Renee

Renee B.

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Administering medication
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Pet Sitter of the Month
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PROFESSIONAL — HIGH END — PET SITTER. (*HIGHLY EXPERIENCED )

42 repeat guests
217 reviews
Accepts Repeat Weekly Bookings for:
Dog Walking
Response rate: 96%
Last seen 1 day ago
About Renee
Hi there,

Lovely to e-meet you :)

See my extensive number of pet care/sitting photo's under 'Personal Uploads'.

Please note this is a PROFESSIONAL, HIGH-END SERVICE of premium care and my prices reflect the VALUE I provide and the RELIABILITY and RESULTS I deliver.

Your animals will receive a lot of QUALITY TIME, they will be extremely HAPPY!

*FREE written Pet Behavioral Assessment ($110 value) for new, first time PET-SITTING BOOKINGS. See Terms and Conditions below for detailed explanation.

Rest assured, I am incredibly TRUSTWORTHY and Reliable, and once a booking is paid & locked in, your set! INTEGRITY is high on my values list!

POINT OF DIFFERENCE: my high-level animal behaviour expertise/experience and my high attention to detail when it comes to looking after your home especially as it applies to security, maintenance, tidiness, and cleanliness.

*COVID CANCELLATIONS: Please refer to NEW “Lock-down” Terms/Conditions.

*pet “visits” incur an extra $10 Christmas holiday / New year period fee per visit during the period of 18th Dec to 7th Jan due to this being my most requested time. Visits that fall on a public holiday will be at double time. *Pet “sitting” will also incur an extra $10 per night over this holiday period.

*Please note that by contacting me (making an enquiry/booking my services) it implies that you have READ, UNDERSTOOD, and "AGREED" to my FULL TERMS AND CONDITIONS, as per my profile BELOW (even if not also verbally stated on the phone or in person (but I try) as there can be a lot to cover and remember.

ABOUT ME: I am a GENUINE ANIMAL LOVER, with animal behaviour expertise and 5+ years’ experience in premium pet care. My “point of difference” is that anyone can be a “animal lover” but NOT everyone, UNDERSTANDS and KNOWS how to cater and meet individual animal’s needs; I do per experience/intuition. I have a deep respect and rapport with all my animals and pets pick up on this.

I have looked after both dogs and cats (and homes) big and small, yes, I have seen it all! From high energy Hungarian Vizslas to playful little Cavoodles, from ex-show dogs to rare pure-breed tiny Tibetan Spaniels, from those requiring medical supervision and medications, or have disability needing a wheelchair, to those that are shy or need a lot of patience being new or older rescue dogs.
Not to mention my many gorgeous cats, some affectionate and playful, others more curious and independent, some chatterboxes, others a little more shy!

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

CURRENT SERVICES: Dog-Sitting, Cat-Sitting (at your own home), Cat Visits, Dog Training (with pet-sitting only) and Dog and Cat assessments (pet-sitting only). Dog walks offered at additional ‘add on’ price of $80 per hour with pet-sitting (-5% discount) and are to be included with pet sits. Please see further info on this further down page under “How much time do you spend with my pets”.

*Currently not offering single or regular dog walks (unless agreed leading up to a pet-sit), or day care, or dog-training (unless paired with pet-sitting). These services may be resumed in the summer. Enquire reg dog walking if close-by.

PET-SITTING CHECK-IN TIMES

My normal check-in is from 6pm onwards, and checkout is 8am. If you require me to leave after 8am (example you want me to stay until 2pm onwards or later as example until 6pm or later to feed your pets dinner, give more company etc.) then an extra night is charged as this impact’s other bookings. Most people book in a walk on the last day they arrive anyway which if booked, may be enough. If not getting home till late, happy to leave either after dinner around 6pm, or stay latest until 10pm.

DETAILS TO PROVIDE WHEN BOOKING

Pet breed, age, daily routine, medical conditions/medications, behavioural issues currently aware of, service requested, estimated departure/arrival times.

