My name is Laura and I have been pet sitting most of my life. I’ve always been fascinated with animals and caring for them truly allows me to thrive. As a child I was obsessed with any and all information I could learn and the books I took out at the library were always about animals. I would beg my parents for pets. I was always outside finding creatures in the wild, observing them and learning anything I could. I begged for a couple ducks of my own and created drawings and plans for duck houses I thought I could build on my own to prove I would do anything! As an adult my dream of owning ducks did come true by the way!
I was constantly starving for more information and could never take in enough. As a result of being Neurodivergent, I had a photographic memory that allowed me to hyper focus on what I wanted to learn. When I was 10 years old, I volunteered/worked at Canaan Valley Pet Shop in Canaan, CT for 8 years. I learned about the care for every type of animal I could including nutrition, training, how to put all kinds of cages together, proper vetting and anything anyone could ever know about products and nutrition sold for pets. I learned to hand feed and handle baby parrots. I started my grooming experience there and worked with a groomer the pet store hired. I absolutely loved all of it!
In high school I took college level vet tech and equine science courses and had a 100% in all classes pertaining to animals. I signed up for two years of independent study because I went as far as equine science would take me and I still wanted to learn more! I ended up competing in the FFA CDE competitions: Equine Evaluation and Veterinary Science. While I wasn’t so great at judging the conformation of a horse at that age, I did "ok" and learned a lot. The veterinary science test on the other hand, I aced like always and placed #1 out of the entire state of CT and my team overall placed second. The test was made up of vet tool identification, internal and external parasite identification, dog breed ID, cat breed ID and a presentation on problem solving with a scenario involving reptiles. If we placed first we would win a trip to the National Convention in Louisville Kentucky. It was decided because I placed first in the state and the team was so close to placing first...that as a whole that we would still qualify to go to National Convention in Louisville Kentucky that year. That was a great experience. I was presented with an award and some pins to add to my jacket. I cherished being recognized for my efforts as up to that point in my short life I was easily retaining large amounts of information at a rapid rate and knew it was special!
I began working at Sand Road Animal Hospital in addition to the pet store. I saved enough money and bought my own horse. A few years later I bought a second horse and supported her as well. I was a teen with 2 jobs and 2 horses. My parents knew nothing about horse care and I was in a self boarding situation which meant the horses care was completely my responsibility. I was busy and definitely stayed out of trouble in high school because of all this responsibility. Before school, you could find me at the barn. As soon as I got home from school, you guessed it...barn! I felt so lucky to have my own horses at such a young age. Horses turned into a career in my early adulthood and I have never been without. I currently have my elderly mare, Tava who I have owned since she was just 18 months old. She is a palomino AMHA registered Morgan Horse. I taught her everything I learned early on. She learned several western and english sports and to drive, pull a sled and do parades. She has now raised all of my children safely and they have horse skills because of her! The apple of my eye is my absolute sweetheart named Odin. He is a dream come true as I had to have this rare purebred called a Norwegian Fjord the moment I learned of them...the golden retriever of horses! He was a birthday present to myself several years back. We have two mini horses who have also raised my children, Lucy and Blossom. Lucy is a chestnut and Blossom is a black and white pinto. Some of the dogs that visit are bigger than them! They are very well behaved and trim the grass in the dog pens for us! Our last boy is a red dun quarter horse pony named Cody. He has a strong personality and is a blast to ride.
While growing up my family had a a cat (Mittens) for 23 years and a dog named Sam for 14 years. In Sam's last days he couldn’t go up stairs anymore and I was sleeping on the floor of the living room with him. He was very loved and really laid a foundation for my interest in dogs . In addition to Sam and Mittens I had several parakeets, cockatiels, canaries and Senegal’s. My mother and I raised young birds, hand fed them and sold the babies to the pet store where I would care for them while working. I then began working with Mini Rex rabbits after meeting a breeder at the pet store one day. I started my own breeding program which led to a lifelong obsession and love for rabbits. For about 25 years I bred, raised and showed rabbits. My daughters and I had a great rabbity called Zele's Hollow. In the last couple of years I decided to retire from rabbits to focus all of my attention on the dogs and though I miss them, I don't miss all the work. I'm just as happy caring for dogs anyway!
To be continued.....
I can’t rave enough here. I’ve been very hesitant to board Tilda with people she doesn’t know because she can be timid with new folks. But perhaps the best sign that Tilda was in terrific hands with Laura was that when I went to drop Tilda off for her second stay, instead of having to literally pull Tilda out of the car like I did the first time I dropped her off, she jumped out of the car with tail wagging ready to see Laura and her new pup friends. Hard to imagine a better situation to leave my girl in. Its basically summer camp for dogs
-Zoe R.
Laura was great, super communication throughout the day. Lots of pictures on her Instagram page. She has a lot of dogs, so Bowie was in heaven. He was so tired and happy when we picked him up. Thank you Laura and team for taking such good care of him!
-Tara S.
Alexis had a great time! Lots of room to run and play with other dogs. She came home early evening and went right to sleep — slept well into the next morning. A happy pup indeed! We can’t wait to go back.
-Max W.
Very good job. Great comunication.
