Hello! I’m Marissa! I have grown up with animals in my home and actually started my own dog-walking “business” when I was only 10 years by putting up fliers in my neighborhood. I have since co-founded Tails of the Midwest Animal Rescue in 2017 which is a non-profit located here in Bismarck. I have fostered for my own rescue as well as other rescues in North Dakota for many years. I have experience in potty-training, crate-training, puppies and senior dogs, as well as general animal care and knowledge. My speciality are senior dogs and those with special needs though! I have a fenced in yard – all sides 6 ft and the dogs are always supervised when outdoors. I have the space to feed animals separately as well as an understanding of special diets. I’ve worked with many animals with separation anxiety and physical impairments. I am also certified in animal reiki so I know how to balance your pet’s physical and emotional levels while you’re away. If your animal is on any medication, I am familiar with administering those on their schedule also. As needed, I do have references that can be contacted by phone or email to make sure that you feel comfortable with who your animals will be with when you’re away. I also have a badge on my profile which certifies my full background check was completed and passed. A little bit about me and our home. I grew up in the Bismarck/Mandan area my entire life. I’m 34-years old and we have one child who is a 5 grader and one who is 9 months. The oldest has grown up his entire life with animals and having rescue dogs and cats in the home. He knows how to be respectful and patient with all animals. We have an adult bearded dragon named Tofu and a ball python named Hippo in the home also! I’m married to a amazing woman named Keely who also has a immense love of animals. I don’t have a whole lot of down time between work and animals, but when I do – I enjoy hiking with my own dog, listening to audiobooks, or spending an unnecessary amount of time scrolling through TikTok. You can find pictures of my dog, Amelia, in my profile! She is nearly 8-years old and pretty laid back. She is used to having foster dogs in the house but she’s not overly playful. She will be more excited to see the humans dropping off their animals than the pets themselves. She will only get snappy with dogs if they are in her space too much but it’s always just a warning. She isn’t one to fight or bite. She has had a litter of puppies of her own and is a great with puppies or small dogs. She has been attacked by bigger dogs before so it takes her a day or so to warm up to bigger dogs but as long as they respect her, she feels safe and will play with them. If you have any questions about how I handle anything in my home or your pet’s specific needs, I will be happy to discuss those with you via message, phone, or video chat. I’m looking forward to working with you! I work from home M-F and I’m up as early as 5 am so if you need an even earlier drop-off time, that can be accommodated. I provide a safe space to for animals to rest if I’m out of the home and I do have kennels in every size, if needed. While I’m gone, I leave on relaxing music to create a calming atmosphere and I do have indoor cameras that I check at least every hour. For daycare, anything over 4.5 hours is considered a full day and anything over 10 hours is billed at the boarding rate of $35/day. Pets in my home are treated as family. They are treated just like my own dog is treated (which is spoiled, to be honest!) They are met with love and kindness and absolute dedication to their best interests. I work full-time from home and I have an office upstairs where the dogs can come in and out. I’m usually off by around 2 pm and the rest of the day is for the dogs! I care for the pets in my own as if they were my own. They get treated with the same love and respect that my own dogs are treated with. When they are here, they are family.