Penny's Pet-sitting & Dog-walking Services

Animals are usually much happier in their own environment, with familiar smells, sounds and their favourite places to sleep.  In a cattery or kennel, not only do they have the stress of being in a strange place, with different furnishings, routines and temperatures, but they can also pick up on the stress of other animals around them, causing extra anxiety.  There’s also the possibility of them picking up fleas, ear mites and infections.

Before you decide whether I am the right pet-sitter for you and your pets, I visit you in your home and spend some time chatting to you about your requirements, including any special needs your pets may have, as well as information about diet, routines and personality traits. This also gives you an opportunity to ask me about my experience, insurance, references etc.

If we both feel happy about me looking after your pets, we complete a contract and information sheet with emergency and veterinary contact details plus information about your pet(s).  We then book the relevant dates and you pay a 20% non-refundable deposit.  

You can give me a key at this point or, if your trip is some way off, I can come and collect it nearer the time (and, if necessary, chat further about what is needed). The key will either be returned to you once you’re back home, or I can retain it for future dates.

The remaining balance is paid either before or on the day of your departure, with cash, cheque or by bank transfer. For Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and all Bank Holidays, charges are 50% more.

At the moment, I do not charge a cancellation fee so if your trip is either changed or cancelled, I would appreciate being informed as soon as possible.

Pet-sitting

Although I don’t stay overnight, I can visit your pet(s) as many times a day as you wish and at your preferred times. Visits start from half an hour and go up to a maxium of eight hours per day.

I look after all types of animals, birds, reptiles etc.

Visits also include watering of plants, putting out the dustbin, picking up post, drawing curtains, switching lights on and off etc.

Day-care

If you’re going out for the day and don’t want to leave your pet(s) alone, I can come and spend the day with them. Dogs will have two or three walks and lots of petting, whilst cats and other pets will receive lots of petting, grooming (if required) and play – and of course they’ll be fed, if required.

Dog-walking

Whether your dog(s) need to be walked regularly or on a more ad-hoc basis, you can choose for them to have a half-hour, one-hour or two-hour walk.

About Us

Since I was a baby I have been mad about animals. We had a border collie, called Misty, and my face would light up whenever she came into the room. Growing up we mainly had cats, as my father was in the army so we moved around a lot. At boarding-school I had a hamster called Matthew, and spent many hours taking him for walks.  He learned to come to me when I called him – and he would even retrieve things for me! I was appointed ‘Head of the Mouse House’ (we were only allowed gerbils, mice and hamsters) and made sure it was kept clean and tidy and the animals were properly cared for.

From the age of 10 I would knock on people’s doors and ask if I could walk their dogs. It meant I got to know many different breeds of dogs and the traits specific to those breeds. At school I walked the Head Gardener’s dog, Jess, every day as the school was situated on the outskirts of Bath, in beautiful countryside. When I was 17, I spent the summer holidays working in a quarantine kennels, which I loved, and I also got involved with various animal charities, such as the RSPCA and PDSA, fundraising and campaigning. I avidly read books on animal psychology and behaviour, as well as nature and conservation, and I have completed an Animal Care course with UK Open Learning and a Canine First Responder course (First Aid).

Once I left school, I continued walking people’s dogs and also looking after various bosses’ pets when they went on holiday. Some of the jobs I’ve had have involved living in, as a nanny or housekeeper, so I have taken care of various cats, dogs, pigs, chickens, rabbits, sheep and birds. I also enjoyed horse-riding for many years and at one time shared a horse with a friend. For eight years I lived in Bermuda and regularly house-sat for people, looking after their pets while they were away. I no longer house-sit as I have a cat, a tortoiseshell called Tiggy, who came from the RSPCA.