I have been a DogVacay/Rover host since January 2016 and love our dog guests! I moved to Cincinnati from Vandalia, OH (Dayton area) in June 2016, to the historic Sayler Park area, and am now a ferry ride away from the CVG airport - very convenient for drop off's and pick up's when heading away for business or pleasure. Although my yellow lab passed away in September 2015, because my career requires occasional travel, I am not yet ready to have a dog of my own full-time. So, I am enjoying taking care of my guests' babies while they are away. I am a huge dog lover and was a dog owner for 25 years (and only had 3 dogs during that period). I always had a hard time boarding my pups at a kennel or a vet, because my dogs preferred the company of their humans and emotionally did much better being in a home environment. My love for dogs even included attending the 2015 Westminster Dog Show and driving in the summer of 2015 from Ohio to Colorado and back to rescue a special needs Great Dane/lab mix. And I recently began volunteering with the Dayton/Cincinnati chapter of Canine Companions for Independence. I have the perfect home/work life to benefit a dog's needs, since I work from home and control my schedule when I need to be away from my home office. I have a fully fenced, medium-sized backyard with a 4-foot high, locking privacy fence. I do have a two-story home with wood floors in the common areas (with carpet in the bedrooms) and concrete in the basement, in case your fur-baby has aversion to stairs or smooth floors. I have two "baby" gates, which will help to keep a dog on the same level of the house as I am, but only if needed. Otherwise, dogs are allowed free reign of the house. I am very familiar with giving oral medications, handling special diets, administering eye drops, taking long walks, taking short walks, helping dogs with vision impairments and arthritis/joint issues; we even watch a dog who is prone to seizures. All in all, I will make sure your pup has a safe and loving second home while you are away. Dog owners will need to provide their own food/treats, leashes and/or harnesses, vests/clothing/thunder shirts (if used), beds and/or crates (only per the owner's preferences: if they prefer to crate their pet at night or when the pet owner is out of the house). I do have both a SMALL plastic crate for very small dogs (think Boston terrier size), as well as a large crate for dogs as large as a golden retriever. If your dog requires a crate of another size, please bring it with you for their stay. Dogs should be housebroken and up to date on all immunizations and licenses. My boyfriend's 15 and 18 yr old daughters are occasionally at home with us (two weeknights and every other weekend) and enjoy spending time with everyone's dogs. Since their dad works for the zoo, and since we are active outdoorsy people, they are not strangers to handling and being around a wide variety of animals. We have been blessed to build up a great extended fur-family over the last four years and, as a result, we often receive reservation requests 4-6 months in advance of our guests' travel plans (even 12 months!). However, if your preferred dates are blocked out, don't hesitate to drop me a line and ask about my availability - I tend to block off dates on my calendar to prepare for potential work travel, but they might free up; so just ask! NEW GUESTS: please schedule a Meet & Greet before submitting a booking request for your preferred dates (see instructions below). I do require meeting new owners and guests to ensure compatibility and to learn more about your pet's lifestyle and habits before getting dropped up off for a reservation. Plus, it helps to give your pet some familiarity with their new caregiver's home! Effective August 2017: to provide a safe, healthy environment for all dog guests, I will only accept reservations for two dogs per day when they are from the same owner. Although we have successfully managed the introduction and interaction of two dogs from different owners thus far, it is much easier on your pet to remain the only dog in our home if they are the only dog in your home! So, for those of you with only one dog, once we accept the reservation, I then block out the dates of your stay as unavailable to other dogs. This will maintain your dog as the only dog staying with us during your booked dates. For those of you with two dogs, we continue to welcome you and your pack with open home and hearts! If your dog is ill or under the weather, we recommend that you not board your pets with us and recommend that you inquire with your veterinarian about their services. Lastly, dogs MUST be housebroken; no exceptions. If you are new to Rover, I always recommend guests to do three easy steps to ensure everything flows easily: First, I recommend that guests check out the host's availability on the host's calendar to make sure the dates for which you need care are available with your preferred host. Second, schedule a Meet & Greet so that you can determine that your host and their home are the right fit for you and your pets. Let the host know which reservation dates of care you will be looking for in the future, so that they can help to confirm your dates before you actually book. Third, I recommend that you make a reservation request for your dates of care, which you can cancel before your stay, just to ensure you don't lose the dates you were hoping for to someone else who might make their booking before you. So that you don't lose your requested dates of care with us before having our Meet & Greet, I actually protect your requested dates by marking them as unavailable until we've completed our Meet & Greet and then confirm your booking! Lastly, Rover.com does charge the pet owner for their future reservation as soon as the host confirms the reservation request (the host is paid after you have picked up your pup from their reservation). In the event you don't want to be charged that far in advance, I will actually block out your requested dates of stay on the calendar and then re-confirm two weeks prior to your stay. This way, owners aren't charged immediately, unless they prefer to do so!