-Mark S.
Laura is a completely lovely person and super dog sitter. Great farm-like setting, tons of space for you dog roam and run and lots of other dogs to play with. Laura was super flexible and accommodating to a late minute booking. I would definitely leave my dog with again and again~!
-Paul F.
Laura was so accommodating in taking care of our very active and demanding 11 month old Siberian Husky/Akita mix puppies. They are a lot of work and she kept them safe and happy. I’d definitely recommend sending your dogs here. There’s lots of room to roam and make friends! Thanks Laura!
-J. Webb
Extremely happy with Laura and her farm/kennel facilities. Kipo was really happy to go. She played so much and got to socialize with a lot of other dogs. We would definitely send her back for day care or boarding.
-Ed. S.
Laura is a consummate professional and very thoughtful and caring. My dogs were exhausted and happy as can be when I picked them up — it was like summer camp!
-Darlene S.
Laura was so receptive in communication, super professional and capable of taking good care of my pup. It was like a vacation for my hound, who came back happy and tired. Don’t hesitate to go with Laura.
-Jared B.
Laura is great. Nice facilities with other friendly dogs. Definitely recommend.
-Chad P.
Laura is amazing. She really cares. I told her that my dog Blue has separation anxiety and will escape and she helped with the training of that and was even up throughout the night to check on him. I really appreciate how present she was and how much she cared. I will definitely be using Laura again :)
-Sophie H.
Laura was incredible! She made space for Ruby and Birch at the last minute and gave them a great time. They slept so hard when they came back home. The best!
-Seth W.
Laura is awesome. Super flexible, responsive, and is obviously passionate about animals. I started bringing my dog to her for doggy day care while I'm at work. It's such a comfort knowing my pup is being loved and is in good hands during the day.
-Chelsea with Millie
Terrific! My pup loved being there. She had lots of play. Was well cared for. Laura was quite accommodating with my last minute booking. Will definitely go back.
-Charles H.
Over twenty years ago Laura and I met each other. The instant magnetism was not only because of her beautiful disposition, but also our mutual adoration of animals. Laura genuinely loves every animal that she meets and this affection is unequivocally reciprocated. With the exception of only my dog- who cowers under the couch from everyone except his immediate family, there has never been a creature that Laura cannot win over (and she can even bribe my wimpy Burton with a piece of cheese occasionally). Her attention to details, vast knowledge of veterinary care, and playful nature make her the ideal caretaker for all varieties of creatures. She is adept at every aspect of animal husbandry and has been breeding everything from birds to horses, dogs to exotics, since we were in high school together. But, her genuine passion has always been dogs. I have never known a time in Laura’s life when she was not accompanied by at least one faithful canine-or an entire pack of well mannered, kid friendly, spunky dogs. After my first child was born and I was down for the count, Laura came over to visit and asked if there was anything she could do to help. I asked her to clip my sweet Lily’s nails because she was the only other person who I knew I could trust to clip the nails on my old, arthritic dog and she did a beautiful job. When I’ve taken Laura to dog sitting jobs that I have, she’ll insist we stay longer to simply play and give a few more ear skritches; always going even more above and beyond what any dog owner could dream of when they leave their friend in the care of someone else. Without hesitation, I would leave any one of my animals with Laura, knowing that hands down, they were receiving as much love (perhaps even more at times) than they get from me; that their safety, wellbeing, and contentment are infinitely high on her list of priorities. Any creature lucky to be left in laura’s care is going to have an epic time.
-Iris with Burton, Fern and Nettle
Laura is fantastic! Recommend her 1000%
-Meredith N.
Laura has multiple securely fenced areas and makes sure to take collars and harnesses off for safety. my pup clearly spent most of the time he was there happily playing - he was exhausted when I brought him home - I’m sure he’ll be back for daycare again.
-Kira B.
Laura loves animals. What could be better. My 8 lb Maltese did extremely well in her care.
-Linda D.
Putnam had a great time with Laura, and there were plentiful photo updates on Instagram!
-Nathaniel K.
Apollo had a wonderful time. Laura was very communicative and it was great to see updates of the dogs on Instagram. We highly recommend and will board with Laura again!!!
-Kathleen B.
November 2019: Great caretaker!! Great communication!! Outstanding!
March 2020: Life saver!! We use Laura regularly and this week she bailed us out on a last minute request! A true pet lover of all pets! Highly recommended!!
September 2020: Wonderful experience every time!!!
July 2021: Simply amazing!!!
August 2021: Reliable!! Outstanding with our Sadie!
-John and Deb with Sadie
Skye had a wonderful time with Laura and all the other dogs, including the mini Australian Shepherd puppies.. Apparently Laura had one of the puppies actually sleep with Skye. I loved the pictures that were posted on the Instagram site which all showed a very happy Skye.
-Johnathan W.
Dolly had a great time with Laura! Plenty of pics on IG, happy (and sleepy) puppy when she came home!
-James H.
Our dog had an absolutely wonderful time at Laura’s. He returned home happy and tired. Laura was able to take our pup at the last minute and was gracious and communicated regularly with us.
-Dinaw M.
