Sarah

Hello! 

My name's Sarah, I am a 24-year-old, half Italian and half Spanish, but I have been living in Ireland for several months now, so I am fluent in English. I am a graduate in Ba/BSc International Relations at the University of Bologna.

I have relevant experience as both a dog sitter, dog walker and animal caretaker in dog shelters. My motivation to work as a pet/dog sitter comes from my immense love for animals, dogs especially. I have two dogs my own back at home in Italy that I miss so much, thus being given the opportunity to work with dogs as a dog sitter/carer here in Dublin would be amazing for me.

Apart from working as a dog sitter, I am also very fond and knowledgeable about dog's training, behaviour and first aid, as I have been working alongside dog trainers for almost two years and taking courses online about different subjects (dog's nutrition, first aid, dangerous plants for dogs etc.). Moreover, I keep myself constantly updated through books, blogs, articles etc. Therefore, I think I will be able to handle almost any situatuion, also (if you'd like to) helping with behavioural issues or providing basic training tools and advices to improve your relationship with your pet. 

Furthermore, I have acquired valuable in-person experience in dog care/handling while I was working in a dog shelter in Morocco with Morocco Animal Aid (a non-profit animal association for the rescue and wellbeing of stray dogs in the country, which unfortunately there are in big numbers). My main tasks were to take general care of all the animals at the shelter one section at a time, meaning providing for food, health and cleaning, giving medications, walking, playing, solving any issues both personal of the dog or social within the group, preventing fights, dealing with traumatised dogs or any other delicate background. This experience taught me very important things: on one hand, I learnt to handle many dogs at the same time in a busy, fast-paced environment; on the other hand, it taught me a lot more about dogs' health and behaviour, and especially it helped me realising more profoundly why I love dogs and want to take care of them, even if that means getting my hands dirty or encountering difficult and really hard situations. 

To sump up, one of the things I appreciate the most about working and spending my time with dogs is the psychological benefits we both get from it (especially we humans from dogs): in my opinion, a dog can teach and help us more than we can teach and help them, thus being given the opportunity to work with dogs would mean the world to me, being able to give dogs a joyful, playful but construvtive break throughout their day would make me so proud and happy about my job.

Underneath, I will give more detailed information about my services and availabilities. In the services I offer are included:

- dog sitter: daily, I can spend many hours with dogs, either in the morning, afternoon or evening, it just really depends on your needs, the pet’s needs and your timetable, this is something we can sort out once you contact me. Generally, I might be able to spend from around 4-5 hours up to 8-10 hours a day with pets, either in the mornings, afternoons or even evenings. For instance, on the weekends I am free all day long. Moreover, I won’t need to leave the house for work or study during pet sitting thus I will be able to look after and take care of your dog at all times, never leaving them alone unless I know I am permitted to. I can also supervise guest pets 24/7. During this time, I will provide for anything you ask me to, taking any home security measure necessary (e.g. putting on the alarm, not leaving anything dangerous around for the dog, closing every door or window from which the dog could escape if that is an issue, etc.).  

During home visits, I will be able to stay with pets at all times, caring for them and doing everything you ask me to regarding the more general house duties, like watering plants, bringing in mail, checking in deliveries etc., if necessary. 

- dog walker: my dog walks can be as long as you want them to be, it is completely up to you! I can offer up to two/three dog walks per day. I usually prefer to walk dogs in green areas, in parks for instance, rather than on the street (in green areas there are many more smells thus information for your dog to acknowledge, and smelling is an essential part of your dog’s walk and general wellebeing: in fact, it has de-stressing benefits and it's a high-energy-consuming activity, so the dog will be quite tired but happy in the end). But, of course, this is also up to you!

- doggy day-care/overnight stay at the pet’s house: unfortunately, I live in a shared house so I am not formally and physically able to do dog boarding at my place, but I can do house sitting at the owner's house, house visits and so on. I can handle up to four/five dogs at a time (also depending on the size, this is something that has to be decided later on with all due details and information). 

Note that unfortunately I don’t have a car (though I have a full European driving license) so I would be able to drive your pet to the vet if provided with a car or if there’s a pet hospital/veterinary clinic nearby at walking distance (for instance, if I had clients in Palmerstown where I currently live, my house and the park are really close to a vet clinic). 

I am not a vet of course, but I can administer medications to dogs, I’ve always done it with my dogs and to other dogs while I was working at the dog shelter. In any case, if your pet(s) needs specific medication I will of course learn how to administer said medications with no problem at all (if you'd like me to). Accordingly, I am not a certified dog trainer or groomer, but I have some self-taught, progressed experience in the field (I worked along dog trainers for almost 2 years) and I am able to teach the basics regarding dog training and helping solving behavioural issues. As for grooming, I can provide for the basics services (e.g. brushing, bathing, general cleaning after each walk, teeth brushing, ear cleaning etc…). 

I hope that you'll give me an opportunity to prove my love for dogs and my skills as a dog sitter/carer!

I thank you so much in advance for reading this and I look froward to hearing back from you!