Also provide a few time frames that suit you in which to give you a call.

LAST MINUTE BOOKINGS (Within 48 Hours):

If your enquiry is for a last-minute booking to start on the same day of enquiry, the following day, or the day after, then please put in capitals “LAST MINUTE” at the top of your message before submitting & I will endeavor to get back to you (via mad paws), ASAP. Last minute bookings still require a 15 min (min)-1/2 hour “meet and greet”

SECURING A BOOKING:

Payment must be made within 48 hours of either a written/verbal agreement (text, mad paws message, phone) when your dates are “confirmed” from my end (REPEAT CLIENTS) or within 48 hours of a “meet and greet” & my approval of your booking on mad paws (NEW CLIENTS), to officially “lock in” dates.

If unable to make payment within this time frame, then to be fair on other clients, I will open my availability and be unable to hold your dates. Of course, you can choose to take the risk and pay later if your like, as your dates quite possibly may still be available closer to, yet please know, there is no guarantee.

If by chance, you opt for the later, and your dates are filled, I am under no obligation to have made you aware prior, although I do understand life gets busy and I do try my best to try follow up, however understand I do get a lot of enquiries and in busy periods especially, I get extremely busy with bookings. To date, this has never been an issue but just to make mention in case!

MEET AND GREET, HAND OVER and KEY COLLECTION
– See further down page

SERVICES EXPLAINED

PET-SITTING and VISITS: I provide a personalised and tailored service to each individual owner and their pet. I consider your wants & adjust my services to the needs of each individual animal I look after - personality, quirks, energy levels & all. This is how I ensure the animals in my care are not anxious or lonely in the absence of their owner but instead, happy, and relaxed when you return home. Your darlings will have their own holiday when I look after them!

*CAT VISITS are ½ hour to 45 min, also keeping in mind I need to consider the time it takes me in travel/petrol back and forth. One-hour visits are extra an $15. Visits include feeding, giving treats, replenishing water, cleaning kitty litter, cuddles and play with their toys, supervised time out in the garden/walks outside on lead, chatting with them 😉 etc!

FLIGHT DELAY? If on the odd chance you got stuck away for a day or a few more, or had a flight delay, rest easy, I’d not leave you dry - as I’ve done in the past, more than happy to help you out. Even if I am booked out, I would most likely find a way, as I care/worry as much about your pets as you! Or to the best of my ability, I would work with you to find a positive alternative solution!

Behavioural TRAINING – the Perfect Match with Pet-Sitting

If you require, dog (or cat) behavioural training during your pet-sit, at an extra fee this can be organised, please enquire. Pet-sitting is the perfect opportunity to pair up training or work on behavioural issues, as living with your animals I can clearly see what is going on and pick up on things other trainers may miss.

Behavioural ASSESMENT – gain awareness into your pets’ level of well-being
If you are simply curious as to how your dog(s) manners & etiquette stack up, alongside their overall well-being and behaviour compared to other dogs and dogs of similar breeds, a detailed written assessment can be provided at the end of stay at an $110 charge. These assessments can be very revealing to owners who were previously unaware that their dogs were acting out of boredom, anxiety, stress etc. or lack of training/direction, simply viewing their fur-fam’s behaviour as “quirks” - attributes of their personality, when not so.

As pet owners, we can inadvertently be compromising our pet’s well-being when we lack awareness of animal behaviour, and their communication style.
*Cat assessments can also be done too, to help provide insights into their “quirks” or behaviour, and to reveal anxiety/stress/boredom tendencies and how to better provide them with the ultimate sense of happiness/well-being.

PRO TIP: “Common” behaviour does NOT always equal “normal or healthy”.

