We’re a young professional couple that recently moved to Knaphill (just outside Woking) in Surrey. We've been married for 5 years and have two amazing dogs ourselves, a Hungarian Vizsla (Savannah) and German Weimaraner, (Zuard) that we have unfortunately had to leave with Zelmarie’s parents in South Africa for now. Hi I’m Zelmarie! I’m South African and work as an Occupational Therapist in mental health. I miss our doggies terribly, so I love cuddling up with furry friends. I’ve had dogs most of my life, big and small. I love it when we have furry friends stay over Hi I’m Jeffrey! I’m originally from the Netherlands, I have my own business and work from home. I love going for hikes along the Basingstoke Canal, as well as the parks around us. I’m a regular at the coffee shops in the area, and love to take the dogs I’m looking after with me. "The dog lives for the day, the hour, even the moment." - Robert Falcon Scott Frequently Asked Questions Can we do a meet & greet? For shorter stays it’s not required from our side, but for longer stays we do like to meet the dog(s) beforehand. We generally schedule meet & greets over weekends at a nearby park. Will you be able to handle my difficult dog? We have had our own dogs for years, and have looked after a wide variety of furry friends, both on Pawshake, other platforms and our friends & family. It’s fair to say we will be fine, but we would like to be aware of any behavioural difficulties beforehand though. Do you allow dogs on the furniture? We actually do allow them on the sofas - we don’t mind it. If you as an owner wouldn’t allow it normally, we obviously wouldn’t either. Just let us know. How many dogs do you look after at any given time? Normally only one at a time. We’re just doing this for fun, and don’t have a ton of space, so we just take in one doggie (or pair of dogs from the same house) at any given time. If both dogs are very social and easygoing we could make an exception though. How often will you walk my dog? We normally walk visiting doggies once first thing in the morning, once around lunchtime, once late afternoon and again in the evening before bed. One of the daytime walks will normally be a proper long walk, either along the Basingstoke Canal, in the woods next to Waterer's Park or in Brookwood Park. For puppies we may need one or more extra quick bathroom breaks, and for older dogs we don't go too far. Will my dog be left alone at any point? We try not to leave them alone, especially for short stays. Jeffrey works from home and is generally there to watch your furry friend all day. For longer stays we may require your doggie to be alone for short periods of time though. If your doggie has separation anxiety please let us know beforehand so we can plan around that. We have experience dealing with dogs that have separation anxiety. I’ve got some specific instructions, can I give you those? Yes please! We encourage the owners we work with to put together some notes with things like feeding times, number of snacks allowed, sleeping behaviour etc. We want their time with us to be as normal as possible, so knowing about their normal routine is very useful. Will you send me some photos and updates? Absolutely! We regularly send photos, in particular during walks. That way you know your dog is having a good time while you’re away. How does drop-off and pick-up work? Just arrange the pick-up and drop-off times with us directly - we’re generally quite flexible. We are usually not able to pick up or drop off dogs ourselves, unless you stay very close by. How does the booking work? The most important thing to know is that can only book out the time when you’ve confirmed through the platform. We get quite a few requests, especially for long weekends and school holidays, so it’s best to book those early. Can I visit you at your house? Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, you currently cannot unfortunately. What is your house and location like? We stay in an apartment in the centre of Knaphill. We don’t have a garden unfortunately, but have two great parks plus the Basingstoke Canal close by. For quick bathroom breaks we have some greenery just across the road. We’ve PVC floors everywhere except the bedroom, so little accidents are easy to clean. Our house is doggie-proof so there’s nothing within reach that’s dangerous, poisonous or can’t be chewed on. I’ve got a special request, dare I ask? Sure! We get lots of interesting requests, so you’re always welcome to ask.