Suzanne H.
Sun City, AZ
Certified Behaviorists Know Pets!
Pet care experience
My husband and I have over 30 years of experiencing helping pet parents with their pets' behavior problems and training pet professionals. I’m a best-selling author of pet behavior books, and we are both Certified Animal Behaviorists. After we lost our last dog, our cherished Irish Setter Coral, we planned not to acquire more dogs and cats of our own for awhile, but have discovered that being "empty pet-sters" is more difficult than we imagined. We have endless love and experience to share, and decided pet-sitting is the perfect opportunity to do exactly that. It would be difficult to engineer a more affectionate, supportive, and attentive environment than our home. There isn't a pet parent on earth who could be more particular than I was when looking for people to sit for our pets. I know how hard it is to be separated from a cherished four-legged family member. I wanted our pets' wellbeing to be the same top priority to the person caring for them as it was to us. I know how important it is to receive regular updates and pictures, and for care instructions to be followed expertly. I’ll care for your pet with the highest standards I could hope for as an owner. My husband and I love doing most anything outdoors, especially hiking and camping in scenic areas. I walk a lot, swim and work out regularly and enjoy competing in short distance triathlons. After being 'snowbirds' for 6 years, commuting between Denver and Sun City AZ, we now live full time in Sun City. We have a single family home with a backyard enclosed by a 6 foot cement block wall all the way around. Walking daily is something we enjoy and we love having a dog along. Our work with animal behavior is extensive and intensely rewarding. I've appeared on national morning talk shows as well as local news shows. I've developed unique training protocols and pet education programs for national pet related chains. My husband and I created a DVD on canine body language, and we have several successful websites providing educational products and services to both pet parents and pet professionals. I was the co-founder of one of the first pet loss support programs at a veterinary teaching hospital, and also established one of the first behavior helplines at a large metropolitan animal shelter. I've taught animal behavior to animal control officers, veterinary technicians, veterinarians, groomers, pet sitters and more. I'm passionate about enhancing the quality of life for animals. My husband and I have both shared our lives with pets since we were children. When we married 31 years ago, we blended our pet families of four cats and three dogs. We've both worked professionally with dogs and cats for 30+ years in a variety of settings from veterinary teaching hospitals, to an animal shelters, to our private behavior consulting practice. We've trained other professionals on four continents, and been a consultant to national humane associations and well known pet product corporations. We both know dogs and cats--and how to understand and meet their needs--inside and out!
Reviews
Suzanne and her husband take amazing care of Eevee every single time. We are grateful to have found such lovely sitters!!!
Suzanne was amazing. Our pup was very well cared for. They went beyond caring we felt she took care of her as if she was her own. She sent pictures to keep us informed. Will definitely be using her again!!!
What an amazing experience from start to finish. My puppy had a great time with Suzanne and Dan. I really enjoyed receiving the updates and photos while I was away. I highly recommend this couple. Very satisfied!
I only have positive things to say about Suzanne and Dan watching my girls, Nancy and Marigold, while we were out of town. The girls had a blast and I appreciate that Suzanne and Dan were very thoughtful about what sort of adjustments may be necessary for two high-energy goldens. I really appreciate the updates and I wasn’t stressed one bit while I was away! My girls were happy and healthy when I picked them up.
About Suzanne H.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
We have a cement wall around our large yard that is a little over 7 feet. Our metal gates are the same height with solid panels so there is no possibility of little dogs squeezing through. Both gates are always padlocked. We can put in a dog door in our sliding back door if you'd like that will accommodate a dog up to about retriever size or perhaps a little larger. However we don't like to allow our guests to have access to the yard unless we are home, especially the smaller dogs.
Home
Information Suzanne H. would like to know about your pet
Please don’t hesitate to provide us with complete care instructions! We want you and your pup to be 100% satisfied with the stay, so tell us everything we’ll need to know in terms of medical care, exercise, schedule, and food. Any little quirks that we should be aware of, as well as any behavioral issues for which we might be able to provide guidance and support. If you’re not sure what kind of information might be helpful, we’ll go through the information we need during our meet-and-greet to make sure we’ve covered every possible concern. Beyond that, we’ll be sure to call or text if anything unexpected comes up during the stay. PLEASE NOTE: For day care we charge an additional $10 for a drop off time before 7am and/or a pick up time after 8p
A typical day
We’re accustomed to walking twice a day and will adjust based on your dog’s exercise needs. Our pet guests will enjoy our lovely shaded patio, and large securely enclosed yard. We can provide dog door access if desired and/or we'll be available to let your dog out for potty breaks. We love taking frequent breaks throughout the day for a fun game of fetch, or any other games your dog enjoys. We have food-dispensing puzzle toys for mental stimulation as well. We work from home and have flexible schedules, so in general our pet guests would never be left alone for more than a few hours. If our pet guests enjoy car rides and are comfortable being left in the car during short excursions--weather permitting of course--we are open to that option. Our decisions will be based on what’s best for the pup, and always adjusting course based on what she tells us! PLEASE NOTE: For day care we charge an additional $10 for a drop off time before 7am and/or a pick up time after 8p.
Services
Suzanne can host
Suzanne can watch in your home
Availability
We are usually out of the house for an hour or so each day, at the gym, out for a run, swim or bike ride. We may have club activities on some days, here in Sun City, requiring us to be gone for 1-3 hours. Some - if not many - days we are both home all day. We try to limit absences from home when we have dogs with us, and will sometimes alternate our workout schedules if possible. But your pet should be comfortable being left alone for the above mentioned time periods.
About Suzanne H.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
We have a cement wall around our large yard that is a little over 7 feet. Our metal gates are the same height with solid panels so there is no possibility of little dogs squeezing through. Both gates are always padlocked. We can put in a dog door in our sliding back door if you'd like that will accommodate a dog up to about retriever size or perhaps a little larger. However we don't like to allow our guests to have access to the yard unless we are home, especially the smaller dogs.
Home
Information Suzanne H. would like to know about your pet
Please don’t hesitate to provide us with complete care instructions! We want you and your pup to be 100% satisfied with the stay, so tell us everything we’ll need to know in terms of medical care, exercise, schedule, and food. Any little quirks that we should be aware of, as well as any behavioral issues for which we might be able to provide guidance and support. If you’re not sure what kind of information might be helpful, we’ll go through the information we need during our meet-and-greet to make sure we’ve covered every possible concern. Beyond that, we’ll be sure to call or text if anything unexpected comes up during the stay. PLEASE NOTE: For day care we charge an additional $10 for a drop off time before 7am and/or a pick up time after 8p
A typical day
We’re accustomed to walking twice a day and will adjust based on your dog’s exercise needs. Our pet guests will enjoy our lovely shaded patio, and large securely enclosed yard. We can provide dog door access if desired and/or we'll be available to let your dog out for potty breaks. We love taking frequent breaks throughout the day for a fun game of fetch, or any other games your dog enjoys. We have food-dispensing puzzle toys for mental stimulation as well. We work from home and have flexible schedules, so in general our pet guests would never be left alone for more than a few hours. If our pet guests enjoy car rides and are comfortable being left in the car during short excursions--weather permitting of course--we are open to that option. Our decisions will be based on what’s best for the pup, and always adjusting course based on what she tells us! PLEASE NOTE: For day care we charge an additional $10 for a drop off time before 7am and/or a pick up time after 8p.
Location
Sun City, AZ
Suzanne H.
Sun City, AZ