See why Perfect Pet Sitter is the best dog care anywhere

What value would put on knowing your dog is having as great a time on their holiday as you are on yours? Recently I had three terrific dogs stay with me – Leo,  Audrey and Max – and they had the time of their lives. So I thought I would share the comments from the three respective owners which of themselves create a vivid picture of the care your canine will receive. (scroll all the way down for many pictures)

My 2 year old Labradoodle, Leo, has been a regular 'guest' of Maralyn's ever since he was a young puppy.

What makes Maralyn the 'Perfect Petsitter' from Leo's doggy perspective? He gets to stay in a wonderful home environment with a carer who is both wonderfully caring and affectionate - whilst at the same time reinforcing rules of good doggy behaviour that ensures a consistent approach to training. The fact that Maralyn only ever has 2 or 3 dogs at a time means that each stay Leo gets to make new friends, or reconnect with old mates, but he still gets the personal touch that a big kennel environment cannot provide. On top of this, he gets a fantastic vacation - romping on the beautiful beaches of the lovely Central Coast.

What makes Maralyn the Perfect Petsitter from my - the owner's - perspective? I am always 100% confident that Leo is going to be well cared for in every way. I get a daily 'map my dog walk' and fantastic photos (Maralyn has a great eye!) so that I can follow his daily adventures. I know he's being fed and exercised properly, as he always returns in top health!  Maralyn always goes the extra mile - showering the dogs every time they've been to the beach or get muddy, administering medication when needed, and even taking him to the vet when concerned.

She's also always demonstrated great flexibility with short notice bookings or date changes.

Maralyn 'perfectly' combines a highly professional approach with an incredible personal, caring touch (with both dogs & their owners!)  I can't recommend her highly enough.

Gina, North Balgowlah.    Leo>

  

Leo loves watching the TV but prefers cartoons, here The Lion King!

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Our 7 month old Lagotto, Max, has just returned from a week's holiday with Maralyn Nash at Perfect Pet Sitters. Before leaving Max's for his very first stay away from home we did some extensive research.

We can't praise Maralyn's care of Max highly enough. A unique point of difference with her service are the daily walks she takes her dogs to the beautiful beaches near her house as well as the detailed daily emails (aka journals) she sends with photos of what the dogs are doing on their 'holiday'.

The emails were not only entertaining but they also kept us right up to date on all of Max's holiday adventures with new found friends.

We are delighted to have found such a professional and friendly pet setting service.

Dorothy and Paul,  Sydney.    Max>

example of one of our beach walks

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Hi Maralyn,

I just wanted to say a big thank you for taking such good care of my Audrey again!

She has settled straight back in to her Wollstonecraft life and is her usual happy self! Her foot is still going strong with no sign of a limp!

It's such a relief to be able to go away and know she is being so well looked after.

Thank you again.

Lucy  - Wollstonecraft.  Audrey>

Dear little Audrey, her tail never stops wagging!

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The above three lovely dogs above were here at the same time. Leo (a Labradoodle) & Audrey (a Spaniel) are both ‘regulars’.  For Max (a Lagotto Romango) as it was going to be his very first stay away from home his owners sensibly brought him along beforehand for a pre-stay visit to check out what's on offer. 

Familiarisation visits act as reassurance for new clients when they and their dogs come along for a meet and greet and they can see the set up before making a booking.

Max enjoyed his visit, exploring the house and garden. I could already see he had heaps of personality yet was also mature for his 7 months - with excellent recall. Before they returned home I took him and his family to one of the wonderful local beaches for a fun walk.

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So young or old, new client or regular guest, here’s why your perfect dog loves staying with Perfect Pet Sitter.

DAILY OUTINGS TO AMAZING PLACES

Exercise is included daily and is a minimum 45 min highly active session – but often well over an hour, depending upon where we go and the weather.

All our walks are off leash and either at the beach or local walks by Brisbane water, so if your dog is a water baby they will be in their element.

DAILY ‘PUPDATES’ ABOUT YOUR CANINES ‘DOGSCAPES’!

Each day of a guest dogs stay the owners receive a detailed ‘pupdate’. This comprehensive daily report includes entertaining tales all about your dog including:-

• Full and descriptive notes of what your dog has done that day
• A print screen of a GPS map showing
• Where the walk took place
• How long we were out
• The precise route taken
• Photos so you can envision the fun and games your canine is having

ENRICHMENT AND PLAY AT HOME

Your dog lives in the house and enjoys play times when at home. Games such as ‘find it’ are a great favourite –a terrific game as encourages dogs to use their nose and brain.  Dogs are shown a snorting piggie or other toy and have to wait whilst it’s hidden. Then it’s ‘FIND IT! and all sorts of mayhem and fun ensures as they scour the house looking for the quarry.  Once they learn how to play this the hiding places get progressively more challenging.

Stage one of 'Find it!' - squeak the toy then hide...

Stage two of 'Find it!' the hunt is on..

Play in the garden, Max bringing up the rear

GOOD MANNERS COME FREE OF CHARGE!

A number of clients have found their dogs return home not just calmer – but better behaved than before their stay. Whilst there is no formal training plan here, this comes about as I include good manners training by default. What does good manners training mean? Helping those doggies unfamiliar with important basics to learn to :

• sit and wait for their food until called - no rushing the bowl. 
• wait until humans have gone through doors first (not barge through doors ahead of people)
• wait for permission/ invitation before joing me on the sofa (only if they’re allowed on your sofa at home).
• be quiet. After an initial alarm bark at a noise, barking is discouraged

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER

Three is the maximum I will take for my live-in care. I know most of my doggies guests and work out stays according to ensure doggie guests will be a good mix. Three is great for canine company on tap and the guests quickly make a mini pack - having fun and interacting on walks and at home.