WHAT YOUR PETS “QUIRKS” REALLY MEAN

As experience has shown me, many pet owners are “putting up with” their pets “quirks” that in some instances regularly irritate or inconvenience them, simply because they lack the awareness that their animals have behavioural issues in the first place! (excessive barking at home, at the café at other dogs, chewing on stuff when you’re not home, whining when you leave, pulling on the lead, not wanting to go in the car, jumping on you/visitors etc.) All these things and more, can nearly always be rectified – to the benefit of not just you, but to your animals overall sense of safety, contentment and well-being, as finally their needs have been met. And even if your pet’s “quirks” do not bother you, or they do but happy to “live with it”, in effect you can possibly be compromising your animals’ overall sense of safety, security and confidence.

MEDICATIONS / MEDICAL ISSUES – Very Experienced (extra charges apply).

Please discuss with me any medical conditions and medications your animals are on prior to the acceptance and payment made of your booking. If pets on medications, please let me know how many, what they are for and how they are administered, as to make sure I feel confident and capable with the extra responsibility. For basic administration of tablets/liquids/creams with food (breakfast/dinner) there will be an additional cost of an extra $10 per day to account for the extra responsibility. If there are several medications or a more complex process of care involved in time required to look after your animals or simply in the administering of medications, and/or both, then please discuss.

HEALTH CHANGES: If you book-in and pay for my services and your animals are perfectly healthy at the time of booking, only to become sick, requiring special care or in need of medications leading up to, just before and/or during my pet-sitting stay, then please keep me informed as soon as reasonably feasible, and additional costs will most likely apply, depending on the nature of the issue.

*I do not administer injections for diabetes

HOW MUCH TIME WILL YOU SPEND WITH MY ANIMALS – PET SITTING

*for cats, below still applies, but also see last paragraph under this section.
Pet sitting is my most value-packed service that I offer. Pet-sitting is a NIGHT SERVICE (not day care). However, time during the day is spent with your pets. And just like if your animals were my own, on weekends they get plenty more time and adventures, as I love what I do and genuinely love to hang out with my fury friends! They will NOT be lonely or anxious with me, you got my word.

Walks (one hour or broken up into two half-hours) are an “add-on” service to be included with every pet-sitting booking. For Cat bookings, the booking of walks will equate to 1 hour of dedicated “play-time” and/or supervised time out in the garden on or off lead (as preferred) if indoor cats, or simply specified one on one time with them. The walks equate to the time spent during the day with your pets as a bare minimum (mentioned in the above paragraph), but naturally as I am “living in” your home, your darlings get way more company than that 😉
Firstly, I “prioritize” pet sitting clients, secondly, I care and worry about your animals as if they are my own, so I always make sure to drop in/check-up on them, spend some time with them, have lunch, tea etc.

To clarify, I do NOT offer “day care” but your animals will have their day broken up with walks/drop-ins, so they are never left alone for long periods.

Furthermore, walks are an essential “add-on” to the pet sitting booking as not only does it make the amount of time I put in worthwhile, more importantly, I view walks as necessary to providing the high level of service and “results” that I maintain, to ensure the health, happiness, and overall well-being of all dogs.

*PUPPY (under 6 months - 1 year depending on breed) or HIGH ENERGY DOGS – may incur extra costs due to the extra time, efforts, energy expenditure, and walks required to successfully meet your pets needs and complete a successful sit. If after a meet and greet I gauge that the service you are desiring to book is not enough to meet of your dogs needs that I see needed upon meeting them, then for example, I might make recommendations to book in extra walks, or otherwise, if I see fit, I may politely decline the booking. Feel free to discuss.
*Puppies that require almost 24/7 care will be charged at a lower hourly rate as these bookings require a lot of my time and impact my other bookings.

