Rebecca S.
Alexandria, VA
Zookeeper to petsitter!
Pet care experience
***please scroll down to see important scheduling information before booking*** Greetings! My name is Rebecca. I was born an animal lover, and have made a living from taking care of furry, feathery, and scaled creatures- both great and small. I've worked with animals from all taxonomic groups as a Zookeeper for 15 years; most of my work has been with carnivores. My daily duties include: providing appropriate enrichment activities throughout the day, behavior training (operant conditioning via positive reinforcement), cleaning animal habitats, administering medications, food prep/feeding, recognizing signs of acute and chronic illnesses and injuries, record keeping, and public education. My performance was rated as "Outstanding" every year, the highest level achievable. Prior to my Zoo career, I earned my B.Sc from VA Tech, during which time I worked as a veterinary assistant at a small animal hospital, as a foal sitter at the VT Vet School's large animal hospital, and as a field research intern for the University of Toledo. I've taken companion animal care classes in high school and college (yup, good ole' VA Tech offers this). I had a number of pets growing up including cats, birds, gerbils, hamsters, and dogs. Prior to having children, I fostered cats and dogs for Homeward Trails and provided dog walking and pet sitting services in my spare time. I would love to learn how I can serve your family!
Reviews
Palmer adores you and even went into the guest bed this evening to lay.
Rebecca is awesome! She is very responsive and most importantly my dog loves her!
Always perfect. Thanks
This is the first time that I’ve gone away and felt very confident that my kitties would be in good care. The initial visit and seeing Rebecca interact with Bean & Tobie put me at ease. She was very experienced and had a good initial connection with them. The daily progress reports and videos were very detailed and comforting. We would like Rebecca to be our cat-caregiver from now on! Highly recommend!
About Rebecca S.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
My mission is to provide an excellent experience for pets and their humans while I'm in their home! My hope is that your furry or feathered family member(s) will feel as though they are being treated to a special staycation while you are away. Im also happy to take out the trash, water plants, and perform any general upkeep around your home.
Information Rebecca S. would like to know about your pet
Before pet sitting, I would like to know... - Dogs favorite activities - Dislikes (other dogs, cats, kids, etc) - Does your pet have a history of illness/injury that I need to be aware of (bladder infections, kidney disease, hip dysplasia, etc)? I will not accept jobs that require dogs to be walked on choke chains or prong collars (no exceptions). Gentle leaders, harnesses, and traditional colars only, please.
A typical day
I love to be outdoors and am accustomed to working in all weather conditions. I have the patience to stroll with your elderly fellow, and the energy to run with your energetic pup...always great to have a training buddy for my next race! Maybe your pup prefers a game of fetch in the back yard...I gotcha covered! Working on training behaviors? I'm happy to keep the progress going while you are away, so long as it doesn't involve physical corrections. I'm pro reinforcement!
Services
Rebecca can watch in your home
Availability
***important scheduling information*** My available services are different depending on whether you are located within or outside of my service area. *My typical service area* (within 5 mile driving radius of my home including 22306, 22307, 22308 and the section of 22309 that is east of Rt 1): My "house sitting" service is an overnight stay that typically begins with a 30 minute visit 6pm (or I can do the initial visit from 3:30pm, if preferred) to offer dinner and attention/walk/play, and ends between 6-8am the next morning after breakfast and attention/play/walk. There is typically a gap between my initial visit and my return to spend the night. I guarantee a minimum of 10 hours of in-home service, but do my best to maximize my time there beyond 10 hours. If midday visits are needed, please book those separately. Dog walking and drop-in visits: I will be available for weekday midday walks from August 20-June 9. I'm typically available for weekend midday walks year-around. I manually discount midday walks/visits by 20% when booked with an overnight. ***Overnights with multiple species*** I do not charge for each individual cat/bird/rodent/reptile. I charge $5/additional species per number of times they need specific care (such as feedings). *OUTSIDE of my typical service area* (all other zip codes or beyond 5 miles from my home) Outside of my service area, my "house sitting" service is an overnight stay that begins between 8-9pm and ends between 6-8am the next morning. I guarantee a minimum of 9 hours of in-home care but will do my best to maximize my time in your home. Dog walking and drop-in visits: I'm generally not available to offer midday walks/visit outside of my service area. In an emergency, I may be able to accommodate a midday walk, but will apply an additional $10 fee/visit. ***Care of multiple species*** I do not charge for each individual cat/bird/rodent/reptile, but will apply a fee of $5/additional species each time specific care is needed (such as feeding).
About Rebecca S.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
My mission is to provide an excellent experience for pets and their humans while I'm in their home! My hope is that your furry or feathered family member(s) will feel as though they are being treated to a special staycation while you are away. Im also happy to take out the trash, water plants, and perform any general upkeep around your home.
Information Rebecca S. would like to know about your pet
Before pet sitting, I would like to know... - Dogs favorite activities - Dislikes (other dogs, cats, kids, etc) - Does your pet have a history of illness/injury that I need to be aware of (bladder infections, kidney disease, hip dysplasia, etc)? I will not accept jobs that require dogs to be walked on choke chains or prong collars (no exceptions). Gentle leaders, harnesses, and traditional colars only, please.
A typical day
I love to be outdoors and am accustomed to working in all weather conditions. I have the patience to stroll with your elderly fellow, and the energy to run with your energetic pup...always great to have a training buddy for my next race! Maybe your pup prefers a game of fetch in the back yard...I gotcha covered! Working on training behaviors? I'm happy to keep the progress going while you are away, so long as it doesn't involve physical corrections. I'm pro reinforcement!
Location
Alexandria, VA
Pets
Rebecca S.
Alexandria, VA