Michele W.
Michele W.
Highlights
Pet care experience
Dog-adoring writer with free time!
Hi!! I’m Michele and I live in a townhouse community in North Potomac/Gaithersburg, adjacent to the Kentlands. I have owned rescue dogs for 30 years, and I have always chosen dogs that are “hard to adopt” due to having a traumatic history, having accompanying anxiety or other behavioral challenges, and/or being a wrongly stigmatized breed. All of my dogs have been mixed breeds — a Doberman mix, a Shepherd mix, a Rottweiler mix, a Pitbull mix, a Mini Pin mix, and a Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix. I have also been helping my daughter over the past two years with her growing petsitting business. I have spent much of my career as a consulting writer and communications specialist in the global health and international development field, and have mostly worked from home. Due to recent changes in the federal government, most U.S.-based professionals in this field lost employment in 2025, and I am taking the opportunity to branch into more entrepreneurial paths that speak to my other personal passions. I always make sure my dogs (and yours!) have plenty of exercise, water, and hugs! And of course food and any medications according to your exact instructions. When I walk dogs, I am conscious of allowing them to have ample time to sniff and explore, as this gives them the mental exercise they need and tires them out for good naps during the day. I also love to give dogs play time in fenced yard/areas with any balls/toys they enjoy. I am available for walks at any time of the day, as well as housesitting in your home (or my home if you prefer!) when you are away! I am also happy to care for cats and any other pets. Thanks so much for considering me, and I hope to meet you and your best friend(s) soon!
Cat care experience
Michele also cares for cats. Learn about their cat-specific care experience.
Qualifications
Safety, trust & environment
I will provide long and short walks, additional exercise in fenced areas, water, food, and medications! I am forever a dog-on-the-furniture/bed person but will happily respect your wishes if you prefer not to allow that. I will also provide crate training if desired! I currently do not have dogs living with me full time, but my daughter has two dogs and can bring them to my house anytime if you would like some social time built in.
Ratings and reviews
Words are inadequate to convey how THRILLED we were with Michele taking care of our VERY social 11 year old kitty. We were hoping to find someone who would spend a lot of time with him -playing and cuddling -and the pictures and videos she sent us confirmed that we had found a gem of a pet sitter! Seeing Yoshi "head bopping" Michele and flopping down next to her told us everything we needed to know and gave us great peace of mind ! Also coming home to an immaculate house after having a VERY bad experience with a previous pet sitter was a joy . Nobody ever wants to come home from a vacation and then have to clean up a mess - our house was absolutely spotless ! We will be using Michele again for sure and can't recommend her highly enough !
We have been so happy with Michele. She seems to love our dog as much as we do, took great care of our dog, and paid attention to make sure our dog got the special care + medicines he needed while he was nursing a broken foot. Now that we have tried a few different dog sitters, we can really appreciate how we feel at ease knowing our dog will be happy and well cared for when we hire Michele.
Michele is fantastic. Our dog had a wonderful staycation with her while we were away. We received beautifully-written, witty daily updates and photos. Michele has a very warm personality and our dog was clearly happy and at ease with her. I would highly recommend her for pet sitting, house stays and any other pet-related services. She is a true gem!
Michele is a great with our dog. She seems to be very experienced with taking care of dogs and our dog loves her! She is also a great communicator, and we loved getting updates and pictures of our dog throughout the day. We felt at ease knowing our dog was well-cared for while we were gone.
Michele was an excellent caretaker for our two cats while we were away on a long trip. She communicated quickly and clearly about everything and there were no issues at all! We definitely felt like our pets were in good hands.
Michele is wonderful!! My dogs immediately felt comfortable with her and you could tell that she truly likes being around animals. She stayed at my house for several days and her communication was exceptional ! My older dog has diabetes and needs insulin shots twice a day. Michele was excellent at administering the shots which gave me an incredible peace of mind. I will absolutely use Michele again and feel very fortunate to have found her !!!
Calendar and availability
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Schedule
I’m currently rebuilding my career from scratch and have plenty of time for pet care! The work paths that I am building will all be mostly work-from-home.
- Cats0 to 15 lbs16 to 40 lbs41 to 100 lbsover 101 lbsMichele can host up to 3 drop-ins per day