So when you can’t be there, Perfect Pet Sitter really is the best best care anywhere!

Leo, Max & Audrey: on their way to Copacabana Lagoon and beach

Leo & Max majoring in cuteness

Back of the car about to go home, but treat time first!

 Audrey: 'come on boys, keep up!'

Max and Audrey couldn't get enough of swimming & being in the water, but Leo only ever wades in!

A Two Canoe doggie rescue

They say never work with animals or children. Well I’ve lived and worked with dogs for many years and wouldn’t change it. But as any dog owner or Pet Minder like me knows, occasionally what starts off as a normal dog walk can turn into something quite different …

Here on the Central Coast I was pet sitting two lovely dogs, Leo the Labradoodle and Toto a Lagotto Romaganolo (an Italian gun/water dog).

I’ve pet minded Leo for 150+ days and since he’s not yet two this is like his second home. I also trained Leo for his owner from when he was a puppy so am confident he can be free in any dog off leash area as he can be relied upon to stay with me.

Toto looking as if butter would not melt...

Toto has selective recall, which is a concern as by 14 months you need to know your dog will not be running off. In particular if he sees birds he will dash after them and ignore calls to return.  Because of this to be safe side he had to remain on a leash or long lead when out.

Our fun daily exercise sessions are on the beach, but we also have a great walk was along the edge of Brisbane waters, which is where we were this day. So far so uneventful – who could have predicted it would end up in a two canoe doggie rescue!

Leo was let off the moment we reached the grass, and I attached a total of 3 leads onto Toto’s harness making a long lead to give him freedom to run and play fetch in the waters edge.

Always alert looking for birds

Fun and games until…. Toto saw some ducks and made a sudden lurch that pulled the leads out of Gail’s hand. Before she could grab the end he was off, bounding through the shallows then swimming out towards the birds in the distance.

Cue much calling of Toto! Toto!! TOTO!!! – but to no effect. Even the considerable weight of three leads could not hold him back as he struck out with determination for the ducks.

Gail stayed where Toto had got free whilst I ran round the bend in case he came to shore on the other side of the mangroves.  I could see him but even calling ‘Toto, TREATS!’ (he loves treats and this normally work like magic when we are at home) had no effect. His mind was only on reaching the ducks who, being in their domain, simply teased him by calmly paddling just out of his reach. And all the time he was being tempted to swim further and further away and at times he was so far away his head was a dot. 

Occasionally he’d turn and come back in our direction and we’d think he was coming ashore – but then he’d turn back out to open water again.

I ran to where I knew there were some small boats hoping to find an untethered one, but they were all locked so I ran back.

"Where's those ducks, let me at 'em"

By now our calls were becoming louder and more frantic. And as if all the racket we were making wasn’t bad enough, Toto, hugely frustrated by the restriction of the leads and not being able to get remotely close to the birds, started screaming!  This unique sound he makes is like no other dog I’ve ever heard - it sounded like someone was being tortured. All this hullabaloo carried over the Green Point airwaves so that anyone within a half mile radius would have heard the commotion!

This had been going of for over 10 minutes and I was seriously thinking I’d have to go in and swim for him (there’s nothing I won’t do for ‘my’ dogs!). However, just then I saw on the far bank a home owner we’d spoken to earlier (who’d asked why Toto was on 3 leads) paddling over to us in his canoe! At the same time from house right behind us a lady was bringing out their family canoe and paddle. So all that noise did have the benefit of local people seeing what was happening and fantastically coming to our aid.

 Gail got in a canoe and she and the man in the other canoe herded Toto by a pincer movement.  Gail did not want to risk Toto slipping out of a collar if she tried to swim him in, so with the gentleman holding her canoe she grabbed Toto and lifted him into hers. 

During all this mayhem thank goodness I could rely on Leo to stick by me! In fact he found it great fun chasing me as I ran back and forth along the bank variously trying to keep an eye on where Toto was or to find a boat.

By now a group of people were on the bank watching the ‘entertainment’. And as she came to shore Toto was sitting upright at the ‘helm’ of Gail’s canoe looking like Captain Cook!

(I’d forgotten my phone – the one day I do this happens -  but the kind lady who lent us her canoe went and got her phone and took some pics and you can just about see Toto on the front).

Once out Toto absolutely stank of mud and the murky water, so back home it was into a warm shower. 

Toto is a hugely energetic dog and very wired even after exercise – but after this marathon swim he certainly slept well!

This shows on the right where Toto escaped and on the left where they canoe'd him back

you can see the red lines which show where I ran to the left to try and find a boat!

LAGOTTO ROMANGANOLO means ‘Lake dog from Romagna’ (Italy)

Traditional function is as a gundog, specifically water retriever. Today they are often used to hunt for truffles. This breed of dog is very smart and Toto is a good example of that.

A SERIOUS NOTE ABOUT RECALL:

Toto came to me for the first time when he was 12 months old. Although I’d been given permission to let him be off lead, it became clear to me early on that his recall was too unreliable to be allowed off in my care.

When I realised I could no longer trust him to come to call I made an 8 metre long rope lead and used that so at least he could at least play and run to some extent when we went out.

When his owner collected him after his first stay I introduced her to the long leash. It is better than constantly being on a short leash, but long lead or short, never letting a dog run free means if they ever do escape it becomes very difficult to get them back.

Toto is about 14 months now and had a long time to figure out that he doesn’t have to come back once he’s free as he knows you can’t catch him. At his age now to achieve a reliable recall would be a real challenge – even for a very experienced trainer.

Never being able to be run free unless within a fenced compound - a life on lead - is the future for dogs not trained to recall.  This is why it is so essential to train and work on obedience and ‘good manners’ training as soon as you get your pup – the younger the better.

Good recall might not only save your dog’s life one day, but will ensure a good quality of life for them too.