and the customer satisfaction that has led to long-term fuzzy clients.
About Marc A.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
Any dogs boarding are with me all day. This means a minimum of two hikes each day. They are very tired when we get home and they have full reign of the house. I treat everyone’s home as if it was my own. I make sure your pup gets safely to and from the car. I also make sure your doors and alarms are locked properly.
Home
Information Marc A. would like to know about your pet
It is important to know that your dog is spayed and neutered. Also that your pup does not show signs of aggression toward other dogs. It’s OK if your dog is not trained off leash, I have extensive training so they get there. For boarding purposes, your pup need to be house trained and able to be around toddlers.
A typical day
I’ll throw snowballs or sticks as we hike along. I get the dogs hyped up so they will chase each other. We enjoy nice meet and greets with other dogs and people. If there is a clean place to swim, they sometimes enjoy that too.
Services
Marc can host
Marc can watch in your home
Availability
I hike dogs full time. I start my first pick ups around 7am and finish around 3pm. I hike 2 to 3 groups a day. Pick up and drop off times will vary depending on your location.
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About Marc A.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
Any dogs boarding are with me all day. This means a minimum of two hikes each day. They are very tired when we get home and they have full reign of the house. I treat everyone’s home as if it was my own. I make sure your pup gets safely to and from the car. I also make sure your doors and alarms are locked properly.
Home
Information Marc A. would like to know about your pet
It is important to know that your dog is spayed and neutered. Also that your pup does not show signs of aggression toward other dogs. It’s OK if your dog is not trained off leash, I have extensive training so they get there. For boarding purposes, your pup need to be house trained and able to be around toddlers.
A typical day
I’ll throw snowballs or sticks as we hike along. I get the dogs hyped up so they will chase each other. We enjoy nice meet and greets with other dogs and people. If there is a clean place to swim, they sometimes enjoy that too.
Location
Southborough, MA
Pets
Marc A.
Southborough, MA