The Houndsitter was born out of my deep love and passion for animals. I started this business to provide a more tailored and personalised type of care for people's dogs and homes while they are away. I have witnessed first hand that not all dogs or pets are suited to a kennel environement, and benefit from having only one extra carer other than their family. 

With years of experience in pet sitting, dog walking, and house sitting, I understand the importance of trust and reliability when it comes to taking care of your beloved pets. I take pride in ensuring that your pets are not just looked after, but loved and cared for as if they were my own.

I have been dog and house sitting for friends and acquaintances since high school, and have always been passionate about animal welfare and dog training. It was mainly my responsibility to train my childhood dogs, a Border Terrier first and then a pack of three chihuahas. My childhood dream was to become a vet, unfortunately the internships I did in veterinary surgeries (and the many years of study) dissuaded me from going down that career path. I did, however, remain the designated dog and house sitter for most of my friends' families for many years. 

I graduated from Royal Holloway University with a BSc in Psychology, followed that up with a stint in Communications and Design, but ultimately I decided I was not suited to the rigid 9-5 work set up or the technology industry. I started taking my dog sitting more seriously and amassed a longer list of regular clients, exclusively through referrals. Most of my clients today still come from referrals, which is why you will not find me on Rover or other dog-related apps.

In 2023, I took a Sunday job in a local pet store, which I had only intended to stay in for a couple of months. However, the company provided so many benefits, nutritional training, canine behavioural courses, and so much more, that I ended up increasing my hours to near full-time and staying there for over a year. Although the management team were very flexible, and accomodated my dogsitting schedule asmuch as possible, ultimately my freelance dogsitting was a better fit for my lifestyle and goals. 

I have since continued to enhance my knowledge of canine behaviour and training through online courses, and though I shouldn't have favourites, I do have a particular affinity for pet gundogs and have followed a few learning paths to provide breed specific enrichment for my clients' dogs. 

One last little fun fact about me: I have rescued not one, not two, but technically three cats, due to the UK cat distribution system. Once in university a long haired tortoise shell cat kept coming into our garden. She was emaciated, had tangled fur, so on. We coaxed her inside with treats and catnip, and took her to the vet nearby, who informed us that she was not microchipped and likely an abandoned stray. We were also informed that she was pregnant... And that she was too frail and too far along to attempt terminating. We were urged to feed and vaccinate her and help her get as comfortable as possible in our house, essentially adopt her. Fast forward a couple of weeks to me, returning from a lecture, to find my housemate in a panic because the cat had started labour and had chosen her spot - the suitcase my housemate kept under her bed. A couple of hours later, the smallest little ball of ginger fur appeared. As we were all still quite young, and not really able to take care of these 2 cats for the long term, my housemate's parents agreed to take them. Mother and son are now both living their best lives in the Cotswolts. 

A couple of years later, a similar situation occured: another tortoise shell cat appeared in my garden, she was clearly very skinny and had a broken paw. I had been working from home at the time and noticed she would come and rummage through my compost bin. I eventually managed to capture her, using the only things at my disposal - a bag of dog treats and some ham. I took her to the vets and, lo and behold, another unclaimed cat, with no mircochip, severely underweight and matted fur. Fast forward a few weeks, and still no one had claimed her and so I decided to get her microchipped and she has lived with me ever since.