Laura was wonderful, and her kids too! Love the picture updates, and the happy tired dog I picked up a week later.
-Cari P.
It would be impossible to say anything other than pure complements! Laura and her family were beyond accommodating for our two pups while we were away for a week. Having only been their second time being boarded, our dogs had very mixed feelings throughout the week – all of which were brilliantly and patiently responded to by Laura every day. She was also patient with us, and we certainly had our share of questions and concerns along the way. Each of those was met graciously by Laura with detailed responses, which we really appreciated.
Her facilities are much better than any kennel we've ever visited. All of the dogs have plenty of space, love, and attention. She has separate enclosed yards so the dogs have room to run around all day, and both of our dogs came home happy and exhausted. We'll definitely be going back next time our dogs need a home while we're away!
-Lindsay N.
Laura took wonderful care of my puppy. He had a happy day playing with her dogs and she communicated well with me. If I'm in the area again I'll definitely book her!
-Olivia D.
Laura is great. She really cares about the dogs. Blue comes back happy and tired. He gets to run around and swim with other dogs. Highly recommend
-Sophie H.
Excellent care!!
-Britt M.
Laura is great! I was passing through the area for an interview and reached out to Laura to see if she could watch Clementine for a few hours. She's got a great set up with a 6-foot fenced in area for the dogs to run around. I would definitely use her services again!
-Steven H.
Laura and her family were wonderful with our 2 year old dog Jojo and 18 year old cat Abbi! Jojo has spent very little time away from us and is pretty attached, but she had a great time playing with all of the other dogs that live there and were boarding or visiting over her 5 day stay. We haven't prioritized socialization with other dogs as much as we should so it was great for her to have a chance to be with other dogs. We quickly felt very confident that Laura had a good sense of all of the dog's temperaments including Jojo's and that Jojo would be safe and happy. She eased Jojo into the bigger play yard and watched her interact with some of her own dogs who she knows best first before introducing her to the rest. Abbi our cat is a senior lady who is pretty social and easy going and I don't think demanded much, but Laura was gushing about how sweet she is in texts. It felt good to know that she was getting attention and being appreciated. Jojo came back to us happy and tired having thoroughly enjoyed her time at what felt like sleep away camp for dogs. We are so glad to have discovered Laura and plan to use her again without a doubt!
-Betsy N.
Laura’s spot is doggie heaven. She has multiple large fenced in areas for the pups to run around and play. Jax passed out after 2 minutes of getting in the car after his stay! Laura was extremely helpful and accommodating with pickup and drop off which I greatly appreciated. Jax will definitely be staying here again!
-Amanda S.
Laura was amazing from the start. She responded in less than 5 mins from submitting my request. It was an emergency request and she accepted right away. This was the first time leaving Sophie for several days and I was nervous but she reassured me Sophie would be fine. Laura is super friendly and amazing with all of the animals. She instantly had me feeling good about leaving Sophie with a stranger. Sophie gave her a run for her money being houdini but looks like she had a blast through the pics that Laura shared. Sophie came home exhausted. i will definitely be booking her again. Thank you so much for making everything easy for me and Sophie.
-Pamela E.
Sailor had a wonderful time with Laura and her family! It gave us so much peace of mind to know she was in good hands and well cared for while we were away. She came home happy and tired! We will definitely use Laura again.
Willy with Sailor
Willow had a great 1st day with Laura and all the furry friends! Thanks again! Willow can't wait for her next play date!
-Alyssa with Willow
Laura and her family are WONDERFUL. My small dog had a great time. We will definitely use her again!
-Andrus N.
Laura was absolutely amazing - her home is extremely safe for pups and between herself and her kids, Lulu was loved like her own pup! I never had to worry and I would definitely rebook with Laura again!
-Julia with Lulu
Ranger had a great time with Laura and all her furry friends. She was in great spirits when we picked her up. We will definitely have Ranger stay there again.
-Terence S.
A very caring and thoughtful person/dogsitter.
-Robert S.
Laura was great at making Phoebe feel at home. She has a great set up with multiple play areas. Phoebe is a little anxious around other dogs so she gradually introduced her to the larger outdoor run. There were plenty of dogs to play with and I think it's a great way to get some socialization. Will be bringing her back.
-Keelia P.
Laura was super easy to work with and has such a great setup for the dogs! Our dog loved being there, will definitely reach out to Laura again if we need boarding services.
-Hannah C.
Laura is great. Blue is a fan!
-Sophie H.
Argus loves Laura and so do we!
-Abbey N.
Seriously the best place to send your doggo.
-Zoe R.
Unexpectedly we needed to board our young dog at the last minute. I have boarded my older dogs with a wonderful ‘Rover’ lady in the past, so I tried to find someone in the area where we were going last minute. While my “active” pup was probably shocked at being left, staying in a kennel, and being with lots of dogs… she was happy and exhausted when we picked her up. Laura was gentle and reassuring to Taz. She was clean and ready when we picked her up. Thank you!
-Lee S.
Exceeded expectations. We will return.
-Melissa C.
Laura has been great with our pup the last several times he’s stayed. He has a blast and her facilities are fantastic!
-Nathaniel K.