Natasha D.
Ypsilanti, MI
Gentle, cat lover, greyhound mom!
Pet care experience
Hi! I have 12 years experience working with young, special needs, or senior pets, particularly cats. I have 3 cats of my own and 1 goofy retired racing greyhound. I am certified in Pet First Aid and am background checked by Rover’s third party service. My pet first aid certification ID is 00NKPU6! I practice gentle redirection and positive reinforcement with my dog. I do not yell at or use negative reinforcement on animals in my care. I know there’s a lot of information to digest in my profile, but I want you to know exactly what you’re getting when you book me. No surprises means no unhappy pets or owners. Being away from your babies is stressful enough! You don’t need to be stressed out by your sitter too.
Reviews
I have booked with Natasha many times. She is always the best!!!
Natasha was great! She took awesome care of my fur babies, including coaxing my shy to new house guests cat Loki. She made her mission to get him to come out and socialize! Thank you Natasha, I was able to enjoy my vacation knowing you were taking care of my babies.
Always reliable and our cats are well taken care of! We will continue to use Natasha in the future!
Natasha did a fantastic job with my fur babies. So happy to of used her services 🐱❤️❤️🐾
About Natasha D.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
My fee for 30 min drop ins covers the basics for 1 animal: food refresh, water change, litter box cleaning (if applicable), a short walk (if applicable), medication administration, and a little play time (with treats) with your baby! The dog/cat I am booked for is my top priority during a visit. If you have additional pets (such as gerbils, chickens, reptiles, fish, etc.) or additional requests such as watering your plants or getting your mail, please book me for the full hour rather than 30 min to guarantee all additional requests are taken care of otherwise I may not get to your other requests in time. If I can’t, i will let you know and you can decide if you’d like to book me for the full hour. Note that I do charge for each additional dog or cat in the household that needs care. Each dog or cat must have their own profile on Rover to be covered by Rover’s Guarantee, but feel free to ask me during our meet and greet about the discounts I offer. This doesn’t happen frequently (usually with returning clients who have moved) but I will assess a $2 surcharge per visit for any mileage outside of my current range. I typically don’t travel more than 25 minutes outside of my home. A note on meds: i will always try my best to give them meds but if there is any aggression shown toward me while administering it, I may not be able to complete the task for safety reasons. I will communicate this with you and may request I bring an additional handler (my spouse!) for other visits. This is frequently the case with any animal and their pills, eye drops, creams, intravenous medications, or inhalers that require me to handle them. Keep in mind your sweetie might let you do things with them they don’t allow from anyone else! Alternative methods that don’t require me handling them are preferred. If I determine during the course of a visit that an additional handler is required I will discuss this with you ahead of time and you can let me know whether you want me to bring an additional person in or forgo medication administration. Ultimately, safety is top priority for me!
Information Natasha D. would like to know about your pet
It is vital to me that I know your dog or cat’s age, personality, health conditions, and weight ahead of time and If he has any particular quirks I should know about, such as how he shows his anxiety, if he prefers particular treats, his favorite toys and games, what commands he knows, and if he has particular off-limits spots on his body i shouldn’t touch such as paws. Many dogs don’t like strangers touching their feet, including my own! Many cats, for instance, don’t like to be touched on their bellies or have a special way they like being petted. I will likely ask you a lot of detailed questions during our initial meet and greet. Usually this is when I grab the key or key code from you as well but let me know if you have an alternative way you’d like me to grab your key. I’ll also ask where to put it after my last visit. For dogs, I will require we meet ahead of time and do a short test walk (5-10 min) to see if I will be a good fit for him. Some dogs, particularly large, high energy ones, are more difficult to handle and it helps me understand what to expect on walks. With cats I typically don’t require meeting ahead of time unless there is a request to physically handle them in some way. I always request them anyway because I like meeting them when you are present just to make sure we can get to know each other. I can usually accommodate last minute requests for their care especially for returning clients! I will ask about things like feeding schedules, litter box, and if they have a tendency to bolt when the door is opened. I also ask questions about their personality so I know what to expect when I walk in. With cats, they may interact differently with you, their owner, than with me, their sitter. If they run from me or don’t interact with me as much as they do you, it’s not a reflection on me or the cat, it just means they take additional time to warm up. Remember, they don’t understand when you leave and it can be stressful for them when you are away so behavior changes are normal. If you think you may have an especially shy kitty or dog or are worried about their behavior, I suggest booking me for a full hour or multiple visits a day with them. I don’t typically do house sits but can make some exceptions in certain circumstances. Talk to me about it ahead of time so we can work out a solution that’s best for you and your baby. New clients: Please expect to provide me a demo of you giving medication to your pet if it requires me handling them in any way vs just putting it in their food or water. If we will have a first time meet-and-greet, I need to know what to likely expect from a pet during my visit. I will tell you if I feel we won’t be a good fit. I prefer to be up front with potential clients about expectations. I want your baby to have the best possible experience while you’re away so I will tell you if I feel another sitter would meet your needs better. I strongly recommend to ALL of my clients that you have everything written down before you leave. The rover app can be finicky especially in areas with low or no service.
A typical day
My dog Taco and I enjoy walks around our neighborhood and to the nearby park. I often play treat games with him and work on his commands with him while we’re out. We enjoy visiting the dog park on a semi-regular basis. With cats, I will always try to play (or cuddle!) with them if they want it. More active cat breeds such as torties and bengals appreciate the opportunity for enrichment. Cats often need stimulation as much as dogs do, though they can be choosy about who they interact with. Please be clear about your expectations for your sweetie’s care during our meet and greet. Whether you book me or end going with someone else, always ask lots of questions. Most often issues arise when communication breaks down and I want to avoid that as much as possible. For example, If they can’t be left alone for longer than a few hours or need to be seen at specific times during the day we may not be a good fit as I typically have other clients I am visiting throughout the week along with my regular 9-5 job.
