Colleen

I moved to Australia from Canada 21 years ago. We (my husband Anthony) brought our dog Simba to Sydney and he had to go through the quarantine process. When I was finally allowed to visit him I spent four hours in his kennel each week (I brought my own chair!). This loyalty and dedication to dogs has been in my life since I was seven years old when I brought home a local puppy and pronounced it would be happy with our family. I slept with that dog, cooked it scrambled eggs and brought it into every part of my world where it could come. That deep, inherent love of dogs has always been a part of my nature.

Twelve years ago we got ourselves a cocker spaniel named Rex. We were looking for the right temperament for a dog so we took a great deal of time and sourced him from Royoni Kennels where the good nature of dogs was famous in the spaniel world. He has been with us ever since. Rex enjoys home made food and lives like a King here in our home in Willoughby at Dove Cottage. In the past months we have had a few dog visitors that have come through facebook and the experience has been meaningful. My son Austin, 21, also loves when the dogs come to stay with us. They are walked each day; sometimes twice a day. We are currently looking after a King Charles Spaniel named Jaffa; he and Rex were actually sleeping in the same bed last night. Each has their own bed but somehow they merged into a real cuddle last night and I thought to myself "wow, this dog sleepover thing is wonderful". So if you want your dog to be taken care of with kindness and love and time then pick me. References available from looking after Cee Cee, Jaffa, Leyla and Bruce.

I am not working and I have a backyard so I think this environment for a dog is perfect; it would be how I would want Rex to be looked after.