FOR CAT OWNERS: PET-SITTING

*Please note, the price of cat-sitting is the same as dog-sitting as you are receiving the same high level of service as my dog clients -as mentioned above, dog walks will be swapped with quality time, be that in play, time out in the garden, dedicated cuddle time etc. I also check-up on my cats and prefer not to leave them for long periods as being very attuned to cat behaviour, I know they can get lonely and anxious too, and they enjoy cuddles and company like any animal. Of all my cat clients to date, and especially my Burmese cat clients, the indoor cats or cats of affectionate nature generally require more dedicated care, and this is what I happily provide for. Daily cat “visits” are also an option.

HOW I MANAGE MY TIME

During the day, I do take a limited number of other bookings where feasible however, when you book Pet Sitting you/your pet(s) are PRIORITISED as to ensure your pets needs are met; and being a premium service, your animals receive personalised attention, plenty of love, play, quality time & TLC.

RESULTS GUARANTEED

My premium service provides “RESULTS” not just time given in care.
By “Results” I mean FULL PEACE OF MIND & EXCEPTIONAL CARE in 5 key areas.

1. PETS WELL-BEING, the individual needs of your animals will be met on a holistic level (mental, physical, emotional, and social) so you can rest easy knowing your furfam are safe, secure, & fulfilled while you’re away living it up!

2. Daily photo/text UPDATES to keep you in the loop of your pet’s adventures!


3. TIMELY COMMUNICATIONS prior, during & after your booking ensuring a smooth, consistent, and “stress-free” service, freeing you up mental energy!

4. RELIABILITY, once your booking paid, its locked in, no cancellations from me!
Having had my own beloved pets in the past (a dog, cats, budgie, and hermit crabs) I understand the importance for pet owners to have reliable pet care sorted before going away. Only exceptions to me potentially cancelling a paid booking would be pertaining to the termination clause (below) whereby it was reasonable to assume that my privacy or safety was being compromised.
(Please just note that during busy times, to ensure my good track record, I may require your patience confirming your dates, as I get a lot of dates thrown at me at times and need to fit around other bookings, before 100% committing!)

5. SYSTEMATIC PROCESSES – to save you time, energy, money, and stress!
Due to my experience providing premium pet care, I have developed my own ways of delivering a top-notch service, having thought of everything so you do not have to! This applies especially regarding to pet-sitting, whereby there are a lot of small details to consider about before going away, which often people forget. It is all the little one percenter’s that can make all the difference to you and your animals having a fabulous experience -- to that of a potentially disastrous one. Knowing these tips, I believe will save you much needed time, money, energy, and unneeded stress. Now you can fully focus on your trip!

Remember, especially when it comes to pet sitting, I am looking after your animals AND YOUR HOME. There are many things to remember/have covered!

PRO TIP: If your animals ignore you when you arrive home or are not happy to see you, or they seem distressed or “out of character,” this is usually due to their needs not being met by the service provider you have engaged in. I hear of this all too often, and some places/people will even say this is normal, IT IS NOT. It may be common, but let me reassure you, it is certainly NOT normal.

CONTACT HOURS – Feel free to contact me anytime of the day or night via the mad paws platform however I will only respond to new enquiries or enquiries for future bookings between the hours of 9-6 pm unless a last-minute booking. Any enquiries made on the weekend, will be responded to briefly but attended to properly on the Monday, unless of course, its an urgent request, as BELOW.
CONTACT HOURS DURING A PET-SIT: ANYTIME 😉 Monday-Sunday

MOVING TO A NEW HOUSE

*Please note, if you are or become a regular client of mine and you move to a new house, there will be an additional cost to do another hand over for pet-sitting bookings where I am required to stay overnight due to making sure I feel comfortable staying in the new place and to show me everything, update me on stuff, give me keys etc. Also, if you have moved to a new house outside of the usual suburbs/radius I normally go within, and I agree to continue helping you out, there may or may not be an extra travel/petrol charge -- depending on the impact it has on my other bookings and how far I must go.

