Mary Elizabeth

I've been the sort of person dogs are drawn to since I was a kid. We lock eyes, and it's on. (For cat experience, please scroll further down in my profile description.) 

I love seeing a dog's face light up when it feels comfortable and engaged. I also love seeing the confidence they exude when they learn commands and connect with their humans. 

I was lucky to grow up with dogs (Kerry Blue Terrier and Bichon Frisé) in my household. My first experience with other people's dogs began when I was a grade 5 student (in the mid-late 90s). My friends and I started a dog-walking business over the summer. We found people with dogs in the neighbourhood and asked if we could take their dogs for walks with our family dogs: the Bichon Frisé and my friend’s Vizsla. We loved it. 

In 2017, I got my first dog with a partner: a Toy Australian Shepherd who was energetic, smart, and one of the sweetest animals you've ever met. I spent 11 months with her in her first puppy year, taking her long walks and play dates almost daily and training her.  

In 2019, Rosie, the Boston Terrier (terrorizer), came into my life. She is my current partner’s dog. She was the first reactive dog I had to manage. I’ve always been great with dogs and managing their energy, so we made a bond very quickly, and we started finding solutions to her reactivity to other dogs together. 

In 2021, while completing my Master’s, I took on the primary caregiving and now soulmate of Leica, my Border Collie-Beagle mix. She is a rescue and was, at 12, unfortunately, still emotionally frozen and traumatized. They thought her personality consisted of sleeping and eating. I found there was so much more to her. I have focused on increasing her enjoyment in life and improving her confidence by building mutual trust, joy, training exercises, consistency, and dependability in her daily life. She is now 15, and we still do moderate hikes together. 

I'm able to use my voice a lot with dogs. Of course, sometimes pulling is needed, but I do my best to train dogs to listen to tone, body language, and words. It’s about building a bond, not simply compliance. 

This past year, I’ve assisted a professional dog walker and come to love the work and the dogs. Admittedly, the happiness is mutual. I love those pups and they love me. Through that experience I’ve gotten a more formal exposure to how we can support dogs of all kinds long-term, including reactive and shy dogs, to be happier and come out of their shells. I’m currently licensed and insured as a commercial dog walker. 

(As a side note, I participated in integrating my mother’s dog, who has been scared of everything since she came home, with the dog-walkers' pack to help her build her confidence and alleviate her incessant fear. Now she hangs out with the pack, loves walks with her puppy friends, gets into a car filled with pups as small as a Pomeranian to as big a Great Dane, and is more receptive to meeting new people and relaxing at home instead of cowering and barking. It's not perfect, but it's only the beginning.) 

I love spending time with dogs and have a knack for it. I have a sensitive back, so walking 6+ dogs daily isn’t the right way to use my talent. One to three dogs periodically seem more reasonable for my body, which is why I feel housesitting is a better option for me. In addition, it allows me to spend more time with the animals in a concentrated way. 

I want to help folks who need a good dog person to take care of their loved one(s) and their home while they are travelling or have other personal matters to attend to. In parallel, I intend to acquire more formal dog training skills through various means.  

Cats: I was lucky enough to live with a black cat named Batman for five years. He and I became close; he was the first cat I ever lived with, fed, and picked up after. I loved him so much, and I felt lucky he decided to trust me. Head bumps and cuddles happened galore.    

I rented a room in a place that had a resident cat named Mr. Pooh. The person I took the sublet from owned the cat, but everyone in the home (three of us collectively) took care of him. I bought food, helped with kitty litter, and gave him attention and cuddles. When he was sick, I was the only one able to take him to the vet, so I did without hesitation and picked up the bill.  

While I have less experience with cats than dogs, I give the cats the space they ask for, let them come to me if they want to, and ensure they have full bellies and clean litter. I love them too so much. How could you not? 

Please reach out if you feel I would be a good fit for your dog(s) or cat(s). 

And yes, large dogs and rambunctious dogs are fine for me with
my back. I look forward to meeting you and your furry family members.