SEPT 2018: We currently have two young very rambunctious kittens and so are being very careful about the dogs we sit. Picture two 3-pound balls of fluff chasing each other noisily up and down the length of the house, up and over furniture, ambushing one another and wrestling for a few moments, then starting all over again. If that doesn't sound like something that would probably make your dog open an eye, give a yawn, roll over, and go back to sleep, we are probably not a good fit for you right now! We specialize in hosting dogs that need to be the ONLY dog, need someone home most of the time, and/or need a more peaceful, stable atmosphere. Maybe your dog has had a bad experience with other dogs, or gets anxious around other dogs. Whatever the reason, you'll know that once we've accepted your dog as our guest, we mark our home as unavailable to other dogs. We no longer have a dog of our own, so your dog will be the only dog here. I am home all day, and when I go out, I love taking the dog with me in my (closed) Jeep so he can get out, too, unless that's not something your dog enjoys. Our neighborhood is very walkable, and I love to walk. The only reason I go out without the dog is to run an errand I can't take the dog on -- the grocery store, or an appointment, for instance, where I can't take the dog inside with me -- so the longest your dog would in general ever be left alone is a couple of hours. If even that is too long for your dog, my schedule is very flexible and as long as I have time to plan ahead I can clear my schedule and run any errands while my husband is home. We have no children in our home, and don't regularly have child visitors. If your dog is great with adults but not with kids, we are happy to ensure that no children are here during your dog's visit. We are empty-nesters with two adult children who both live in other cities, so our home is not a hive of activity. If your dog is made anxious by too much activity, we might be the right place for you. Our primary concern is always that our home be the best possible fit for your dog. Because of this, we prefer when possible (and when it won't be an extra stress on your dog) to arrange an overnight visit before we set up a longer stay, so unless you're a repeat guest, we don't accept last-minute requests except in case of emergency. YOUR PEACE OF MIND: We make every attempt to block out the day after your planned return date so that if an emergency should prevent you from being able to return on your planned date, your dog's care is one less thing you'll have to worry about. If we can't guarantee this because of our own schedule, we'll bring that up at the time of booking. WHY OUR RATES ARE SO LOW: We turned off our listing for several years while we sold a house, bought a new one, and renovated that one. Rover's algorithm for where a sitter shows up in the list depends on having recent reviews, and we do this for the enjoyment of having a dog around rather than for the money, so I've lowered my rates for the time being to get a few newer reviews. WHY I LOVE DOGSITTING: I've had dogs all my life, and we not long ago lost our lab, Lucah. We miss him terribly, but we travel a lot and have decided it wouldn't be fair to a new dog to be left behind so often. Dog sitting lets us get a dog back in our lives from time to time.