London Dog Holiday (sitting, day care, boarding)

Dog Sitting: Each animal arrives with individual personality and needs. Some respond well to distraction – they walk through the door and they are ready to play and chase. They are excited to explore the new surroundings and we find taking them on a walk right away has a miracolous effect of distraction.

Others, however, are shy and we have spent an hour sitting patiently on our kitchen floor with them, waiting for them to gradually build enough trust to allow us to touch them. One particular case was dropped off at our home, came with a backpack of essentials for an overnight stay, and it took another hour until we were allowed to take off the dog’s rain coat. But who says you cannot wear rain coats indoors, right?

Another case – I was asked to pick up the dog at their home – was very territorial and barked at me, hiding behind her human. It was not a sweet little whoofwhoof but a German shepherd, breed-appropriate dark, loud WHOOFWHOOF and it resulted in a neighbour opening his front door to see if the dog was being abducted. She was not, bless her, it just took us some getting used to each other, good portions of patience and guidance, and 3 pick-ups later the same dog became calmer, gentler and more trusting, even tail-waggingly happy to see us.

We are here when you are in the planning phase of your next vacation. Our solutions are flexible and tailored to your needs – in the past we have spent three weeks in August dog and house sitting so that the pet’s family could enjoy an extended and careless time abroad, assured that their pet in the meantime enjoyed its own holiday in the Heath.

Since not all events in life happen according to plan, now do they, we appreciate some emergencies call for short-notice, pragmatic help. Let us know your requirements and we will do our best to accommodate them. Be it for an engagement away, a wedding in August, a dinner tonight or a short notice appointment.

The agenda will be tailored: Active outdoor fun or relaxed strolls. We are flexible. The star of the walk is your pet. If you would like to provide an agenda of daily routines, a list of used commands, favourite games and possible dietary requirements, we’re all set.

Throughout the stay, we will provide you with updates to keep your mind at ease. In the case that a question might pop up we will reach out to you by phone, text message or Whatsapp, and we will send you photos and videos as a bullet-point diary of how the day is going. It is up to you how frequently you would like for us to share snapshots with you.

OUR SERVICES

For sleep-overs and day care, Pick Up and Drop Off can be arranged if need be. Please note there may be an extra charge depending on where you are located. We believe that in short-notice circumstances it is vital to find creative solutions and we are here to help. We have our own car but additionally we are flexible to walk or take public transport or call a fast-arriving uber cab, whatever makes sense and whatever’s most comfortable for your dog.

“What is covered?

• Vet care for injuries to a Rover dog—i.e., a pet owner’s pet(s) in a sitter’s or dog walker’s care, custody, and control
• Physical damage to a pet owner’s personal property caused by the sitter or walker
• Direct damages from injury to certain third parties caused by a Rover Dog”

On Rover’s app, you pick and choose exactly which services you need, the dates and precise times, a pick up by us or a drop off by you. Then you send us the request, and we may get back to you with a few detailed questions. A beforehand meet & greet is possible and included in the overall price. We understand if you would like to visit our humble home but we’re equally happy to come to you or meet in a park. A first introduction via videoconference is also an option. If possible to fulfill your booking request, with the touch of a button we gladly accept the booking on our end and you confirm on yours. Voila, this pencils the booking into our diary.

Peak rates are calculated for the following busier periods:

• 15th April – 18th April 2022 (Easter)
• 30th April – 2nd May 2022 (Early May Bank Holiday)
• 2nd June – 5th June 2022 (Spring Bank Holiday)
• 30th July – 30th August 2022 (Summer peak)
• 23rd December 2022 – 1st January 2023 (Christmas and New Year)

Our opening times: We try to be flexible and tailor our services to your requirements, however, usually we are best available from Friday evenings to Sunday evenings and on bank holiday weekends. What we cannot guarantee is a forever 2-days a week daycare service, this is not what we do, unfortunately. But not to worry, Rover will get you in touch with someone who can help. It is a very helpful market place for dog owners and sitters.

We communicate transparently and do not promise anything we cannot keep. Having said that, we have been able to realise a 2 week and a 3 week dog and house sitting service so never say never.

This business model very much resembles these of Deliveroo and uber; you book us when you need us. As a result, this is a most enjoyable hobby and best-ever side job for me but my main income results from a classic 9-5 office job. Hence why I apologise for all requests that I am unable to accept. We try to only sit one dog at a time, this is particularly true for dogs who do not know us yet.

Our niche is ad hoc day care, boarding and house sitting. Often at short notice. Best available from Friday to Monday.

They say, “it takes a village to raise a child” and I believe this is similarly true for pets: We are used to seamlessly working hand in hand with your existing small army of dog walkers, sitters, trainers, behaviourists, agility groups, and doggy day care camps to ensure you have an effective, worry-free customer experience, knowing you’re leaving your dog in good hands.

Hopefully the quoted references we received from existing customers can underline this.

Naturally, the better we get to know your pet, the more relaxed they are.