(NEW CLIENT) LAST MINUTE REQUESTS: please note, if it is your first time engaging in my services and you are requesting a last-minute booking, I will need to speak to you on the phone first and do a ½ hour to 1 hour meet and greet/handover. Last minute requests that require a phone call and/or meet and greet during the day incur a $55 fee plus travel (pickup/drop off) as it impacts my current bookings (and I must re-arrange plans to fit you in), or an $80 fee plus travel (pick up/drop off) if “outside of my usual contact hours from 9-5” as it impacts my bookings and/or personal plans.

Please note I do my best to accommodate “last minute” bookings however as much as I can often make it work, there are times where it is simply not feasible as much as I would love to help you out. Also please respect my time and only agree to a meet and greet for a last-minute booking if you are serious about going ahead with the booking, not just shopping around last minute.

INITIAL PHONE CALL (after contact been made and numbers exchanged
Kindly note, the initial phone call after first contact is strictly 10-15 minutes with its purpose being to say hello, clarify what you are after in terms of service and to ask any questions related to the booking/my services to ensure mutual fit and that you feel comfortable to proceed. It is obligation free 😊

If you wish to seek puppy advice or training advice, please enquire/ request to book in a session later when I resume with offering this service. Also, kindly note, phone calls are preferred within weekday contact hours between 9-6, not on weekends as this time is dedicated to my current pet sitting clients.

If these times really do not work for you, all good, we will find a mutual time!

When you make your initial enquiry, please let me know a few good available time frames to give you a call and I will endeavor to give you a call then.

FURTHER PHONE CALLS (after booking secured)
Kindly note, any further communications after booking has been secured is preferred during weekdays, not weekends as I need some down time too 😊 Of course, feel free to text me on the weekend, and I will respond Monday.

MEET AND GREET

The purpose of the “meet and greet” is to ensure “mutual fit” prior to locking in a booking, and although obligation free, please respect my time by ensuring you have the PRIOR intention of knowing you want to engage in my services.
It is an opportunity to make sure we are both comfortable with everything before agreeing to go ahead with the booking. Feel free to ask any questions!

HANDOVER – FOR PET SITTING

If your content upon meeting me in person to proceed with the booking, and mutually agreed there and then, please be prepared to give me a hand-over (and spare key) showing me your home, where I will be sleeping, the locks, any house quirks & of course where your pet’s food/medications/accessories are!

If you prefer not to do a handover for whatever reason on the initial “meet and greet” – please note there will be a $55 fee for any further visits prior to the booking commencing, be that for handover or key collection, if no lock-box.

KEY COLLECTION – FOR PET SITTING / VISITS

Please have a spare key ready to provide me on the initial “meet and greet” if it is mutually agreed to go a head with the booking. This saves us both time. If you don’t have a current spare key, or would feel more comfortable giving it to me closer to the date of the booking, you can either give it to me on the handover (if handover is an add on service you have purchased) or, you can leave in a lockbox so I can collect when I arrive, simply providing me with the code prior to the booking commencing (you can purchase from Bunnings for about $50 if you don’t have one), or for the price of an hour dog walk we can organize a time for me to come and collect the key(s) personally.

TERMINATION (BY ME) of a paid booking, at my sole discretion.

COVID Termination: An exception to having to terminate a paid booking would be due to mandatory “lock down” and government restrictions whereby it was deemed I was not allowed to work, enter your home, or felt unsafe from a health perspective in doing so, considering the unique circumstances.

The other rare exceptions to me cancelling a paid booking would pertain to the following: the 1% chance of emergency (touch wood never been an issue, and hopefully never will be – I’d communicate with you anyhow), verbal, written, or physical abusive behaviour or threat/potential thereof (no tolerance, again never been an issue); the non-disclosure of cameras of any kind inside your house/apartment/flat or dwelling, not made aware of and agreed prior to finalization of booking, with special attention made for those cameras that cause reasonable assumption to be of compromise to my privacy and safety (no hidden cameras allowed); and not gaining my consent and informing me of people either entering or residing in your home while I’m living there, as to compromise my sense of privacy, safety and duty of care to the extent where I feel I have reasonable grounds as to discontinue the pet sitting in-home stay.

