Stefanie M.
Cambridge, ON
Professional Dog Care Provider
Pet care experience
Hello! My Name is Stef and I have a deep passion for dogs, and the field I am in. My dog's are incredibly important to me. I strive hard every day to provide a safe, happy, healthy and enriching life for them, and one of my goals has always been to start my own daycare and boarding environment, so I could extend the same love and care towards other people's dogs as I do my own. A bit about me and what I provide: I am a reliable and responsible dog care professional. I have almost two decades of experience working in the dog industry. This includes working in several dog daycare and boarding facilities, a daycare and train facility, and a grooming salon. I have worked in every aspect of the industry from hands on with the dogs to managing several corporate daycare facilities. I am a positive-reinforcement based dog trainer, with several years of hands-on training experience. I have my own pack of rescue dogs, who have grown up in the daycare environment. I am canine first-aid certified and I am comfortable in administering any medication, including injectables. In my years working with dogs, I have dealt with thousands of dogs - all different ages, temperaments and breeds. I am also an active volunteer with a dog rescue, and part of the therapy dog program with St. John Ambulance. In 2022, I made the decision to leave the corporate world and take all of the experiences and lessons I have learned over the past two decades to create the home style daycare and boarding environment I have always dreamed of. My goal is to provide a loving, happy, peaceful and safe environment for every dog who comes into my care. I believe in kind, ethical, modern, science-based training methods, and use them with my own dogs and any dog in my care. I believe dogs deserve patience and guidance when teaching them how to exist in our world safely and happily. Like people, each dog is an individual and I treat them as such. Different dogs require different approaches. I have the knowledge and experience to help shy, underconfident pups come out of their shell and blossom. I can determine when a pup is overly excitable or over-confident and needs some help learning how to self-regulate to play safely. I have training and experience in reading a dog's body language, cues, and communication which allows me to manage pack play safely. Above simply being a daycare and boarding provider, my goal when working with the dogs every day is to ensure that each pup has their mental and physical needs met. I achieve this by letting them carry out their natural canine behaviors safely (chewing, foraging, digging, sniffing etc.) along with the ability to run, wrestle and play until their heart's content. I focus heavily on canine enrichment and pride myself with being able to go above and beyond to meet every dog's mental and physical needs. At the end of their stay, they go home happy and fulfilled. I understand that rest/downtime is also important, and open rest periods are incorporated into every dog's day.
Reviews
Maverick absolutely loves going to Stephanie’s. Usually he spends the night, but today he just stayed for a few hours. He came home tired from all the fun. I’m sure he can’t wait to go back! Thanks Stephanie and friends!
I think Jack likes Stef’s house better than ours!!! He always has such a great time and I’m so confident that she takes great care of him, I don’t ever worry about him while we’re away!
Maverick absolutely loves going to Stefanie’s! I love that Stefanie sends me an update on how he’s doing and also sends photos. He is so happy to go there and so tired out when he comes home. I don’t worry about him at all when he’s there, I know he’s in good hands.
Stefanie was great. She sent photos of Maverick having fun with the other dogs, and she gave me updates on how he was doing. Maverick enjoyed his first stay and will be returning soon!
About Stefanie M.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
When it comes to boarding overnight, I have crates available if your pup is used to being crated or needs to be crated for safety reasons. Otherwise, they are more than welcome to sleep loose or confined to a bedroom with dog beds and a couch. For those anxious pups used to sleeping with a human, I am happy to accommodate and keep them company. Determining sleeping arrangements again comes down to looking at each individual dog's comfort level and what they need.
Home
Information Stefanie M. would like to know about your pet
Please note when it comes to accepting dogs, I do require them to be dog social and up to date on the rabies, distemper and bordetella vaccines. I do take intact dogs, provided they pass the assessment day. I do not take females in heat. I do not offer 'constant care'. This means that any dog in my care needs to be able to be safely left unattended at times if required, whether that is crated or free roam. All dogs are required to have a trial daycare day prior to a boarding stay to ensure it is a good fit and to reduce stress/anxiety for the pup.
A typical day
We spend time completing foraging games, treat puzzles, shredding games, as well as sensory activities with bubbles, sand, foam, water, or ice. I always ensure there are lots of safe dog toys of all different materials, sounds, sensations, and sizes for the dogs to play with.
Services
Stefanie can host
Availability
Because I operate a smaller scale business and have smaller play groups, I am able to engage with each and every dog to focus on their individual needs. I work on 'life skills' with every dog. This means that there is some training incorporated into every visit. I work on some unwelcome behaviours like jumping up, attention seeking barking, reactivity to critters or people passing by the windows, and counter surfing. I also work on basic obedience such as recall, sit, wait, and group impulse control. This light training is a wonderful form of bonding for me with all the pups, and great mental stimulation for them.
About Stefanie M.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
When it comes to boarding overnight, I have crates available if your pup is used to being crated or needs to be crated for safety reasons. Otherwise, they are more than welcome to sleep loose or confined to a bedroom with dog beds and a couch. For those anxious pups used to sleeping with a human, I am happy to accommodate and keep them company. Determining sleeping arrangements again comes down to looking at each individual dog's comfort level and what they need.
Home
Information Stefanie M. would like to know about your pet
Please note when it comes to accepting dogs, I do require them to be dog social and up to date on the rabies, distemper and bordetella vaccines. I do take intact dogs, provided they pass the assessment day. I do not take females in heat. I do not offer 'constant care'. This means that any dog in my care needs to be able to be safely left unattended at times if required, whether that is crated or free roam. All dogs are required to have a trial daycare day prior to a boarding stay to ensure it is a good fit and to reduce stress/anxiety for the pup.
A typical day
We spend time completing foraging games, treat puzzles, shredding games, as well as sensory activities with bubbles, sand, foam, water, or ice. I always ensure there are lots of safe dog toys of all different materials, sounds, sensations, and sizes for the dogs to play with.
Location
Cambridge, ON
Pets
Stefanie M.
Cambridge, ON