Jude

We are a family with 3 children (ages 15, 13 and 6). All of us love animals and are happy to give your pet an inclusive, attentive, caring family home when you are away. We also offer Puppy Day Care on Tuesdays. We have had dogs previously, but the family dog died from old age a few years ago and we do not yet have a new family dog. Your dog will be treated like our own family dog (welcome inside, sleeping in kids rooms etc) during their stay. We have 4 fluffy chickens who have an enclosed home in the back yard. We also have 2 lop eared bunnies who live in a separate colorbond enclosure in the backyard. I work part-time in an office-type job.

Our home is:

- Secure backyard with a locked gate and 1.8 metre high colourbond fencing on 3 sides, timber fence in excellent condition on the remaining side. Medium / large backyard (700m block) with plenty of shade trees, space to run around, splash pool, balls and toys for playing and a verander with a lounge that pets can relax on.

- Caring: we will treat your pet as part of the family with lots of love and attention if your pet stays with us. This includes daily walks, coat brushing if needed, baths and sleeping indoors (such as on one of the kid's beds) if this is what your dog is used to. I am also happy to administer medicines your dog needs.

I can also visit your home to look after your pet, feed them, take them for walks and do other jobs if you can't be at home for a while for whatever reason. I'd be happy to meet you beforehand and discuss what you need.

We have had guinea pigs previously and are also happy to look after smaller pets. We have secure guinea pig hutches and a larger chicken / small animal pen suitable for smaller animals to live in.

I don't work on Tuesdays so Tuesday is Pupply Play Day! The first 4 months of a dog's life are crucial for learning, socialisation and setting down life long patterns of behaviour. I think there needs to be better alternatives than puppies being left home alone while their parents work - this is very stressful for young dogs and can cause anxious behavour such as barking and howling and destroying furniture. More importantly, dogs are highly social animals and are not happy when their 'pack' (parents / family) deserts them to go to work. At the same time, puppy day care is not particularly affordable for a lot of people. If you have a puppy up to 12 months of age, they can stay and play all day Tuesday (drop off and pick off whenever you like) for $25.50 with all day supervision, playtime and socialisation.