I have been an animal lover since I was a kid growing up on the farm. Chooks, cats, dogs, pigs, you name it, one way or another they came into my care. I have carried that through life with my children always having a pet of some sort. Birds, guinea pigs and our precious little dog entered our lives as our children grew. In our home at present is my husband Owen, who also assists with pet care and also gives them as much attention as I do. After our little dog passed, I just never found the right time to get another dog and then along came Max who belonged to a friend and needed long term sitting. After having Max for over a year and seeing him safely off to his family, I longed to come home to a dog. We also want to travel and don't have a set up to accomodate a dog. Taking care of your precious pets is the perfect solution for us, we get to have fun and play with them while you take off for whatever reason. I have the ideal situation with a low set house, fenced and secure back yard and a great local place to walk and excercise dogs. We are very relaxed in our home, having had pets stay for short to extended periods in the past. They have the run of the house and garden and hopefully will make themselves at home on our laps or beside us on the couch. We also play with them in the garden, walk them regularly and take them to a local dog park/creek area where they can be off leash if that is approved by the owner. We don't have a cat and don't plan to and we don't take cats to pet sit, just small to medium doggies. We also only take dogs that are vaccinated. I am confident in giving pets medications but prefer to not give injections. In the past, while we have been caring for pets for longer periods, we have had to make decisions for emergency treatment. On one occasion the owners were travelling overseas in a remote area however once we got hold of them they told us they trusted us completely to do the best thing for their beloved dog. He came through the surgery perfectly and we brought him home as soons as possible and took care of him. You can be sure we have your pets best interests at heart and will have discussed any possible emergency process with you prior to your departure. You can also be sure we will follow any instructions you give us to the letter. We are both retired and very active in the garden, so while your pets play, we are never far away. When we have dogs at home, we generally do not leave them alone unless it is unavoidable and we will always discuss your preference prior to accepting a booking. We also only walk dogs with your approval and will otherwise play with them in our yard. I will be updating you regularly throughout your doggies stay, sending photos and letting you know how they are settling. I will appreciate as much information as you can give me about them eg any conditions they may have, preferences for excercise, where they sleep, reactions to loud noise or thunder and such likes. With all of that covered, you just need to bring them along with their bedding, anything they need for reassurance and that will help them settle and thier food.