Karen

I have loved and cared for animals from a very young age.  I have supported animal rights campaigns and animal charities since my teens. I work part time as a special needs nanny, supporting children with autism and their families. I have worked with children on the autistic spectrum for many years in various settings. Over the years I have owned and gained experience in the care of many animals, including, dogs, cats, rabbits, Guinea pigs, fish, both tropical and cold water, rats, mice, exotics such as, tree frogs, fire bellied newts, terrapins, tortoise, budgies, chickens, pigeons and collared doves.

 I have kept chickens for many years, including exbatts and different breeds. I currently have two small flocks with a cockerel with each flock. I have rescued disabled pigeons in two outdoor aviaries and two disabled collared doves in another outdoor aviary. I love to think of ways to make my birds aviaries and pens more interesting for them. Apart from my original disabled feral pigeon, all the others have come to me through a pigeon rescue group. They came to visit and checked my setups before passing on other rescues to me.

  I try to give all my animals the best possible life and always research and find out everything I can about the animals I care for. I have an African side necked turtle who has hyperthyroidism. She has to have transdermal gel on her neck twice a day to keep her T4 levels stable. We built an indoor pond with land area for her in the conservatory to give her plenty of space. 

We love to go on long walks with our dogs too. They love woodland walks and really enjoyed walks across the moor and paddling in the river while on holiday. We have a very large garden, which is great for our dogs to explore and play games in and has come in useful for training our youngest dog. We are also fortunate to have a big park and the Lickey hills on our doorstep both popular with dog owners.

After having a lovely lady look after our birds and turtle while we were on holiday I thought I would love to offer my services and become a pet sitter. It was such a weight off my mind knowing someone was taking good care of my animals. I love animals and would like to be there for people when they go away giving them the same peace of mind about their much loved pets. I would give any animal under my care as much love and attention as I give my own. I have helped out friends and family in the past with theirs and have often helped with the pets of families I nanny for.