Charlotte

Kia ora! My name is Charlotte and I am a postgraduate student.

Due to the cost and time involved in pet ownership, I am currently unable to have my own dog or cat, while complete my doctoral studies.

My motivation for becoming a pet sitter/walker is driven by my love and passion for animals (and the hope of a few puppy cuddles along the way!).

My personal background with pets :

My passion for animals started young, and I have always had a particular love of dogs. As a child I used to frequent my local library to borrow my favourite book: ‘The ultimate encyclopedia of dogs’, and my favourite activity was testing my dog knowledge by guessing the breeds in the dog park. When I was 7 years old I got my first dog - a wire haired fox terrier named Harriet (we already had a lovely cat named Jamieson). The condition of course, was that the dog would be my responsibility to care for! I attended every training session with Harriet, and every walk before school. I developed a passion for dog care and training. I even started training friends dogs for them as a hobby. Later on my family welcomed in lovely Shih Tzu named Romeo and I took an active role in his training and care as well.

Animal experience:

When I moved to Wellington for university I volunteered in the SPCA adult dog house at the Newton centre where I worked within the team responsible for the day-to-day care of the dogs. I spent just under a year as a volunteer here before moving back to Auckland to continue my degree. Always looking for opportunities to work with dogs, I became a research assistant at the Clever Canine Lab at the University of Auckland, through my psychology studies. Through this role I was involved in behavioural experiments/activities and looking after dogs in between activities or aclimatising them to the research environment.

Although I love all animals, my love of dogs had always prevailed until I began a receptionist job in 2019 which involved looking after a gorgeous cat named Smokey. Smokey absolutely won me over and I developed a huge love and appreciation for cats as well.

I have extensive cat and dog sitting experience as I frequently care for the pets of friends and family members, and absolutely adore and cherish time spent with their animals.

What I can offer:

As outlined, I have a lot of personal and professional experience caring for dogs and cats of all shapes and sizes, and I am confident that I can provide your furry friends with the love and care they deserve.

At the moment I am available for dog walking, home visits, doggy daycare (at your house), and house sitting. Please note my property is not pet friendly so I can offer doggy daycare services but this will need to be at your house. I have a changeable and often reasonably flexible schedule with University/work which allows me to offer services at various times.

I also completely understand now nerve-wracking it can be to leave your pet in someone else's care. Feel free to get in touch and I can answer any questions you may have! 🐾