Sarah

I have over 4 decades of experience caring for cats, dogs, rabbits, and other small animals. My top priority is showing your pets all the love they deserve and easing everyone's anxiety (yours and your pet's) as much as possible when you are away. I especially focus on trust-building through continuous care and in-home pet sitting for pets of all ages and needs.

I particularly specialize in 24-hour continuous care services for your pets in your home -- I firmly believe that, for many pets, this is in their best interest. Boarding pets in an unfamiliar location removes them from the sights, smells, comforts, and routines that can ease their stress, and a stranger entering and leaving your home quickly multiple times a day only increases their anxiety when you're not there to soothe them. That is the exact opposite of the experience I want your pets to have! I want you to return to happy, calm, well cared for pets and a tidy, peaceful home. If you need someone for multi-day/night sitting (if you're going on vacation or leaving town for a holiday weekend, for example), please reach out and I'll gladly discuss reasonable options with you.

I am happy to care for pets at any age and with any needs. If your pets are elderly, have unique needs, need medications, require emotional support, have separation anxiety, or have other needs that require special care and special attention, please look no further! Any work I take on outside of pet sitting is entirely online and asynchronous, meaning I have a very flexible schedule. I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to bring comfort, care, and reassurance to my clients, by caring for their fuzzy family members and their home while they are away.

Along with stellar general care for your animal companions and advanced knowledge and professionalism in pet care built up over several decades, I have thorough experience with the following: 

- Maintaining standard, restricted, specialized, or prescription diets

- Providing many medications and vet-prescribed at-home treatments (I have several years of experience administering topical, oral, and injected medications, as well as subcutaneous/subQ fluids)

- Caring for senior animals

- Caring for animals with disabilities or medical needs (e.g., blindness, hearing loss, mobility challenges, etc.) 

- Detecting and providing first-line treatments for GI stasis in rabbits (paired with an immediate call to you and to your vet, of course!) 

- Providing specialized care for cats with chronic constipation and/or megacolon

- Providing the unique grooming care necessary for hairless cats (baths and ear + nail cleaning, skin care treatments, etc.) and other specialized breeds (e.g., Persian cats)

- General care and security for your home while you are away

A note regarding emergency transportation: 

I have my full G license, but prefer to use transit myself and do not have a personal vehicle. If you have a car, are insured to cover additional drivers, and are comfortable with me using the car for pet-related emergencies or chores related to my time with your pet (e.g., going to and from a dog park, picking up groceries during house sitting stays, and similar tasks), then I am comfortable with this as well. I have done this with previous clients with no issues or problems.

When friends, acquaintances, and existing clients need someone to care for their animal companions, to give advice on providing their pets enriching and fulfilling lives, or to adopt or re-home pets that need more love and attention than they can provide, I am the person they call. For most of my pet sitting clients, I am the only person they trust with their beloved fuzzy family members, and I am truly honoured to hold such distinction.

If you'd like to see reviews of my work and further details about my expertise and experience, please let me know and I can send you relevant links. When we arrange a meet and greet, I will also bring a copy of my federal background check for you to view, so you can rest assured that your home and your pets are in safe hands. My own emergency contact as a sitter is my partner of 24+ years, who worked in Toronto veterinary hospitals for 15 years.

Note: I primarily serve the Toronto east end into Scarborough, from Don Mills to Rouge Park, and from Sheppard to the lake, but I'm also happy to travel farther for those needing multi-day/night services. Just send me a message if you're outside that area and I'll gladly consider your needs and see if I can accommodate.