Services
Natasha can watch in your home
Availability
I am a professional who works from home. This is not my full time job. I do it because I enjoy spending time with dogs and kitties! I am typically able to visit any time between 6-9a and after 4pm. Sometimes I am able to accommodate additional times (such as during the lunch hour) depending on my schedule so please ask ahead of time! I prefer flexibility if at all possible. I can typically take recurring bookings but only if you are flexible on day and time. I have a relatively set schedule but it can vary from week to week depending on what my regular job requires on a given day.
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5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
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About Natasha D.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
My fee for 30 min drop ins covers the basics for 1 animal: food refresh, water change, litter box cleaning (if applicable), a short walk (if applicable), medication administration, and a little play time (with treats) with your baby! The dog/cat I am booked for is my top priority during a visit. If you have additional pets (such as gerbils, chickens, reptiles, fish, etc.) or additional requests such as watering your plants or getting your mail, please book me for the full hour rather than 30 min to guarantee all additional requests are taken care of otherwise I may not get to your other requests in time. If I can’t, i will let you know and you can decide if you’d like to book me for the full hour. Note that I do charge for each additional dog or cat in the household that needs care. Each dog or cat must have their own profile on Rover to be covered by Rover’s Guarantee, but feel free to ask me during our meet and greet about the discounts I offer. This doesn’t happen frequently (usually with returning clients who have moved) but I will assess a $2 surcharge per visit for any mileage outside of my current range. I typically don’t travel more than 25 minutes outside of my home. A note on meds: i will always try my best to give them meds but if there is any aggression shown toward me while administering it, I may not be able to complete the task for safety reasons. I will communicate this with you and may request I bring an additional handler (my spouse!) for other visits. This is frequently the case with any animal and their pills, eye drops, creams, intravenous medications, or inhalers that require me to handle them. Keep in mind your sweetie might let you do things with them they don’t allow from anyone else! Alternative methods that don’t require me handling them are preferred. If I determine during the course of a visit that an additional handler is required I will discuss this with you ahead of time and you can let me know whether you want me to bring an additional person in or forgo medication administration. Ultimately, safety is top priority for me!
Information Natasha D. would like to know about your pet
It is vital to me that I know your dog or cat’s age, personality, health conditions, and weight ahead of time and If he has any particular quirks I should know about, such as how he shows his anxiety, if he prefers particular treats, his favorite toys and games, what commands he knows, and if he has particular off-limits spots on his body i shouldn’t touch such as paws. Many dogs don’t like strangers touching their feet, including my own! Many cats, for instance, don’t like to be touched on their bellies or have a special way they like being petted. I will likely ask you a lot of detailed questions during our initial meet and greet. Usually this is when I grab the key or key code from you as well but let me know if you have an alternative way you’d like me to grab your key. I’ll also ask where to put it after my last visit. For dogs, I will require we meet ahead of time and do a short test walk (5-10 min) to see if I will be a good fit for him. Some dogs, particularly large, high energy ones, are more difficult to handle and it helps me understand what to expect on walks. With cats I typically don’t require meeting ahead of time unless there is a request to physically handle them in some way. I always request them anyway because I like meeting them when you are present just to make sure we can get to know each other. I can usually accommodate last minute requests for their care especially for returning clients! I will ask about things like feeding schedules, litter box, and if they have a tendency to bolt when the door is opened. I also ask questions about their personality so I know what to expect when I walk in. With cats, they may interact differently with you, their owner, than with me, their sitter. If they run from me or don’t interact with me as much as they do you, it’s not a reflection on me or the cat, it just means they take additional time to warm up. Remember, they don’t understand when you leave and it can be stressful for them when you are away so behavior changes are normal. If you think you may have an especially shy kitty or dog or are worried about their behavior, I suggest booking me for a full hour or multiple visits a day with them. I don’t typically do house sits but can make some exceptions in certain circumstances. Talk to me about it ahead of time so we can work out a solution that’s best for you and your baby. New clients: Please expect to provide me a demo of you giving medication to your pet if it requires me handling them in any way vs just putting it in their food or water. If we will have a first time meet-and-greet, I need to know what to likely expect from a pet during my visit. I will tell you if I feel we won’t be a good fit. I prefer to be up front with potential clients about expectations. I want your baby to have the best possible experience while you’re away so I will tell you if I feel another sitter would meet your needs better. I strongly recommend to ALL of my clients that you have everything written down before you leave. The rover app can be finicky especially in areas with low or no service.
A typical day
My dog Taco and I enjoy walks around our neighborhood and to the nearby park. I often play treat games with him and work on his commands with him while we’re out. We enjoy visiting the dog park on a semi-regular basis. With cats, I will always try to play (or cuddle!) with them if they want it. More active cat breeds such as torties and bengals appreciate the opportunity for enrichment. Cats often need stimulation as much as dogs do, though they can be choosy about who they interact with. Please be clear about your expectations for your sweetie’s care during our meet and greet. Whether you book me or end going with someone else, always ask lots of questions. Most often issues arise when communication breaks down and I want to avoid that as much as possible. For example, If they can’t be left alone for longer than a few hours or need to be seen at specific times during the day we may not be a good fit as I typically have other clients I am visiting throughout the week along with my regular 9-5 job.
Location
Ypsilanti, MI
Pets
Natasha D.
Ypsilanti, MI