My name is Tara. Thanks for visiting my profile in consideration for your pet care needs. My husband and I are a pet care team offering pet sitting in our home, pet day care, drop in visits and walking. Regardless of the service you need your pet will be very well taken care of and lavished with attention and love. ❤️ I have been surrounded by every sort of animal since I can remember. My father and grandmother had a small family farm where I learned to take care of chickens, turkeys, guinea hens, pigs and a little about horses although at the time my daddy owned them I was a bit to small to do much of the work or helping. My mother was always surrounded by more ‘exotic’ animals aka wildlife because she was a volunteer for St Francis Wildlife Rescue. If a baby woodpecker was found or a flying squirrel was injured, she was the one to call. We even had a pet possum growing up named Houdini (because he loved to get out of his pen). We always had cats and dogs from small to larger breeds and very often an aquarium full of fish or a bird of some sort. My siblings and I were often recruited to help feed the baby birds or to cuddle with a baby squirrel on our chest to help keep them warm. Currently both myself and my husband are full time stay at home parents to two human kids and one granddaughter. We have been pup parents to many breeds and temperaments from Great Pyrenees, Saint Bernards, Chows to Chihuahuas, Minpins & all sorts in between. We are the people that usually are called when a pup needs a home. My current fur babies include a Husky named Nana who used to come to me as a boarding client. She is very spirited, playful and talkative LOL and happy to make new friends. She is the pup that I introduce visitors to first because she loves all other animals and hasn't ever met a stranger. LOL Our little guy, a Chihuahua mix named Tabasco (Baz), was living with a friend who was very busy and instead of keeping him cooped up in a crate all day, she decided to give him to me because she knew he would be adored and doted on. Now he rides pretty much every where with me and sometimes I even bring him along on my house visits with the owner’s approval. My old man and top dog of the bunch is Luke, a beagle bassett mix, who I have had since about 6 weeks old. He is WIDE OPEN a 60lb pure muscle bound bundle of energy. He has a cast iron stomach and is a huge fan of getting in my trash but that’s ok..it’s a perk of the job. We recently added a mom and daughter pair of all white huskies to our family, Sky & Sprocket. They were previous boarding clients and their parents were overwhelmed with the breed so I offered to give them a home and he gratefully accepted. Simon, is our grey tabby, who thinks is a human boy and is NOT remotely scared of any pup. He also was a former client and came to me from the same home that my Husky, Nana came from. She loves to try to playfully chew on him and he PRETENDS he doesn't absolutely love it, but mama knows better ;) Last but not least, my huge cuddle beast, Chief, belonged to my mother & brother before they both passed away. This guy is SOLID and when he wants to love on you, which he likes to do a lot, you better be ready because his breed is BIGGUN. 😉 When your furry friend comes to stay with me, we start our mornings with everyone handling their business outside in our fenced yard. There is plenty of room to run and spread out and play. I generally play with everyone and do chores around the yard during this time and occasionally will take some of the smaller guys inside with me when it’s time to start inside morning chores. Your pup will never be left outside by themselves or alone with any other non sibling pups. After everyone has handled their personal needs and run off some energy, we all come in to eat and relax for a bit. I do feed everyone in a separate crate to be sure there are no issues with eating food that may upset a stomach or possible fights due to resource guarding plus it honestly just makes things easier. While everyone is inside, fed and content, this is when I generally will run errands and do any walking and drop in jobs for my clients requesting that service. Often, my husband, my granddaughter and my two sons may come with me especially if I have a ‘cool’ client like horses or a scaly friend but sometimes it is just me. For the drop in visits, I’ll be happy to walk and play with your fur baby as long as they like, feed and water per your instructions, take any trash out needed. If there are any potty accidents, I’ll be happy to clean those up as well. I’ll bring along my dependable Bissell SpotBot just in case. Also if your pup would like a visit from another four legged friend, just let me know. There’s always a friend ready to tag along! After I wrap up house calls and any personal errands, we head back home to let everyone take potty breaks outside. Sometimes during this time we will take some of the more sociable and energetic pups to Tanglewoof Dog Park at Tanglewood, which is very close to our home. Everyone gets another chance to eat and go potty and then comes inside while I finish up anything I need to do as far as household chores for the day. Once more right before bed everyone has a chance to go potty again. Things I want to mention: ***Upon booking, I do require a copy of current rabies vaccinations and I also prefer a current bordatella vaccination. The bordatella is not required but it is preferred for pups who are boarded where there are other animals. This is only for my records and if there are any issues which would require proof of current vaccinations. There have never been so far but I am 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' kind of person. In other words, it never hurts to be prepared. :) ***I am able to administer meds, including pills and injectables such as insulin. ***Any time I am hosting or boarding a pet that is not my own, we do not leave them out of our sight while outside. A human is outside the entire time they are. Although I have a fence, some pups (namely my Husky, Nana) are masterminds when it comes to escaping. It has never happened thus far, however the sooner I know this has happened the quicker I can get to the channels to get the furry absconder back. My neighborhood is AMAZING at pet networking when one of our babies gets loose. ***I always ask for permission to give treats or travel with any animal. Also, when we do visit the park or otherwise travel, I have a harness (in multiple sizes) and a seatbelt that I use to be sure everyone is safe. ***When I have to leave home to run errands/pet drop ins and there will not be a responsible adult present at home to take care of your pet, I do prefer to crate your dog. This is for the safety of your furry loved one. I have had just about every pet who is perfectly behaved at home become anxious when no one is here with them resulting in some incidences that could have turned scary ie heads stuck in potato chip bags, trash raids for potentially harmful items, etc. I utilize baby gates but sometimes this is not enough. A very determined trash motivated pup client of mine twisted an entire steel baby gate off of the hinges. 😳 This is to keep everyone in my care safe. 😊 My dogs are also crated while I am not home. I am never gone longer than 3 hours max. ***We feed all pups inside a crate. This is to minimize any food aggression as sometimes we have pups visiting from different households. ***I love to constantly learn about animal behavior, particularly domesticated animals. I am a current Supporting Member of IAABC/International Association of Animal Behavior Associates and I am constantly looking for opportunities to expand my knowledge and experience with the animal and pet communities and field. I look forward to joining other organizations that align with my beliefs. ***Ten percent of my proceeds from Rover go to support Sit A Dog, Save A Life charities. ***If there are any other concerns or questions, please feel free to ask me. I try to cater to any unique needs or situations. I want my clients to rest easy knowing that their fur baby is in loving and caring hands.