Miriam

The short version: I am THE dog person.

The long version:
I am 25 years old, originally from Germany and am living in Ireland since February 2021. Before I lived in Turkey for 3 years. Currently I am working as an Account Manager for Microsoft Advertising.
Dogs always played a big part in my life. I grew up with dogs (mostly Labradors) in my family, had my first own dog (Australian Shepard Mix) when I was 13 years old and ever since her ‘early’ death due to a chronic illness, I sitted, trained, raised and fostered many many dogs of all kinds of breeds, sizes and ages. During my time in Turkey I started to engage intensively in dog rescue activities which I am now also continuing in Ireland. I absolutely adore dogs and I am broke, so dog sitting is a great way for me to pay the bills while doing what I love.

The longest version:
As mentioned before I grew up with dogs from early on. We had two Labradors and a Golden Retriever during my childhood. Later on my sister bought a Collie Labrador Mix puppy which I helped raising. (Her dog is now a 12 year old super fit granny.)
When I was 13 years old I got myself also a puppy, an Australian Shepherd Labrador Mix, trained her and took her with me when I left home for university. She was the most amazing, beautiful dog and accompanied me everywhere. Sadly she was diagnosed with a hormone disease, so I treated her with medication until she passed away at 6 years of age.
Afterwards I didn’t want to replace her immediately, so I started dog sitting/walking during my studies. This was also my first experience with house sitting as people asked me to sit their dogs in their houses while they’re away. In this time I also got a certification for handling dangerous dogs as this is an obligation in Germany if you want to lead certain breeds (Pitbull, Staffords, Dobermann, etc).
Through my sister I started then to engage with a dog rescue organisation and fostered my first dogs. Most of them had anxiety and trust issues, so we ‚resocialised‘ and trained them before finding them a new forever-home.
After my bachelor degree I moved to Turkey and within 3 years I took two dogs from the street (a Husky Mix puppy and a young Turkish Kangal Mix), raised them, prepared their documents and brought them to Germany into new families. This is how I became part of a dog rescue organisation in Antalya, and ever since I am helping to bring dogs from the rescue in Antalya to their new homes in Germany whenever I am in Turkey for a visit.
In 2021 I moved to Ireland for a new job and obviously offered myself again for dog fostering. So, recently I cared for a lovely Lurcher from MADRA dog rescue until they found a forever-home for her.
>> I have the most experience with big dog breeds, however I also sitted and get along well with small breeds like Dachshund, King Spaniel, Bolognese.
>> I am also confident in handling puppies, old dogs, sick dogs, anxious dogs, very active dogs, a pack of dogs.

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The SPECIALS that come with me:
* I have my own car in Ireland and am currently working (mostly) remotely, so I am very flexible in terms of space and time. I can pick your dog up/ bring it back. (However, I avoid taking dogs that are more than 5km away from my place as it just comes with a lot of time effort for all of us only to set a sit up.)
* I am living in an area surrounded by parks, so you can be sure that your dog will see a lot of green and meet many friends. Also, I have a fenced garden and a big cosy house, so lots of space to run or lie around.
* I am happy to continue the training of your dog or learn them new tricks, if you would want that.

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What I ask for (for dog boarding):
^ Your dog must be able to stay alone at least 1 hour on weekends. For stays during the week (Mo-Fr), your dog must be able to stay 4-4,5 hours at a time alone as I need to go to the office two half days a week. The other days I am always with them.
^ Dog food must be provided.
^ Please provide me also with your dog’s bed and maybe favourite toys so they can feel more at home.
^ I can’t take any dogs that are howling,crying and/or barking. This is essential for me, so please be honest about your dogs. Thank you!