TERMINATION OF PAID BOOKING (BY YOU- The Owner)
Please see my Strict Cancellation Policy noted on my mad paws profile.

COVID CANCELLATION POLICY due to lockdowns (Cancelled by you)

Please note, when you are a making a booking with me on this site (my mad paws profile) you are agreeing that you are taking a risk booking a trip away knowing that the possibility exists that there may be further lockdowns in Melbourne in the future, by which you may lose half, or part of your booking. My strict mad paws cancellation and refund policy still applies. However, if you notify me to cancel your booking within 2 weeks of the start date due to lock-down and I am unable to perform any other bookings, I will happily refund your booking.
Better still, if you are in the position to help me out considering its challenging for me financially, I would appreciate if I can hold your monies to be put towards a future trip. Either way, under these unusual times, I totally respect which ever option you choose and feel most comfortable with.

On the other hand, if you give me less than two weeks’ notice as noted per my cancellation policy, and this notice occurs within a lock down period, but your trip starts “after the lockdown” period and you are cancelling simply due to personal choice not wanting to fly or go away, and nothing to do with actual government restrictions, then my full cancelation policy will still apply and you will only be refunded 50% of your monies, as it leaves me out of pocket for the other bookings I could have accepted for that period.

If you give me less than two weeks’ notice as mentioned on my cancellation policy, and this notice given occurs within a lockdown period, and your trip away lands “inside and outside of the lockdown period ”, then as long as no harsh government restrictions are preventing all trips (interstate and regional) from continuing, albeit being shortened, I will provide a partial overall refund - full compensation for the part of the booking that I was unable to do during the actual lockdown, and then 50% of the monies for the remainder of days.
Any further exceptions not yet considered, come any further lockdowns, will be evaluated on their individual merit. Please note, I endeavor to be fair 😊

To sum up everything, you will come back to your animals being healthy (based on them already being in good health) and HAPPY when you arrive home. I will do my absolute best to meet their mental, emotional, physical & social needs, and medical needs too (if need be/discussed and agreed prior). Many thanks!








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Owns pets
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Police Check
Pets Accepted
Small Dog
Medium Dog
Large Dog
Giant Dog
Puppy
Cat
Bird
Rabbit /
Guinea Pig
Renee's Home
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Type: Apartment
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No outdoor area
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Fenced backyard
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Household
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Pets sleep indoors
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Pets sleep outdoors
Policy
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Cancellation: Strict
A full refund will be offered to Pet Owners if they cancel up until 14 days before the booking at 12 noon. After which Pet Owners will be charged 50% of the total booking value.
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Accepts last-minute bookings
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Accepts long-term bookings
Reviews & Testimonials
217 reviews
Rebecca L.
Dog Walking - Feb 23, 2024
Renee was lovely and the pups took a liking to her.
Patricia A.
Dog Walking - Feb 1, 2024
The doggies were super comfortable with Renee and I had a tremendous peace of mind knowing they were well care for.
Thevia G.
Dog Walking - Jan 31, 2024
Renee was great with Arlo and engaged with him to ensure he was comfortable and having a great time! She kept us aware with lots of photos and videos during the session!
Patricia A.
Dog Walking - Jan 30, 2024
Renee is lovely and knows her way around dogs. We are just visiting Melbourne but it is such a relief that Django and Molly can stay with her while we go around the city :)
Service & Rates
Overnight Pet Services
Pet Hosting
At Sitter's Home
not offered
Pet Sitting
At Pet's Home
$ 156 / night
Daytime Pet Services
Pet Day Care
$ 280 / day
House Visiting
$ 90 / visit
Dog Walking
$ 90 / walk
Dog Grooming
not offered
Dog Training
not offered
Transport
Pick Up - Drop Off
$ 10 / journey
Emergency
Transport
Available